Greetings Sheepdogs,
I donated whole blood yesterday at the Red Cross headquarters in Nashville.
I always reward myself afterward by having lamb chops, shish kebab vegetables,
and rice at my favorite Kurdish restaurant, House of Kabob in Nashville, TN.
Your neighbors need your blood. I wouldn't ask you, if I didn't donate myself.
Tennessee Firearms Association meeting
19:00 (7:00 PM) Central Time on
Thursday, January 25th, 2024 at
Shackle Island Volunteer Fire Department
3199 Long Hollow Pike, Hendersonville, TN 37075, USA.
We will have a representative from
Project Appleseed
for a look at our nation’s founding and forefathers,
with a specific eye towards understanding our
Second Amendment as it relates to our national history.
This will be a fun and informative event and is also
great for kids - they will learn some important history
of our nation that is often glossed over in school.
This is a newsletter for my students of Defensive Pistolcraft (5811),
my colleagues in Signals Intelligence and Ground Electronic Warfare (2651),
and my colleagues from Intelligence (0231). We say good bye to tanks,
snipers, a lot of artillery, and a lot of aircraft. This is not a simplex broadcast.
Back channels are open. We have a duty . . .
Table of Sections:
Prevention
Intervention
Postvention
Education
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Prevention ***** ***** *****
Things you can do to avoid the lethal force incident.
Table of contents:
Mindset
Safety
Training
Practice
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset (figuring out the correct way to think) -----
"Many years ago, my late father asked me if I'd like him to bequeath me his gold watch.
I thanked him for the offer but I declined. When he asked why, I told him that I'd never
wear a gold watch as I consider it to be mugger bait."
-- Stephen P. Wenger
‟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
Keep your gun in a separate mental category, not with your wallet and keys.
‟Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice.”
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, USN
Self-defense is like golf. The more you practice, the fewer strokes you take
when you play. Actually, self-defense is better than golf in that if you train and
practice, your body language and behavior betrays your competence causing the
enemy to deselect you for victimization. Such cannot be bluffed. It also cannot
be hidden. The trained eye will catch the information that you leak. But then
again, there are very few Jason Bournes roaming around in the wild.
‷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
" Another “mental-health crisis?” " by John Farnam
Excerpt:
4) “Zero tolerance for violence” policies in our public schools are administered
as “zero tolerance for self-defense”.
Accordingly, schoolyard bullies quickly learn that they can terrorize innocent,
but smaller, schoolmates with impunity. Nothing is ever done to stop them,
and anyone standing-up to a bully is severely punished!
So in American society, bad behavior, even by juveniles, goes mostly unchecked,
and uncorrected.
Bullies learn, from an early age that in our woke community,
criminal violence “works,” and that they can get away with it.
And, they continue to!
---
The above is another reason to never send your kids into a public school.
The first reason would be that public schools are gun-free-zones. Gun-free-zones
create unarmed victims for armed criminals to prey upon. That is the effect.
That is their purpose. The liberals use the massacres that they cause to advance
their political agenda, which includes disarming you.
"Jeff Cooper's Color Code exists to help you get your head
around the need to kill someone in the immediate future."
-- John Hearne
***** Situational Awareness *****
How to avoid being taken by surprise.
Former Dorchester County (South Carolina, USA) sheriff, Ray Nash, gave a
radio interview and said that the indicators of a criminal are:
no shirt, tattoos, bad teeth, and body odor.
Smoking destroys your sense of smell and taste. This means you won’t be
able to smell the enemy.
Smoking destroys your night vision. This means you won’t be able to see
the enemy in the dark.
“A pack-a-day smoker builds high levels of carbon monoxide in his blood,
which reduce 20 percent of normal night vision at sea level, an effect that
increases with altitude; by 10,000 feet, he’s lost 40% of his night vision.”
– “The Ultimate Sniper” by Maj. John Plaster, U.S. Army retired,
Paladin Press, Revised edition January 2006, page 8.
ISBN-10: 1581604947
ISBN-13: 978-1581604948
“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
*************************************************************************
----- Safety ----- (How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.
How to avoid shooting yourself, friendlies, and innocent bystanders.)
Jeff Cooper′s Rules of Gun Safety
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER
ANYTHING 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 II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT
WILLING TO DESTROY
Conspicuously and continuously violated, especially with pistols, Rule II applies
whether you are involved in range practice, daily carry, or examination. If the
weapon is assembled and in someone's hands, it is capable of being discharged.
A firearm holstered properly, lying on a table, or placed in a scabbard is of no danger
to anyone. Only when handled is there a need for concern. This rule applies to
fighting as well as to daily handling. If you are not willing to take a human life,
do not cover a person with the muzzle. This rule also applies to your own person.
Do not allow the muzzle to cover your extremities, e.g. using both hands to holster
the pistol. This practice is unsound, both procedurally and tactically. You may need
a free hand for something important. Proper holster design should provide for one
handed holstering, so avoid holsters which collapse after withdrawing the pistol.
(Note: It is dangerous to push the muzzle against the inside edge of the holster
nearest the body to "open" it since this results in your pointing the pistol at your
midsection.) Dry-practice in the home is a worthwhile habit and it will result in
more deeply programmed reflexes. Most of the reflexes involved in the Modern
Technique do not require that a shot be fired. Let it suffice for now that you do not
dry-fire using a "target" that you wish not to see destroyed. (Recall RULE I as well.)
Excerpted from: "The Modern Technique of the Pistol"
by Greg Morrison, Gunsite Press, Paulden, Arizona.
ISBN 0-9621342-3-6
Library of Congress Number 91-72644
---
Stephen Wenger adds
Rule V: MAINTAIN CONTROL OF YOUR FIREARM.
---
Most states have strict liability. Which means if someone uses your gun without
your permission, without your knowledge, you are civilly liable, and in some states
criminally liable.
"But I did everything reasonable to prevent the unauthorized access to my firearm."
Well, no, the fact that the bad guy, or your child, or some child visiting your home,
or some relative, or house guest got your firearm is prima facia evidence that you did
not take reasonable precautions to prevent the unauthorized access to your firearm.
"Democrat James Clyburn Claims Trump Is ‘Tied’
To Shooting At Mother Emanuel AME Church"
by Daily Wire News
I used to live and operate in South Carolina. As an intel analyst, I have studied
Clayburn.
Let's consider why the AME Church suffered such an attack. In order of the prospective
attacker's reconnaissance:
Common knowledge / public knowledge that the church is a gun-free-zone.
No security presence in the parking lot.
No security presence inside the building.
None of the church members were armed.
(I don't know if any of the church members present were trained, but according to
the witness account, none of the church members attacked the assailant. You don't
need to be armed to put a single man down. Nine against one can easily put the
one down, even without training.)
What has the church learned from the incident? What security measures has the
church implemented to prevent the same thing from happening in the future?
Unfortunately, you know the answer.
Some churches suffer such attacks. Some churches have to kill the bad guy during
the church service. Some churches never suffer such attacks. Ever wonder why?
Remember, the bad guy is a thinking creature; he's not stupid. He is not going to
attack a place where he will be instantly killed in the parking lot. He's going to choose
to attack a place where he will encounter no resistance and won't be noticed until he
is inside the building.
Yes, you should pray for God's hedge of protection. But God expects you to do
your good works, which includes implementing a robust redundant layered invisible
security system. If you don't know how, get training. If you can't do it yourself,
ask for help, hire help. Ask for volunteers, train your volunteers, drill your volunteers.
"If we put a burden on our volunteers, they will all quit."
That's a good thing. Savor it. Because, some won't quit, and those are the ones
you want.
"What about those who won't show up for training or practice, but won't quit?"
Invite them to shoot a IDPA or IPSC match with you. Watch them. Of course,
if they don't show up, you should probably ask them to quit. It's not a competence
thing, it's an attitude thing. Which is a confidence thing. Without confidence, the
volunteer won't aggress on the bad guy, and probably won't shoot the bad guy.
You may not need good works for salvation. But you do need them to protect
your congregation.
"Gun Free Zones" have thus become hunting preserves for psychopathic murderers.
-- Massad Ayoob
"Master Body Language with These Five Simple Tips" by Michael D'Angona
‟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"
“ ‘War’ is when the government tells you whom the enemy is.
‘Revolution’ is when you figure it out for yourself! ”
-- Napoleon Bonaparte
" “Restorative” Justice? " by John Farnam
“Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women.
When it dies, no constitution, no law, no court can save it.”
-- Learned Hand
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 10:00pm (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)
---
When Claude says, "Much of what you know is false.", he's talking about superstitions.
Superstitions are not silly things that other people believe that you know are false.
Superstitions are things that you know are true, that are false. Yes, you have them.
We all do. It is extremely difficult to find them and fix them by yourself. You must
find someone whom you trust to find them and point them out to you. Most people
won't. They just don't want to argue with you, because they don't care about you
that much. Only a person who loves you, will tell you that you are wrong in your
deeply held belief. The vast majority of instructors don't love you. They are just
doing their job for pay.
---
Blind spots are not places that you know that you can't see. Blind spots are places
that you are not aware of, that you can't see.
If you drive a car in America, you know that you have a blind spot back to your left.
So you fix the problem by turning your left rearview mirror out so you can see that
"blind spot". (If you adjust your mirror correctly, you won't be able to see any part
of your car.)
On the other hand, you have lived immersed in Western Civilization for so long
that you are not aware that there is a body in Earth's orbit around the sun, in a position
diametrically opposed to the Earth. (You can't see it because it's on the other side of
the Sun.) The ability to make precise observations (of other bodies in our solar
system) and do the math (which was fairly difficult), allowed astronomers conclude
that such a body could not be of a significant mass, long before spacecraft photographed
that volume of space. But it's almost impossible to publish a paper giving a negative
result, especially when everyone in the community "knew" that such a body didn't
exist. The problem for us, of course, is that many bad things do exist in our blind
spots, and it never crosses our mind that such a blind spot exists in the first place.
--- Start of Classes ---
Taking classes is important, even if you already know everything. Ninety
percent of the material may be stuff you already know or have decided that you
don’t want to implement. But, if you have a good attitude, you will always find
that 10% in nuggets that you had never heard of, or thought of, before. It may be
technical, philosophical, or perceptual. And that makes the class worth taking.
-- Mike Maples
Trident Concepts
Protective Pistolcraft Instructor Development Course, $1,335.68
September 25 · 9am - September 29 · 6pm CDT
4220 Gravel Pit Road, White Hall, AR 71602
Suarez Tactics
People who think they know everything irritate those of us who do.
--- End of Classes ---
“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
"Embracing Errors" by Steve Tarani
Excerpt:
"Researchers have found that when we make a mistake, our brain's memory
systems are activated more intensely. This heightened activity not only helps
us remember the mistake but also makes the correction more memorable,
leading to better retention of information and skill."
"Psychologist Carol Dweck's concept of a "growth mindset" emphasizes the
belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning.
Embracing mistakes is a key element of this mindset. When individuals view
errors as opportunities to grow and improve, they are more likely to persevere,
take risks, and ultimately achieve higher levels of success."
". . . heaping demands upon your performance such as stringent times and
tighter accuracy inevitably causes the wheels to start falling off. The magic is
then to discover what caused the wheels to fall off?"
“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.)
"Panel Discussion: Initial and Sustainment Training" by Lee Weems, et al
---
Active Response Training, Greg Ellifritz
https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/
LouKa Tactical Training, Lou Ann Hamblin
https://loukatactical.com/
Seth Thompson
Lane Thayer
---
Rather than lumping all of the firearms training into a 2 week period, spread it out
so that the students are handling their firearms everyday while at the
academy / boot camp / training course.
Dry practice at the beginning of every block of instruction.
Cut live ammo budget, increase dummy round budget.
Low left is caused by tightening the grip while pressing the trigger. [I disagree.
I think it is due to pushing against the recoil in anticipation of the recoil. -- Jon Low]
---
"How often do you shoot?"
I've qualified every year for the last ten years.
"So you don't have ten years of experience. You've got 10 reps."
---
We tell them to do dry fire practice. And then we don't teach them how to do
dry fire practice.
Penny drill. Don't give the student a live cartridge worth 26¢ until he can keep
a penny (worth 1¢) on his front sight while pressing the trigger dry.
Even after graduating from the academy, the students are still spending time
thinking about how to get the pistol out of the holster and how to grip the pistol.
They have not attained automaticity. That's why they can't make the 1.75 seconds
from signal to first shot on target from a level 3 retention holster.
---
Police officers killed with their own gun.
Solution: higher level retention holster.
Wrong! The pistol was taken after the police officer drew his pistol. A level
18 retention holster isn't going to solve that problem.
---
How can I get my people to recognize that the situation has gotten to the point
where they need to draw their gun, point it at someone, and pull the trigger?
The skills are teachable. The mindset, much more difficult.
The students need to see, multiple times, an assailant pulling a gun on them
to become familiar with the visual cues that indicate that it is about to happen.
Avoid trigger confirmation (touching the trigger) by being confident in your
fundamentals. [SUPER SIGNIFICANT! -- Jon Low]
Pointing a gun at someone used to be a "threat of force". Now days it is a "use
of force". [SIGNIFICANT! -- Jon Low]
Standing still while shooting, a significant training scar.
"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
"I’m not really shocked to realize that almost everything I was taught in my
undergrad criminology classes has been proven to be incorrect."
-- Greg Ellifritz
[I agree. I took many criminology classes while I was in the Marine Corps
from various colleges that had extension campuses on the bases and air stations.
100% were politically correct tripe. -- Jon Low]
"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
A pistol used for self-defense is in use. So, you must keep it loaded and ready to fire.
Single action pistols, such as the Model 1911’s, will have a round in the chamber,
the hammer cocked, and the safety on.
Striker action type pistols will have a round in the chamber.
Double action pistols will have a round in the chamber and be decocked.
Statistically speaking, civilian gun fights last 2 seconds and one or two rounds are
fired from within 5 feet 50% of the time, within 10 feet 75% of the time [citation
Police Officer’s Safety Association]. So, you won’t have time to load your pistol.
And you certainly won’t have time to get your pistol if you don’t have it on you.
(Don’t let averages fool you. The average American has one testicle and one ovary.)
If you practice a lot, you will be able to get your pistol from the holster onto the
target and fire in about one and a half seconds. A concealment garment will add half
a second to your time. That’s two seconds.
If you don’t keep a round in the chamber because you don’t think it is safe, you
don’t understand the mechanics of your pistol. It is completely safe to keep the pistol
loaded. The pistol cannot fire by itself. You must press the trigger to fire the pistol.
Just as it is completely safe to keep the gas tank of your car filled. There is no chance
that your car will run someone over by itself.
You should practice realistically, at ranges of 0 to 5 feet, firing from the close
contact position.
". . . the skills of recognition, awareness, avoidance, and de-selection
are probably the most important skills in the tactician's repertoire."
-- Craig Douglas
You can't predict the future.
You can't predict when some drunk or distracted driver will ram you. So, you
always wear your seat belt when driving. And you always make sure your passengers
are wearing their seat belts before moving.
You can't predict when a fire will start in your abode. So, you always keep a fire
extinguisher in plain view in your residence (preferably in your kitchen).
You can't predict when a criminal will attack you. That's his choice, not yours.
So, you always carry your pistol on your body with a round in the chamber.
You're not going to have time to load your pistol. You're not going to have time
to get your pistol from wherever you stored it. So, you must always carry your
loaded pistol on your body in a proper holster that was specifically made for your
pistol. The gunfight will probably be over in 2 seconds.
In the U.S. the average police response time is 7 minutes. That’s 7 minutes from
the time the police patrol unit gets the call on the radio. It’s about 3 minutes on
average from the incident to the first 911 call made to the dispatcher. 3 or 4 minutes
for the dispatcher to get the information and send out a call on the radio. You’ll have
lots of time to holster your pistol before the responding officers arrive. If you don’t
holster your pistol before they arrive, they may shoot you. Yes, many documented
cases. Don’t pick up the bad guy’s gun. The police will see you with the gun and
shoot you. Yes, documented case in Colorado recently.
"Exercise. Strengthen your hands and forearms particularly. The usual
warnings about checking with your doctor before beginning any exercise
regimen apply.
I know this may seem odd in a low intensity basic class, but grip strength is
one of the most important, and overlooked, factors in the ability to shoot a major
caliber handgun well. 'Well', as in quickly and accurately."
-- Steve Cooper, Paladin Training, Inc.
"Hick’s Law: Reaction time increases with the number of choices."
Hick, W. E. (1952), “On the Rate of Gain of Information”,
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Volume 4, pages 11-26.
Hick says, the more decisions you must make, the slower you go.
And the more options you must choose from in each decision, the slower you go.
The conclusion is that to execute faster, minimize the number of necessary decisions
and minimize the number of options that must be chosen from in each decision.
So, for instance:
Always clear your concealment garment the same way (no matter what garment
you are wearing).
Always wear your equipment in the same place.
Always execute immediate action when the gun fails to fire. (It will be obvious
when something else needs to be done.)
Always shoot to the center-of-mass of the available target.
No choices. Just actions.
Email from Mike Ox --
Suddenly, it seemed like he was in the car with me . . . on top of me.
Whatever claustrophobia I started with suddenly got 10x'ed.
I wanted to get to my gun, but it was all I could do to keep him off of me.
I finally went for it, but couldn't get through my shirt and seat belt.
Meanwhile, I felt a whack, whack, whack to my face.
Somehow, I felt the pain of my knees hitting the steering wheel as
I tried to bring them up to protect myself.
Each one simultaneously energizing me and sapping precious energy.
I knew I couldn't keep absorbing the hits, so I stopped trying to get to
my gun to go back to blocking.
I had a knife in my driver's side door, but I couldn't get to it either.
It sucked.
And it was a wake-up call.
Fortunately, it was training.
My complete and utter failure had no consequences other than a
bruised face, knees, and ego.
My wife still had her husband . . . my boys still had their dad.
And I was suddenly teachable.
There's a saying that smart people learn from their mistakes,
but smarter people learn from other people's mistakes.
And this is a case where you want to learn from my mistakes.
Without having to take blows to the face.
Even when you can't get to your gun, knife, or other defensive tools.
Is this a big deal?
CBS and BBC recently reported on the nationwide spike in carjackings.
Washington Post reported a 200% increase.
So I'd say yes.
And a lot of the times, it's KIDS doing the carjackings.
4x more often than in the past. Young, strong, fast, kids taking dumb risks
and making stupid choices. Oftentimes in groups.
So, when you're facing a younger, stronger, faster attacker . . . possibly
multiple . . . while you're strapped down and can't get to a weapon,
what do you do?
-- Mike Ox
[One answer would be to get training. Ya, I suppose you could figure a
few things out by yourself. But why? when experienced instructors are
there for a few bucks. -- Jon Low]
"The Carjacking Dilemma
Keep yourself safe while you're in your car."
by SHERIFF JIM WILSON
Excerpts:
"The key is to make it a habit to roll up the windows and make sure
the doors are locked each and every time we use our vehicle."
". . . the vehicle itself may be the best defensive tool at your disposal."
“If your car is moving, it’s a defensive tool. If it is sitting still, it’s a coffin.”
"Also practice shooting at odd angles because an armed attacker might
be shooting at you from positions other than at your driver’s-side window."
". . . turn off your radio, quit talking on the phone or texting and
give your surroundings your full attention."
"Options for Non-Combatants" by Greg Ellifritz
‟Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice.”
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
----- Practice (how to get proficient at that task) -----
“Willingness is a state of mind. Readiness is a statement of fact!”
-- Lt. Gen. David M Shoup, USMC Commandant, 1960-1963
"Dry Fire Part 1: Getting Started" by Uncle Zo
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"You need your gun, an aiming reference, and, most importantly,
you need to pay attention. Nothing more, nothing less.
None of the fancy, and sometimes expensive, dry fire aids are necessary.
I think some of them can be helpful and beneficial, but they aren’t required."
---
Concerning some of the things Uncle Zo brings up, and my solutions / suggestions --
ROGERS SHOOTING SCHOOL 9MM-.40 TAP RACK TRAINING AID
https://rogersshootingschool.com/collections/featured/products/rogers-shooting-school-tap-rack-training-aid-trt
ROGERS SHOOTING SCHOOL .45 TAP RACK TRAINING AID
https://rogersshootingschool.com/collections/featured/products/copy-of-rogers-shooting-school-tap-rack-training-aid-trt-10-pack
". . . semi-automatic pistols with magazine disconnect safeties."
I consider this a design flaw. I would recommend getting another pistol. You must
be able to shoot the round in the chamber when the magazine is accidentally ejected
or when you are reloading. (All kinds of things can bump your magazine release in
combat.) Attempting to eject your magazine is not a reasonable action in a gun grab
scenario. Ya, I know there are all kinds of stories about such, but I don't think it is
tactically sound.
"People rust faster than equipment."
-- John Hearne
Hey, you do that drill pretty well.
Now let's consider your growth and improvement.
"Do the drill faster?"
No, you're already at 80%. Good enough.
"Do the drill at greater range?"
No, you're already at 80%. Good enough.
"Do the drill with smaller targets?"
No, you're already at 80%. Good enough.
"So how do I grow and improve?"
Well, you're right handed. Do the drill left handed.
You will need to get yourself a left handed holster.
(But you already have one, because you understand the
importance of such training.) (Simulating arthritis making it
impossible for you to do a lot of things right handed.)
Do the drill firing-side hand only. (You may need to
change your rear sight, because you can't rack your pistol
by placing the rear sight against the edge of your holster
or belt.) (Your other hand got injured when you smashed
it attempting to drive a nail with your hammer. Because
everything looks like a nail.)
Do the drill support-side hand only, from your support
side holster. (Simulating that you're recovering from an
injury and surgery on your firing side arm.)
Do the drill support-side hand only, from your firing-side
holster. (The bad guy won't let go of your firing-side hand.
Unfortunately, lots of documented cases.)
Do the drill without the use of your right leg. (Bend
at the knee and wrap some duct tape around your
ankle and thigh to hold them together.) (Because you tore
your Achilles tendon, because you didn't do your stretching
exercises; not because you're an overweight couch potato.
I would never assume that about you.)
Do the drill without the use of your left leg. (Because
the attack started with the bad guy smashing your left leg with
a baseball bat. Unfortunately, there are a lot of documented
cases.)
If you normally use a wheelchair, do the drill without
your wheelchair. Or, do the drill while still strapped
into your wheelchair with the wheelchair laying on its
side. (If you can't access your pistol because it is trapped
between your chair and the ground, change the position of
your holster. Good thing you discovered that in training,
instead of during combat.)
If you normally use prescription glasses or contact
lenses, remove them, put on safety glasses, and do the
drill. (Do you need to move closer to the targets? Do you
need to slow down? Do whatever you need to do to
accomplish the mission. No Mulligans. No start overs.
Pretend this is real. Keep going until you accomplish
the mission.)
Do the drill in the dark. (You will need to get a flashlight
that is bright enough for your night vision [I need at least 750
lumens indoors and 1000 lumens outdoors. I've got 65 year
old myopic eyes.], with a pressure switch on the tail cap.
You will need a pouch for your flashlight that attaches to your belt.
If your flashlight uses batteries, you will need extra batteries.
If your flashlight is rechargeable, have your recharging equipment
available.)
If you don't know how to do this, TAKE A CLASS. This is NOT
something that you can figure out by yourself.
[If you have attached a weapon mounted light (WML) to your pistol,
you absolutely MUST take a class to learn to use that equipment
correctly. You MUST get a holster that will hold your pistol and
weapon mounted light. No, as a matter of fact, you will not have
time to mount your WML, and you won't be able to mount your
WML under the debilitating stress of combat. So it must be
securely mounted to your pistol in the holster.]
Do the drill by shooting under a table (instead of over the top while
standing). This would simulate shooting under the trailer of a tractor-
trailer rig. Shooting from awkward positions is a good thing to practice.
After having done your drill with these modifications,
you will feel your mind opening. Doing the drill faster or
at greater distance or with smaller targets,
won't get the mind opening that you desire.
"Shit, that's way more work and expense than I would ever expend
on this hobby."
Live long and prosper. (with the attendant Vulcan hand sign)
[I am not publishing this to make fun of the guy at the
Davidson County Sportsman's Club.
I am publishing this exchange for our friends in Slovakia.
I'm publishing for our friends in Israel, because your time is
coming. Be prepared. Iran is backing Hamas. Brandon does
not have your back. So, it's not obvious that you will win the war.
The U.S. lost in Vietnam. The U.S. lost in Afghanistan.
You can't rely on the U.S. as long as the Democrats control the
White House. Can you hang on until Trump takes office?
-- Jon Low]
“Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans.”
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
Practice increases your sensitivity, your kinesthetic awareness. This allows
you to know that you are doing something wrong. Once you become aware of
errors, you can correct them, often automatically.
Before you are sensitive enough to detect errors, you don’t notice them.
So, you don’t believe that you are committing the error. So you won't believe
your coach or anyone else telling you that you are doing that wrong, because
you can feel that you are doing it correctly.
What's the solution? Practice in the mirror. You will see how uneven your
shoulders are, how hunched forward your head is, and how contorted your position is.
"But it feels good. The mirror must be lying!"
View video recordings of yourself.
"It's been photoshopped! That's not me. I'm not that awkward. I'm John Wick."
Ya, a legend in your own mind.
‶Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.″
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
Email from Jeff L. Gonzales --
Tip #1: Dry practice in your heavy winter wardrobe.
It should go without saying that anything you put into service must be
validated to ensure compliance with your carry methods. The moment
you add several layers, access is challenging. Before you leave the house
for the first time in your winter wardrobe, you should have dry fired from
the most likely condition. This is typically zipped all the way up to
discover the complications in advance.
Tip #2: Have a backup plan other than going to guns.
There is no getting around the fact access to your primary carry will be
slower. While we can get students to do great work drawing from 2,
sometimes 3 layers it does require time to be effective. If you know
this in advance and have some other first strike option you may be
better off. Carrying OC spray or an impact weapon in your pocket can
make for a great option that doesn't drastically alter your carry method.
Tip #3. Try not to drastically alter your carry method.
While it may seem like a good idea to alter your carry method to
accommodate the winter wardrobe, a word of caution. If you are not
willing to put in the same amount of time to train and practice from
this alternate method it probably is window dressing at best. Instead,
work with your current method to bring it up to speed and consider
the backup plan. While carrying a pocket gun is a great idea, how
much training and practice do you have under your belt with this method.
Tip #3. Practice with gloves.
If the weather gets that bad, gloves become mandatory. Should your hands
succumb to numbness or dysfunction it really doesn't matter. Keeping your
hands in your pocket is only a half measure, keeping them warm is good tactics.
Clearing cover garments with gloves adds a whole new complexity and needs
to be practiced, see tip #1. Finding a good pair of gloves that keep you warm
yet give you good dexterity is a never-ending journey. My suggestion, when
you find that perfect pair, buy several more. 😉
Good luck and stay warm.
JLG (Jeff L. Gonzales)
P.S. feel free to share with other like minded folks.
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
‟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
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intervention ***** ***** *****
Suggestions on how to deal with the incident that you failed to avoid.
Table of contents:
Strategy
Tactics
Techniques
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy (deciding on the end state and how to achieve it,
which tactics to use, which includes walking away) -----
“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) -----
Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, Escape
"Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
Move. Don’t be a stationary target. Always be moving to cover. Move after
you shoot to get out of the line of fire. Move while shooting to reduce the
probability of getting hit. Move while reloading, clearing malfunctions, or
performing any administrative action. The only time you’re not moving is when
you are behind cover. If you can’t find cover, go prone.
In my artillery unit, Mike Battery, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marines (this is a
regiment), 4th Division (I know a corps is only supposed to have 3 divisions.
4th Division is the Reserve Division), U.S. Marine Corps, when we stop on
the road, we immediately move into the trees on the side of the road.
If we must emplace in the open, we cover ourselves with camouflage netting.
The enemy has counter-battery radar, artillery, and missiles. So, after we fire,
we immediately move before the enemy can return fire.
It’s the same with defensive pistolcraft.
“Fortuitous outcomes reinforce poor tactics.”
-- Chuck Haggard
From an email from Gabe Suarez --
"DARK ARTS: TARGET IDENTIFICATION IS RELATIVE"
You don’t need a full dossier on your intended target . . . just the fact that they
are in a position to kill you and taking steps to make that happen. Once we
recognize that, the world . . . and specifically the streets, become an easier
problem to deal with.
The idea of shooting THROUGH things is an important skill. Its perhaps not
so much a skill as it is a state of mind. Recall my - “Its About Killing, Not About Score”.
I recall I was running a SWAT school through a shoothouse drill way back in the
late 1990s. The exercise was a difficult one with a “bad guy” target on its side -
on the ground - only top of head, eyes, and gun peeking out at the student.
And behind a couch.
The objective was simply to locate and eliminate. There was no deescalation,
negotiation, nor the need to decipher shoot-no-shoot. The "target had already fired
at the police and shot one of their team . . . so it was a done deal, tactical exercise
only. In other words . . . by his past and current actions the target had already been
identified.
Oh . . . and in case some of you might ask . . . the last day for surrender was
yesterday, and there were no rain checks.
I wish I’d taken a picture then but it was pre-selfie era.
Anyway, our noble and heroic SWAT dog moves through the house like a
pestilence. Smooth and looking deadly. He begins pieing the couch and sees
the problem. He pies a little more . . . then a little more . . . then pauses . . .
then pauses again . . . takes up the slack on his USP, and finally places a shot
in the target’s exposed forehead.
The rest of the team is watching from the catwalk.
“Very nice, but why did you take so long?”. He had been on target almost
an entire minute! The explanation was what you might hear from a “range operator”
accustomed to difficult targets and “Combat Master” tests and challenge coins.
During that open ended time period of course, a real bad guy would have had
the chance to fire multiple rounds at the student.
I nodded . . . told everyone to plug their ears . . . stood back where he had
first seen the bad guy and his pistol . . . then peppered the face and body
THROUGH the couch with 15 rounds of 180 grain 40 ammo, reloaded and
added an additional 15 rounds just in case. Time on target . . . 5 seconds.
Target ID is relative to the problem and not a finite matter.
-- Gabe Suarez
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
*************************************************************************
----- Techniques -----
Ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics,
especially when disabled or under stress.
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
I read the following technique in a recent article, but for the life of me, I can't find
that article. If you know the citation, please let me know, so that I can update this
blog posting with the citation.
Your trigger is about 5 pounds. One technique for getting the surprise trigger
break is to:
Touch the trigger.
Take the slack out of the trigger.
Apply 1 pound of force to the trigger.
Apply 2 pounds of force.
Apply 3 pounds of force.
Apply 4 pounds of force.
Apply 5 pounds of force.
The pistol will fire before you get to 5 pounds of pressure. If it doesn't,
try this:
Touch the trigger.
Take the slack out of the trigger.
Apply 1 pound of force to the trigger.
Apply 1.5 pounds of force.
Apply 2 pounds of force.
Apply 2.5 pounds of force.
Apply 3 pounds of force.
Apply 3.5 pounds of force.
Apply 4 pounds of force.
Apply 4.5 pounds of force.
Apply 5 pounds of force.
I guarantee the pistol will fire long before you reach 5 pounds of force.
And because you didn't intend to fire the pistol, you will achieve a surprise
break and the bullet will impact where you aimed it. It's a miracle of human
design. More evidence that God exists.
"Slaying of the Sacred Cows . . . or things I think about late at night
(everyone has to have an article title something like this . . . )"
by William G.
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
---
Concerning using the magazine release tab to release the slide --
"It is faster, and completely reliable, to use the slide release."
Unless the slide is forward.
Just because your pistol is supposed to lock back on an empty magazine
does not mean that it will. Especially in combat, because everything is
bumping into everything else, everything gets dirty / muddy / snowy, and
Murphy's Law prevails. So we rack the slide because it will work in all
conditions. Using the magazine release tab will not work when the slide
is forward. We always teach and learn techniques that work under all
conditions. Not just the pristine conditions of the air conditioned indoor
pistol range.
---
Concerning the "California Twitch" --
This is a direct dig at Front Sight (formerly the largest gun school in America,
they went out of business a couple of years ago). Front Sight started in 1995
in Bakersfield, CA.
While it is true that any technique can be stylized to the point of absurdity,
looking to the right and behind you, and then looking to the left and behind
you is a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It is maintaining situational awareness.
"A Quick Guide To Fighting" by Bill Blowers
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"So first order of business is don’t let a dude get inside the range of his weapons.
Maintain more range than normal cultural conversation distances."
"Short Stroking the Handgun Trigger" by Greg Ellifritz
Hostage Drill –
Take cover. Assume a close contact position with your pistol pointed down
at the ground (not threatening the bad guy) [It should be an elbow rotation, not
a wrist rotation. Bending the wrists weakens your grip.]. Step out of cover and ask,
“What do you want?” When the bad guy starts to answer, shoot him in the
cranio-ocular cavity (the center of the triangle formed by the eyes and bottom
of the nose, behind which there is no bone). Ensure a first-round hit, by executing
a surprise trigger break (by practicing at least 2000 times before the event).
In stranger kidnappings, one hour after the abduction, there is a 75% probability
the hostage is dead. After 24 hours there is a 100% probability the hostage is dead.
So, you can't let the kidnapper get away. You must take the shot. Don't fear killing
the hostage. If you don't stop the kidnapper, the hostage WILL die.
Talking is a high order intellectual activity. Answering a question is a complex
high order intellectual activity. It is effectively impossible to talk and shoot at the
same time. This is the same reasoning used in disarming techniques. Talk to the
subject, ask him a question, when he starts to answer, grab and twist the firearm.
Extremely dangerous. NOT recommended.
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Postvention ***** ***** *****
Suggestions on how to treat your wounds.
Suggestions on how to avoid prosecution, conviction, and prison time.
Table of contents:
Aftermath
Medical
Survival
*************************************************************************
----- Aftermath -----
You must be alive to have these problems: criminal and civil liability.
“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
"Should You Modify Your Carry Gun?" by Marty Hayes
Excerpt:
Now, having said the above, some modifications might work against a defendant,
like deactivated safeties or engraving cute sayings or Punisher skulls on the slide or
frame of the gun. Avoid those at all costs. The bottom line is it’s perfectly justifiable
to do some modifications to your carry pistol. The key is to know which ones and
how to explain them if necessary.
In the right hand column, click on the link labeled "Self Defense Insurance".
Or, the direct 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
Dr. James Duane, a professor at Regent Law School and a former defense attorney,
recommends that after a lethal force encounter, you decline to talk to the police.
Don't Talk to Cops, Part 1
Don't Talk to Cops, Part 2
The high stress of a lethal force encounter will induce auditory exclusion
(can’t hear anything), tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision), skewed perception
of time (things appear in slow motion), temporary memory loss (this is one of the
reasons you should not make a statement to police before consulting an attorney),
and false memories (these will be used to prove to a jury that you lied to the police
and hence had a guilty state of mind). All police departments have a policy of not
interviewing police officers involved in shootings until after the officer has had
two good night’s sleep. Some departments won't interview officers for 72 hours.
So, why in the world would you talk to police immediately after a high stress
incident? Probably the most stressful thing that you have experience in your life.
No, you don't have to convince anyone that you're the good guy, that you're
innocent of any crime, etc. That's not your job. Your job is to ask for your attorney
and to say, I invoke my right to remain silent. And then to shut up. Because if
you start talking, you have effectively waived your right to remain silent.
Yes, the cops will say all kinds of things to provoke you to talk. The cops
are nasty shits. They know all the tricks. The U.S. Supreme Courts says that it's
perfectly okay for the cops to lie to you to elicit your testimony. KEEP YOUR
MOUTH SHUT!
In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the direct address
“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
*************************************************************************
----- Medical -----
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
*************************************************************************
----- Survival -----
In his radio program a few days ago, Glen Beck said, if you struggle to roll over
in your bed at night or feel exhausted after taking a shower and brushing your teeth,
EXERCISE! Get into a daily routine of exercise. (He was referring to himself.)
I would add that besides weight lifting and running, you need to stretch.
Stretching prevents injuries.
From a sports commentary (also on the radio), "He was a great athlete.
But then he tore his Achilles tendon and was out for the season, maybe permanently."
Why did he tear his Achilles tendon? Because he failed to do his stretching exercises
as prescribed by the team trainer. [Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of
a curb or the edge of a stair. One foot at a time. Relax. Don't bounce. Bouncing
causes micro tears in the muscles. Just relax and let your body weight stretch the
muscles in your calves.]
When you exert muscles, they shorten. Only daily stretching will prevent the
shortening and induce lengthening. Long loose muscles don't tear. And they don't
force the tendons to tear. And they don't force the ligaments that they are indirectly
attached to, to tear.
Also, long loose muscles won't cramp. Short tight muscles will cramp.
Stretching is not a cure all. The cramping might be hormones. That pain in
your lower back might be kidney stones.
"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
"Practical Eschatology" by Docent
"Weekend Knowledge Dump" by Greg Ellifritz
"Updated information on Mass Public Shootings from 1998 through October 2023"
by Crime Prevention Research Center
"Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States: 2023"
by Crime Prevention Research Center
Article -
Abstract -
Primary Source Paper -
"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
"Going Too Far: Self-Defense Vs. Excessive Force"
by Marty Hayes
Excerpt:
"But the problem is that, after the first shots were fired in response to the attempt
to grab the gun, the defendant kept shooting—for a total of 10 times, with the last
bullet striking the deceased on the top of the head.
That’s not a reasonable amount of force, even if one believed the defense of the
initial attack was warranted."
[I disagree. If it takes 10 shots to stop the attack, then it takes 10 shots. To stop
shooting before that would be to allow the attack to continue without resistance.
Which would have resulted in the assailant grabbing the gun and using it against
the good guy.
It doesn't matter where the bullet struck the assailant. A person involved in a
chaotic life and death struggle cannot be expected to have much control over bullet
placement on the assailant. Even the back of the head would have been reasonable
when grappling in the cab of a truck. -- Jon Low]
"This is why pepper spray and Kubotans are effective intermediary tools one
can easily carry."
[I disagree. Pepper spray is ineffective against 10% of the population (that's what
Marine Corps Military Police training taught us); ineffective against a much higher
percentage of the young tough male population.
Pepper spray must be administered in the assailant's eyes; a very difficult
proposition. Anywhere else on the body is ineffective. And if the wind is blowing
the wrong way, the pepper spray could easily incapacitate you.
Do you know how to use a Kubotan? It takes training. It's not easy. Have you
ever tried to conceal a Kubotan? It's impossible. -- Jon Low]
"How Many Bullets Are TOO Many Bullets?" by Andrew Branca
"That's the legal question we ask in today's show, using a couple of high-volume-fire
police shooting videos as context, and exploring the self-defense law element of
IMMINENCE, with a particular focus on the AOJ Triad." -- Andrew Branca
---
Being able to think clearly in a firefight, to be able to know when (legally) to stop
firing, is beyond the ability of most persons. That's why as Matt Little says, you want
to be in a shooting, not a gunfight. And you want to be the first to shoot, because as
John Hearne says, if you shoot first you're going to hit. If you're returning fire, you
have a low probability of hitting.
Remember, the purpose of self-defense is to prevent the attack. There is no law
in the U.S. that requires you to suffer the first strike before striking in self-defense.
The preemptive strike is essential. Otherwise, you'll be incapacitated, unable to
defend yourself or your loved ones.
If you have failed to prevent the attack, the purpose of shooting in self-defense
is to stop the attack (so you don't get hurt any more). You may legally shoot as
much as needed to stop the attack. You may legally continue to shoot until the
attack stops. You actually need to continue shooting until the attack stops.
That's why you need to carry lots and lots of ammunition in your pistol. Your
bullets may miss. You bullets may not be effective (body armor, drugs, dedicated
enemy; your bullets not hitting vital organs; etc.). So, you're probably going to
expend 10 rounds for every vital-organ-hit you achieve. If it takes 2 vital-organ-hits
to stop the attack from this one assailant (there are probably multiple assailants)
that means you'll need to fire 20 rounds to stop the attack of the one assailant.
Did you notice in the video that one police officer fired 7 rounds into the knife
wielding bad guy, and then the bad guy attacked the cop. Another cop had to shoot
the bad guy off of the cop being attacked. That's an extremely difficult hostage rescue
shot! Eleven rounds to stop the attack. Does your pistol hold 11 rounds?
The second video clearly shows that a strong muscular adult male may require
lots and lots of bullet hits to stop him from attacking / shooting. This is reality.
Accept it. Act accordingly.
-- Jon Low
"Fact Check: The Founding Fathers *DID* Know About Repeating Rifles"
by Logan Metesh
---
Comment by Stephen P. Wenger,
"At the time in question there was an important distinction between a rifle and a musket.
The less accurate musket was a smoothbore, for faster reloading. Another feature of
muskets, that led that designation to be applied to some of the nation's early military rifles,
was a lug for the mounting of a bayonet. When history fraudster Michael Bellesiles used
documentation of a few Colonial legislatures apportioning funds to purchase muskets for
use in the War for Independence to bolster his claim that firearm ownership was not
actually widespread, he intentionally ignored the fact that some colonists preferred to
spend limited funds on rifles – more suitable for subsistence hunting – than on muskets
for militia service."
-- Stephen P. Wenger
"Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca (free book, just pay shipping so you
don't have to go to Colorado to pick it up.)
Self-defense -- (from my TN Concealed Cary permit class, abridged)
1. The purpose of self-defense is to prevent your injury. No law requires you to
suffer the first blow before defending yourself. If you allow your enemy to strike
first, you will be down on the ground getting stomped to death, unable to defend
yourself or your loved ones. You must strike preemptively. To be able to do this,
you must be aware. So, you must be able to recognize the pre-assault indicators.
(Take a class and read Greg Ellifritz' articles at
ActiveResponseTraining.net
search for pre-assault indicators. URL given at end of this text.)
There are many documented incidents of a person being killed by a single punch.
You should document as many of these as you can. And use them as justification
for your preemptive strike. You may need to help your attorney, because if you
don't have a lot of money or a good self-defense insurance policy, you won't be
able to afford a very good attorney. In American, you get as much justice as you
can afford.
2. If you failed to avoid, evade, or escape the attack, the purpose of self-defense
is to stop the attack before you get injured any more. We are shooting to
immediately stop the attack, so that we don't get hurt any more. We are not shooting
to kill. Yes, the bad guy may die, but that was his decision, not yours. You wouldn’t
be shooting him in the first place unless he forced you to. The condition of the
bad guy is incidental to your purpose of stopping the attack.
3. If the assailant has finished beating and raping you and is walking way,
if you then shoot him, it is not self-defense. Self-defense can only be used to
prevent the attack or to stop the attack. Shooting the assailant after he has
finished the attack and no longer presents an imminent threat cannot be justified
as self-defense. You would be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
If he dies, the charge would be manslaughter or murder, depending on how good
your attorney is.
4. Firing a warning shot is an act of criminal stupidity. It is illegal in every state.
You will be prosecuted for reckless endangering. You will not be on a
multi-million-dollar range with soft dirt berms to catch your bullets. There is no
safe direction to fire a warning shot. The bullet will ricochet off the concrete sidewalk
or asphalt road or rock in the ground, and cause injury, maybe to you. Any bullet
you shoot into the air will come down on someone's head, maybe killing them.
5. Shooting to wound is an act of criminal stupidity. Shooting to the center-of-mass
in combat is a low probability event. (National average for police is 15% to 20% hits
on intended targets, depending on the department.) Shooting at a leg or arm is a
zero-probability event, no matter what you've seen on TV or in the movies. So, if you
shoot to wound, you will miss. Every miss is an unintended hit, that will damage
property, injure innocent bystanders, maybe kill them.
6. Any violent crime is not a first offense. Shoplifting is a first offense.
The conditional probability that the person attacking you has a long violent criminal
history is extremely high given that he is attacking you. The defendant (you) generally
cannot bring the assailant's criminal record into evidence at trial because the defendant
did not know about it before the incident. But you might be able to, because you can
testify that your instructor told you that your assailant has a long violent criminal record.
Statistically speaking.
Let me give you a quote from Tim Larkin --
"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
"How to Spot a Bad Guy -
A Comprehensive Look at Body Language and Pre-Assault Indicators"
by Greg Ellifritz
Handgunlaw.us
"The Reality of Modern Criminal Attacks" by Greg Ellifritz
Excerpt:
"Many prosecutors aren’t interested in filing charges against the violent kids
who attacked you or stole your stuff. They won’t hesitate a bit to prosecute you
if you make what they perceive is an unreasonable self defense decision."
"The 5 Elements of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca (free of charge)
“Your character is what you do when no one is looking.”
-- Thomas Jefferson
"Law Banning Firearms In Post Offices Ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL!"
by Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News
“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 -----
Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:
"We are not God's gift to our students.
Our students are God's gift to us."
----- Instructors -----
"Remember,
the students who require the extra effort
are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
"Managing the Unsafe Student in a Firearms Class" by Greg Ellifritz
---
My father told me that doctors and lawyers get sued for malpractice because they
don't communicate with their patients and clients. If they would explain what's probably
going to happen, what may happen, what probably won't happen but might happen;
the person will better understand the situation. The instructor must manage expectations.
The student should never be blindsided because of unreasonable expectations.
"You must teach skill sustainment as part of training."
-- John Hearne
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
----- Andragogy -----
‟An instructor should not expect any learning to take
place the first time new information is presented.”
-- ‶Building Shooters″ by Dustin Salomon
“The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”
-- Robert John Meehan
*************************************************************************
----- Gear -----
And the safe storage thereof.
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
"Hand Strength and Firearms: A Guide" by Travis Pike
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Pistols for people with weak hands, especially the old and disabled.
The S&W EZ Series in 380 worked well for my sister. It's essential
to be realistic. I'm applying for Medicare in a couple of months.
Wayne Dobbs told me to ditch my 45 ACP and get a 9mm for reduced
recoil and hence better control, thus better accuracy. I'm going to, when
I overcome my macho stubbornness.
"Guide to Concealed Carry Holsters and Accessories" by Greg Ellifritz
Excerpt:
Another great source for magazines and grips is
They have the cheapest factory Glock and Smith and Wesson magazines I’ve found.
Rangemaster Newsletter, January 2024
"Beyond Skills:
Why Enthusiasm Matters in Pistol Mounted Optic Adoption"
by Jeff Boren, Rangemaster certified Master Instructor
Excerpt:
I have engaged in multiple conversations with subject matter experts I know and trust,
and the conclusion we initially came to concerning the use of pistol-mounted optics on
defensive handguns still holds true. Our conclusion is that pistol-mounted optics in a
defensive role are best suited for enthusiasts. That may sound smug, but I assure you
that the individuals subscribing to this perspective have the end-users' best interests at
heart. The concern revolves around the technical aspects of using a pistol mounted optic
on a firearm that one may rely on to save their life. Due to some fantastic marketing and
promotion, many unsuspecting consumers have been led to believe that it's as simple as
mounting a red dot on their pistol and heading out into the world, better prepared to
defend themselves than before.
So, why do I feel that pistol-mounted optics are for enthusiasts? The short answer
is that the amount of time and effort required to understand how to properly mount,
care for, and use a pistol-mounted optic far exceeds what the average gun owner is
willing to invest. The comprehensive answer delves much deeper, and I will explore
my theory in detail as I continue. The crux of the matter is that if an individual decides
to transition to or begin with a pistol-mounted optic on their defensive handgun, they
must make a significant commitment. [I would say, a real class to learn how to use
the red dot sight, and then about 100 hours of dedicated practice to achieve a level
of proficiency that I would bet my life on. After this, I made an informed decision
not to use the red dot sight on my carry pistol. -- Jon Low]
"My name is Jon. I am a training junkie."
"Hello, Jon."
In a recent low light class scenario --
while sleeping peacefully, we hear glass breaking in the middle of the night
and we hear our daughter screaming from her bedroom.
So I tell the spouse to call 911. I grab my flashlight and pistol, flip the light
switch to turn on the lights, and move down the hallway to the daughter's bedroom.
The house lights do not come on, because the home invaders cut the electrical
power before making entry. No problem I have my flashlight. The flashlight does
not work (batteries with both negative nipples toward each other for storage,
no batteries, dead batteries, electric circuit in flashlight broken, tail cap not
screwed down all the way, etc.). No problem, there is enough ambient light to
proceed. I push the door open and rush in (so as not to give the bad guy time to
react, ya there are other options). There is enough light to positively identify
the persons in the room, but there is not enough light for my 64 year old eyes
to find the iron sights. No problem, I use the outline of my pistol to point and
shoot. At that range, within the bedroom, all good hits, no misses.
I am putting tritium glow-in-the-dark sights on all of my pistols. I am
convinced that they do serve a purpose, even if it's in a limited circumstance.
I don't see any down side to installing them.
---
In another scenario, I did not have time to access the flashlight from its pouch
on my belt. Accessing the flashlight takes manual operations (clear concealment
garment, grab flashlight, point flashlight at target, activate pressure switch).
Operations take time. Sometimes, you don't have that time. (Remember, we are
in the real world, not the pristine conditions of an air conditioned indoor range.)
---
We got sprayed in the face with some kind of irritant (not pepper spray). It was
sort of like going through a car wash. Nozzles were spraying the student from
every direction. (No humans doing the spraying. No humans down range.)
Fortunately, I always wear glasses. (Well, all of the students were wearing safety
glasses. But some of them don't wear glasses in the real world.) Anyway, the
spray stuck to the glasses and prevented the student from seeing through the glasses.
I used my finger to wipe my glasses. (But just about every other student removed
their glasses. If I were in charge, I would have stopped the scenario at that point
for safety. But, I wasn't in charge.) The spraying continued. Those wearing contact
lenses were forced to remove their lenses. Because it started burning their eyes.
["Rain water wouldn't do that." Maybe, it depends what's in the air when it rains.
You ever been outdoors when it rains during a forest fire? Some places have acid
rain because the pollution is so bad, like Peking, China.]
---
Generally speaking, if there is enough light for the bad guy to attack, there is
enough light for the good guy to respond. The bad guy is, generally speaking,
young and fit. If I'm the good guy, my night vision sucks, my vision acuity sucks.
So, I am definitely putting tritium glow in the dark sights on all of my pistols.
The plastic string sights amplify ambient light. So, they don't work in low light
conditions that don't have enough ambient light. Besides, I like radioactive stuff.
---
I asked the instructor for permission to cite him. He declined. He does not
give open enrollment courses. He doesn't want to have to vet strangers, because
then he would have to charge them for the background check, and if he declined
to let them into the class, he would feel obligated to refund their money. And
it would cause hard feelings. So he only teaches persons that he knows or that
come to the class with someone he knows who is willing to vouch for the new person.
I was thinking about this. When you buy a firearm from an FFL, they charge
you ~$20 for the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).
When I taught at Front Sight, we charged $50 for the background check (done once
a year, not refundable). My friend from church, who is a private investigator,
charges $670 for what he considers a standard background check. If he were
checking out some guy for a friend before the friend allowed the guy to date his
daughter, the check could run a couple thousand dollars. The background checks
for Department of Defense security clearances run hundreds of thousands of dollars.
You get what you pay for in this world.
"Choosing A Rifle" by Trident Concepts, LLC
Video caption --
In this video, Jeff [suggests] features to consider when looking to purchase your
first AR15/M4 style rifle. While not designed to be all inclusive, it gives the viewer
some great points to consider in this short video.
Remember, the heart of the rifle is the barrel. Define your mission, what do you
intend on doing with the rifle. For most as a defensive rifle the ranges will be well
inside 100m. Barrel length, rifle twist, chamber dimensions and muzzle devices
make up most of this video. From there, you need to consider your sight system.
Having at least iron sights to start allows you time to invest in a better sight system.
Your butt-stock, pistol grip and fore-end all work to interface the rifle with the
shooter. The better interface, the improved performance one can expect. A lot more
to cover, but a good start for those looking to break into the rifle market.
"HOW TO ZERO YOUR PISTOL" by Rob Leatham
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"If you can’t shoot a good enough group at the needed distance you may need
to work on your shooting skills before you worry about adjusting the sights.
The good news is, most shooters will never see enough POI (point of impact)
deviation at the closer distances they shoot for it to matter."
If you use a holster that has a large surface area against your body, you will
sweat under it. So, make sure it dries out properly. If you’re wearing every day,
have two holsters. One is drying while the other one is in use. Same thing for
body armor and boots; one set is in use; the other set is at home drying out.
Craft Holsters
Falco Holsters
Don’t let your defensive ammo age more than one year. The thermal stress
from changing temperatures and corrosion from sweat (from handling) and
humidity will degrade it.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Cryptology (2651) ***** ***** *****
"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
Cryptosystems are considered "arms" by federal law, ITAR,
International Traffic in Arms Regulations. That means cryptosystems are
covered 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 publishing cryptology
in the open source literature. Information wants to be free!
"Improving Shor’s Algorithm" by Bruce Schneier
Detailed article,
"Shor’s algorithm will enable future quantum computers to factor large numbers
quickly, undermining many online security protocols. Now a researcher has shown
how to do it even faster." by Ben Brubaker
Primary source paper,
"An Efficient Quantum Factoring Algorithm" by Oded Regev
"Introduction to p-adic Numbers"
by Eric Rowland
In a sense, the only other number system that makes sense,
beside the Real number system.
Absolute value is the L₁ norm.
Ya, it takes more to form the closure of the P-adic numbers for any prime P.
(Because some people talk about P-adic numbers where P is not a prime. But
that's beyond me.)
Remember, the Reals numbers are not closed. The Complex numbers are closed.
The Quaternions, Octonions, etc. are closed in the sense that they are extensions
of the Complex numbers. But you're losing commutivity and associativity
respectively, so your operations are becoming more limited and you're losing
structure.
"Über sogenannte perfekte Körper" by Alexander Ostrowski,
in Journal der Reinen und Angewandten Mathematik 147(1917),191−204.
"Über einige Lösungen der Funktionalgleichung ψ(x)·ψ(x)=ψ(xy)"
by Alexander Ostrowski, Acta Mathematica, Volume 41, pages 271–284,
(December 1916).
Ostrowski's theorem
Can you do your cryptology using P-adic numbers instead of Integers? the closure
your P-adic numbers instead of Complex numbers?
Can you do your cryptology on a computer using P-adic numbers instead of an
Integer data type? the P-adics extended to the Rationals instead of a floating point
data type? can you think of a good mapping between the two?
Do you understand what the Taiwanese are doing?
If the ChiComs take Taiwan, the significance is the software, not the chips.
The most expensive part of any spacecraft / weapon system / AI system / etc.
weighs zero and takes up zero volume. Because it's the SOFTWARE!
It's not that geeks rule. It's that software engineers rule. Not programmers.
Not script kiddies. Not hackers. Always be aware of where the intelligence lies.
"Computer science has nothing to do with computers or science."
-- Donald Knuth
"Error Correcting Curves - Numberphile" by Isabel Vogt
One extra to detect and an error. Two extra to correct an error.
Of course, you would need more to detect and correct more errors per word.
Your CDs (compact disks) use Reed Solomon coding.
"Eating Curves for Breakfast - Numberphile"
by Isabel Vogt at Brown University - https://www.math.brown.edu/ivogt/
There are 4 exceptions, not counter examples. A counter example would
prove the theorem false. Four exceptions out of an infinite sample space
ain't bad. Also, note that the exceptions are easily identified.
The theorem is SIGNIFICANT! (at least for us)
Interpolation for Brill--Noether curves -
Abstract -
Paper -
A little complicated. Ya, to put it mildly. As I was reading through the paper,
I was imagining the Latex code used to write this paper.
So she has pushed the Reed Solomon error correcting coding theory into higher
dimensions and more complex topologies. Bravo!
Do you see how you can use this?
"Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood.
Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have
perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must
believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing
must be attained."
-- Marie Curie
"The Light Switch Problem" by Numberphile
Do you see how you can use this?
"How are Images Compressed? [46MB ↘↘ 4.07MB] JPEG In Depth"
by Branch Education
Data compression tutorial.
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
***** Signals Intelligence and Ground Electronic Warfare (2600),
Cryptologic Communications (2651),
Cyber Security, and such *****
Hat tip to Soldier Systems Digest.
L3Harris Technologies Inc., Rochester, New York, was awarded a single award,
indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (H92401-24-D-0001),
with seven one-year ordering periods, and a potential maximum value of $479,000,000
for the continued procurement of next generation tactical communications radios and
associated sustainment and support services as required in support of
U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Fiscal 2024 procurement funds
in the amount of $2,515,260 are being obligated at time of award. This contract shall
result in delivery orders funded with valid procurement, operations, and maintenance
funding, and research, development, testing, and evaluation funding as appropriate.
This contract was awarded under the Competition in Contracting Act exception to
full and open competition as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1.
USSOCOM, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.
Applied Research Solutions, Beavercreek, Ohio, was awarded a $48,750,000
cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for research and development. This contract provides
for the development of multi-domain, multi-platform, and multi-scale technologies
and strategies to effectively apply closed-loop sensing, data processing, and reasoning
capabilities to support sensing mission autonomy across the range of military operations.
Work will be performed at Beavercreek, Ohio, with base support at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by
April 2, 2029. This contract was a competitive acquisition and five offers received.
Fiscal 2020 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of
$415,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory,
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA2377-24-C-B014).
Kandor Manufacturing Inc., Arecibo, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum
$28,920,375 modification (P00005) exercising the first one-year option period of a
one-year base contract (SPE1C1-23-D-0008) with four one-year option periods for
various types of coats and trousers. This is a firm-fixed-price,
indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The ordering period end date is
Jan. 5, 2025. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024
through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the
Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
L3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded an
$871,583,197 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract for
M762A1/M767A1 electronic timing fuses. Bids were solicited via the internet
with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order,
with an estimated completion date of Jan. 4, 2029. Army Contracting Command,
Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W519TC-24-D-0003).
iWorks Corp., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $12,386,192 firm-fixed-price
modification (P00018) to previously awarded contract HS002121C0002 for the
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). This modification
exercises Option Period 3 to continue to provide services for seamlessly vetting
personnel for access, preserving the adjudicative decision, and identifying and
mitigating insider threat risk for the DCSA. Work will be performed in and around
Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, with an estimated completion of Jan. 4, 2025.
Fiscal 2024 DCSA operations and maintenance funds; and fiscal 2024 working
capital funds in the amount of $12,386,192 were obligated at the time of award.
The cumulative value of the contract to date is $54,689,151.
DCSA Acquisition and Contracting, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
---
“What's with the "coats and trousers", Staff?”
What indeed.
"How does a Mouse know when you move it? ||
How Does a Computer Mouse Work?"
by Branch Education
---
"How does a USB keyboard work?" by Ben Eater
Did you do this sort of analysis in school? NRZI. Do you understand? Little Endian.
(as opposed to Big Endian)
Transmitting and receiving over the same channel at the same time. Do you understand?
Simplex, half duplex, full duplex, triplex, quadraplex, . . .
Oh, you didn't know that the right shift key and the left shift key generated different
signals? That's how you control the right flipper and the left flipper in pinball machine
games. You don't know what a pinball machine is? You've never played pinball?
Ya, I did this sort of stuff at SAVI Technology. It doesn't change that much over
the years. The important thing is that whoever does it correctly, competently, proficiently
WINS!
"New iPhone Exploit Uses Four Zero-Days" by Bruce Schneier
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intelligence (0231) ***** ***** *****
"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
The art and practice of Intelligence is an arm protected by the 2nd Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution.
Never let anyone infringe upon your God given right to keep and bear intelligence.
Special Warfare
The Official Professional Bulletin of U.S. Army Special Operations Forces
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
The Patriot Post newsletter by Mark Alexander (in an email)
Excerpt:
The first of [Brandon's] administration's cascading failures was his surrender
and retreat from Afghanistan,
leaving the country in the hands of the same invading terrorists that hosted al-Qa'ida
for its 9/11 Islamist attack on our nation.
The second was, in effect, inviting Vladimir Putin's
invasion of Ukraine.
And the third, most recently, was empowering Iranian surrogates
with Hamas
to attack Israel.
---
"When, not if, the ChiComs come across the Taiwan Strait, they will do so not
because of some nationalist fervor but because strategically, that will give China
control of the world's largest production of semiconductors and microchips, which
are found in everything Americans take for granted." [Ya, that's significant. But,
it's the software that produces the chips that is really significant. Because the
software can be loaded into any machine, as those in the U.S. and Europe to
produce the chips. -- Jon Low]
---
According to high-level officials briefed on Xi's meeting with Biden,
Xi told Biden, "Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China but the
timing has not yet been decided."
---
-- Mark Alexander
"America Bombs The Houthis: Fuck Around, Find Out"
by Ben Shapiro
If the ChiComs get control of the chips and software in Taiwan, what do you think
will happen?
Shapiro gives a deep cultural intel analysis.
Terrorists don't have your morality. They think your morality is stupid and they
take advantage of your morality. I had to sign a waiver to allow my 17 year old son
to join the Marine Corps after graduating from high school a semester early. Hamas
drafts 10 year olds without parental consent. Though of course, in most cases the
parents would willingly sacrifice their children. Palestinians are not like you. They
don't think as you do. No, as a matter of fact, not all parents love their children.
"US Intelligence Shows Flawed China Missiles Led Xi to Purge Army"
by Peter Martin and Jennifer Jacobs
This article is behind a pay wall. So, I offer the following articles that analyze the
above article.
"Air Power" by Alex Hollings
"China’s Military Scandal: Why a Taiwan Invasion Might Have Just Become Impossible"
by Warographics
---
As stated in the Hollings article, Subject Matter Expert vs. The Guy Delivering Coffee.
Can you distinguish? Do you have a list of the guys who have been purged?
Are they all corrupt ChiComs? (Oh, a lot of them were not Communist Party members.
Neither is Jackie Chan.) Or, is ChiCom Counter Intel wiping out our spies?
What would that indicate?
As stated in the Warographics article, China is "militarily cautious". Why?
Do you remember China's recent war with Vietnam? The Vietnamese won, big time,
and pushed way into China. The Vietnamese did not have to withdraw from Chinese
territory, but they did, in exchange for concessions. Proof that the Vietnamese army
is more powerful than the Chinese army.
The Vietnamese army was more powerful than the U.S. army. Remember the
Vietnam war? Who won that one?
Remember the war in Afghanistan? Who won that one? That's why the U.S. is
"militarily cautious".
Just because the U.S. goes to war does not mean the U.S. is going to win the war.
"Biden's Smart Diplomacy: Attack On Yemen" by Docent
"Army Sees Recruitment of White Men Decline" by Docent
"FerFal Discusses The Violence In Ecuador" by Docent
"Violence Erupts In Papua New Guinea" by Docent
"Following The Science" by Docent
"Middle East crisis: UK fighter pilots flew 3,200-mile round trip to strike Houthis"
by Sky News
"DPP's Lai Speaks After Taiwan Presidential Election Victory"
by Bloomberg Television
I was at the range (Strategic Edge Gun Range) taking a class with a bunch of guys,
3 of whom were cadastral engineers (land surveyors). They were telling me that they
can get a position and elevation to within a centimeter with their commercially
available equipment and civilian GPS. So what does the classified military GPS give
you?
"How GPS Works, And How It Got Better Than The Designers Ever Imagined"
by Scott Manley
I spent much of my career at Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, General Dynamics
C4 Systems, Scientific Research Corp., SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare Systems
Center) aboard the Naval Weapons Station in Charleston, SC, and other defense
contractors developing software defined radios. And much of that software played
with the various satellite navigation systems. Great fun.
"Cyberattack on Ukraine’s Kyivstar Seems to Be Russian Hacktivists" by Bruce Schneier
"AI Is Scarily Good at Guessing the Location of Random Photos" by Bruce Schneier
"Hey, Staff, you used to cite a lot of intel journals and primary sources. Now you're
giving us all these YouTube.com videos."
Sometimes citing open source is still close enough to the primary source to
cause problems. Be careful. If only a small number of persons access a source,
it's easy to identify those persons.
“If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm,
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** After Thoughts ***** ***** *****
Greg Kitchens for Sheriff of Charleston County, South Carolina, U.S.A.
I enthusiastically endorse!
“Marxists’ ‘love’ of democratic institutions was a stratagem only,
a pious fraud for the deception of the masses.
Within a socialist community, there is no room left for freedom.”
-- Ludwig Von Mises
"Guaranteed Chaos" by John Farnam
“Movements associated with Freud and Marx both claimed foundations
in rationality and scientific understanding of the world. Both perceived
themselves to be at war with weird, manipulative fantasies of religions.
And yet both invented their own fantasies, that are just as weird.”
-- Jaron Lanier
Secure Community Network
and
United Synagogue Of Conservative Judaism
formalize strategic Memorandum Of Agreement (MOA)
to enhance safety and security. Just a fact to push onto your stack.
"$30 Million Lawsuit Filed Against US Government In Wrongful Death Of Ashli Babbitt"
by Jared Yanis
"Judicial Watch Files $30 Million Wrongful Death Lawsuit against
U.S. Government on behalf of Ashli Babbitt’s Husband and Estate" by Judicial Watch
"Estate of Ashli Babbitt and Arron Babbitt et al. v. U.S.A."
Call out the evil by name! Lt. Michael Byrd of the U.S. Capitol Police.
In case you mistakenly thought for an instant that the persons waging lawfare
against President Trump were honorable.
"Huge Bombshell Dropped on Fani Willis" by Roman Balmakov
"DEFENDANT MICHAEL ROMAN’S MOTION TO
DISMISS GRAND JURY INDICTMENT AS FATALLY
DEFECTIVE AND MOTION TO DISQUALIFY THE
DISTRICT ATTORNEY, HER OFFICE AND THE SPECIAL
PROSECUTOR FROM FURTHER PROSECUTING THIS MATTER"
Honorable persons would never have engaged in this sort of prosecution.
Did you notice that "Lady Ballers", a movie streaming on the Daily Wire, is set
in Middle Tennessee?
Why you should get out of the Marine Corps as soon as you can.
You can read Greg Ellifritz writing as to why you should get out of police work
as soon as you can.
When I worked in Silicon Valley (Santa Clara Valley, California) as a software
engineer, I had a lot of contact with technical writers. They got paid the big bucks.
I was having drinks with friends and one technical writer told us that he earned
$200,000 per year writing manuals for a big defense contractor. (This was back in
the mid 1990's.) Because the technical writers had to have a deep understanding in
order to explain the system to the user.
---
The design is wrong. No problem, fix it in hardware. Can't change the hardware.
No problem, fix it in software. Can't fix it in software. No problem, just document
it as a feature in the manual.
---
We had token hires to fill quotas and affirmative action, but with advent of
diversity, inclusion, and equity. The systems have exploded. Note the government
official's solution to the problem, fix the manuals, not fix the problem, just document
it in the manuals.
"Boeing NEVER Told Airlines That 737 Max Cockpit Door Was Designed
To FLY Open During Decompression!" by Maximus Aviation
A quantum jump in the level of stupidity. Can you imagine the door of an aircraft
intentionally designed to open during decompression? They are not just trying to
insults your intelligence, they are rubbing your face in it, and laughing, knowing
that you can't do anything about it.
Several Israeli refugee families are here in Nashville, TN having been forced to
leave southern Israel. You hear in the mass media how the Israelis are just destroying
everything in Gaza, but the Palestinians are fighting too. It's a war, not a one sided
slaughter. With Iran supporting Hamas, it's not obvious that Israel will win.
The refugees often hang out where I work at the Jewish Community Center.
Earlier today they were in the senior kitchen preparing food.
One of the men was telling me, Israel is just like Hawaii, a socialist paradise.
If you want to have 9 kids and can't afford to support your family, no problem,
the government will support you. If you don't want to work, you don't have to,
the government will support you. "The religious people" don't produce any
goods or services, they don't serve in the armed forces, they just read the Torah
and chant. The government supports them. He felt there were a lot of parasites
in their society. He was telling me he wished he could stay in the U.S. He
loves Nashville.
I have succumbed to the modern culture. The female friend and I were texting to
each other from across the living room table. In my defense, we were snowed in
and it started as texting to various persons not in the area. But degenerated into
she and I texting to each other while facing each other 6 feet apart.
We often text to each other when she is downstairs and I am upstairs. But
across the table is just silliness. She prefers to text rather than talk. She generally
won't answer the phone to talk, but rather sends a text inquiring as to what I want.
The 40 year age difference may be a part of it.
I feel civilization disintegrating.
In case you don't understand what's going on.
---
"The Iowa Results" by Tucker Carlson
---
"A Robot the Size of the World" by Bruce Schneier
---
"Police Get Medical Records without a Warrant" by Bruce Schneier
What happened to HIPAA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act,
a 1996 Federal law that restricts access to individuals' private medical information.
“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
I've received a couple of emails thanking me for the work that I put into these
blog posts. It's nice to feel appreciated.
"Hey, Staff, you're repeating a lot of stuff in your postings. Dementia progressing?"
My writing and citing is driven by the questions submitted by students, readers,
and strange persons on the internet. And of course, what friends and colleagues
push into my inbox. So, ya, a lot of stuff gets repeated, especially for the new people
joining the emailing list. Or, those who read the blog without joining the email list.
On the third day.
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
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