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Greetings Sheepdogs,
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy (or maybe wine)."
--Ben Franklin
Happy Bicentennial!
Sid Ontai
"Don't have a gun? Buy one.
Don't know How to use it? Learn.
Don't believe in guns? Get ready to hide behind someone who does."
-- Charlie Daniels
Table of Contents:
Software --
Prevention
Mindset
Situational Awareness
Safety
Training
Psychology
Practice
Intervention
Strategy
Tactics
Techniques
Postvention
Aftermath
Medical
Survival
Education
Legal
Instruction
Hardware --
Gear
Intelligence --
Signals Intelligence
Cryptology
Religion and Politics --
"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
-- Thomas Jefferson
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*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Prevention ***** ***** *****
Things you can do to avoid the lethal force incident.
“To those who have fought for it,
freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.”
― P. McCree Thornton
Table of sections:
Mindset
Safety
Training
Psychology
Practice
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Mindset and Attitude --------------------------------
Figuring out the correct way to think.
"Concealed Carry in the Era of Terror Revisited" by John Murphy
Excerpt:
"Get this straight in your head. Terrorists are not criminals out to support
their drug habit, or a drunken bully looking to throw you a beat down. This
isn’t a parking lot dispute, a road rage incident or a conflict you can solve
with de-escalation. These are ideologically committed killers determined to
use violence to achieve global religious/political change. Killing as many as
they can to maximize the terror impact of their acts is their goal. Do NOT
underestimate these people. Take careful note not of just the mass beheadings
that were once in vogue overseas, but the artful way they were staged and
recorded, with high production values throughout. That is highly evolved
messaging leveraging modern technology with ancient terror tactics. More
recent attacks from various evil parties have even been “livestreamed” to
an eager international audience. Remember that dying for their cause is
considered the ultimate reward. They won’t be dissuaded and they won’t
be bargained with. They will be heavily armed and adequately trained for
their task, which is to slaughter unarmed innocents to further undermine
governmental authority. Unlike your typical criminal crew, a few shots
won’t send them into flight. They’re on a mission."
"So, with that in mind, the rules change. Back shoot them without
hesitation or warning. The cheaper the shot, the better. To ensure there’s
not a threat from behind as you move past their bodies, “anchor” shoot
them through the brain and from a position of advantage. While these
methods of engagement are illegal and inappropriate for a criminal
encounter and would likely see you charged with murder in that context,
I suspect a citizen acting this way against a terrorist threat will be given
a pass. (Differentiating between the two, at that time could be difficult.
Choose wisely.) This will essentially be participating in no notice
infantry combat in your hometown."
---
You're laughing at the cop showing up with the optic on backwards on
his rifle, but it's sad, not funny. If cops and U.S. Navy Admirals can do it . . .
“The Man in the Arena”
by Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909), 26th President of the United States
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have
done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in
the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who
strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who
does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms,
the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at
the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and
who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so
that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who
neither know victory nor defeat.”
This would never happen to you because you're not a cop. Right? RIGHT??
"Post-Auto Accident Procedures" by John Murphy
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
Home school your children.
"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
"A blade clipped in your pocket or an AIWB pistol does not make you safer;
only confidence and competent skill can do that."
-- Steve Tarani, from the article "Is Your EDC a Worthless Talisman?"
Hat tip to 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
"The Retention Mindset: Beyond the Hardware"
by Travis Pike
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
‷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
---
When I was working a security gig with a friend, my friend told me about his father,
who had done time in prison. One of the stories that his father had told him was about
how a small seemingly frail inmate had jumped on the back of this huge muscular
monster of a gang banger, and repeatedly stabbed him in the side of the neck, like a
sewing machine. The victim fell to the ground and bled out.
The point was that anyone can kill anyone.
"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
"THE DECISION CYCLE" by Tamara Keel
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"The people who do well in these situations not only see the situation developing,
they recognize it for what it is, have a plan to execute in that situation, and the skills
available to execute the plan."
"An unarmed man can only flee from evil and
evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." -- Jeff Cooper
"Weary Argument" by John Farnam
This is in the mindset section because it also pertains to hunting humans.
Don't kid yourself. If the electricity goes out for a month, or there is no gas to
be bought at the gas stations, or there is no food to be had in the grocery stores,
you'll do whatever you have to to feed your kids. Don't believe me? Talk to
those who fled the Ukraine when the Russians invaded. Not the rich ones who
are in Nashville at the Jewish Community Center, the poor ones who are in
the camps in Poland.
---
"Important Task Distinctions" by by John Farnam
"Your life is as good as your mindset." -- Nicola Cavanis
"From Damsel to Defender:
Every Woman’s Call to a Proactive Defensive Mindset"
by Karen Hunter
---
In the real world, no one is coming to your rescue, not the bystanders,
not the police, not even your friends and relatives who are with you.
I know this is a horrid depressing thought, but it's true. Accept it and
prepare accordingly. Because gouging the bad guy's eyes is not something
that you will do automatically, unless you have practiced, a lot. The highly
trained will not gouge and pull their hand out. Rather, they will drive their
fingers through the eyes into the brain, curl their fingers to grab the cheek
bones from the inside, and drive the bad guy's head to the ground, hard in
order to crack the skull. As Tim Larkin says, the ground is your best impact
weapon, and it is always available, and gravity is always helping you.
"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 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.
It is high time for society to stop worrying about the criminal,
and to let the criminal start worrying about society.
And by "society" I mean you.”
-- Col. Jeff Cooper, "Principles of Personal Defense"
"Be so focused on watering your grass that
you don't have time to check if someone else's is greener."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Before all else, be armed." -- Nicolo Machiavelli
‟Fear is an instinct. Courage is a choice.”
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, U.S. Navy
"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
"The line between everyday life and sudden violence is thinner than most realize."
-- Tim Larkin
********************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ 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
If you have your hand on your pistol in a correct grip, even if the pistol is still in your
holster, you should feel happy and confident. Because you are way ahead of those who
are unconscious on the ground or those who were taken by surprise.
If you are charged with some crime for this action, let your attorney handle it. You
have prevented the lethal force confrontation.
-- (Author asked not to be named)
You, of course, have a self-defense insurance policy or attorneys on retainer, right?
"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)
---
The colors are meaningless, requiring a level of indirection.
So you should use meaningful words instead. So the student doesn't
have to decode the meaning of the color. Using insider jargon is WRONG!
---
"Jargon Does not Equal Expertise"
-- Rick Billington
"Concealed Carry When You’re a Parent" by Lanny Barnes
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"Carrying concealed as a parent isn’t about fear. It’s about responsibility.
When you have kids with you, your priorities change right away. You’re not
just looking out for yourself anymore. You’re caring for little ones who
count on you to make good choices when it matters. That changes how and
why you carry."
"An officer may be forgiven for losing a battle,
but never for being taken by surprise."
-- Jeff Cooper
Zugzwang is a thing. But with situational awareness, you can avoid it.
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ 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.
Jeff Cooper′s Rules of Gun Safety
RULE I: ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.
RULE II: NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER ANYTHING
THAT YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.
RULE III: KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER
UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.
RULE IV: BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.
---
RULE V: Maintain control of your gun. -- Stephen P. Wenger
Marxist “Revolution?”
by John Farnam
Excerpt:
“We have no compassion, and we ask none. When our turn comes,
we shall make no excuses for the terror.”
-- Karl Marx
"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
---
When was the last time you practiced your in-holster weapon retention skills?
Have you taken a class to learn such techniques?
-- Jon Low
---
". . . 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
Safety is learning the probability of criminal attack (crime statistics for your area),
natural disaster (flood zone, etc.), and such; and moving if necessary. As Massad Ayoob
says, "It is that simple. Not easy, simple."
If you don't move out of the projects, that's on you. If you don't move out of the
city, that's on you. As a matter of fact, the rural areas are much cheaper than the urban
areas. Anyone who wants to work, can find a job. As a matter of fact, the South is
much cheaper than the north or west of our country. As a matter of fact, you are free
to move. You are not tied to the land. You are not tied to your people. Just because
they are your people, doesn't mean they are good people or smart people. To change
your future and the future of your children, you may have to change your people.
-- (I refrain from citing the author and I paraphrase to hide the author, because that
might prejudice you. I ask you to consider the statement and decide for yourself
the truth or falsehood.)
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.
"Most of you understand the danger involved in bank follow-home “jugging” attacks.
Have you considered that you might be followed home from the range or the gun store
so criminals can steal your firearms?"
-- Greg Ellifritz
"Safety is something that happens between your ears,
not something you hold in your hands."
-- Jeff Cooper
"Why Hands Don’t Belong Near the Ejection Port:
Safety, Mechanics, and the Cost of Bad Habits"
by Jeff Gonzales
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
No pictures showing how we should do it. Oh well.
"It's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble."
-- Claude Werner
“No live ammo…” by Kathy Jackson
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Having no live ammo in the classroom is not enough.
Excerpt:
". . . pointing a functional gun at people you cannot see
also violates the core safety rules."
---
"All guns are always loaded." is believing that the gun is loaded.
"Treat all guns as if they were loaded." is pretending that he gun is loaded.
BIG difference! As in life and death.
"You are not responsible for negative reactions to your boundaries."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Personal Defense: A Practical Guide to Preparation and Awareness –
The goal isn’t winning fights—it’s recognizing the danger early and
bringing your people home"
by Leo H.
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Gut feelings are guardian angels."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"You Don’t Get to Fight Anymore:
Lessons for Armed Citizens from the Alex Pretti Incident in Minnesota"
by Mitch Goerdt
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpts:
"Your job is to avoid, not engage. To leave, not linger. To de-escalate, not posture."
"You carry so you can go home. Everything else is noise."
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Training --------------------------------
Figuring out the correct tasks to practice.
"Proper training ingrains the proper responses.
Repetition is the mother of all skill. With skill comes confidence.
With confidence comes the ability to think under pressure and make
sound tactical decisions."
-- Tom Givens
The process.
Ansatz is a thing. And the better your training, the better your guesses / estimates.
"Make Ready with Matt Little: Concealed Pistol Applications"
This series of videos is not about developing skills. It's about how to
apply your skills in a real gunfight.
You can train away the effects of auditory exclusion and tunnel vision.
Please carefully study the "Psychology of Gunfighting" video. The information
density is much higher than appears at first viewing.
In a gunfight, you should be operating at 80 to 85% of maximum speed that you would
be using in practice. Because you can guarantee not making mistakes at that pace.
Because you have trained and practiced, your 80% should be better than your opponent's
100%. (Though if he is competent, he may be operating at a slower pace to ensure he
doesn't make mistakes. Be careful.)
In competitions, it is not unusual to see athletes set personal records, rise to the
occasion. In civilian gunfights, participants (usually not voluntary participants)
default to their level of training and practice.
Please study "Post Shooting Procedures" video. Avoid the California twitch.
I disagree with his ready position, because it breaks the grip. I believe you should
maintain your two-handed grip. Because you won't have an opportunity, nor the time
to re-establish your two-handed grip. (Ya, you may be able to re-establish your grip,
but will it be correct under the debilitating stress of combat? Why take the chance?
Remember Murphy's Law. Anything can go wrong, will go wrong at the worst
possible time. The only way to defeat Murphy's Law is to eliminate anything that
can go wrong. Maintain your two-handed grip!) If you pull your pistol into your body
and rotate from the elbows to point the pistol down in front of you (keeping your wrists
straight, because straight wrists make for a strong grip), you will be able to maintain
your two-handed grip.
In the context of Matt's video "Pressing vs. Creating Distance" --
In my experience, you must move toward the enemy if you want to win the fight.
The psychological affect of aggression is devastating. Of course, as a civilian defender,
your goal may not be to win the fight. Your goal may be to escape and facilitate
the escape of your loved ones.
In the "Fixing and Flanking" video, notice that Matt is carrying in an appendix
inside the waistband holster. Notice how the grip of his pistol is away from his belly.
Much modification needs to be done to make this weapon system concealable.
In the video "Slicing the Pie" notice how the grip of his pistol presses into his body.
Matt teaches not leaning over, because it puts you off balance and makes movement
more difficult. I teach leaning way over, because as you see in the video, Matt is
exposing his shoulder, elbow, and leading foot to the enemy as he comes around the
edge of the wall. Every decision is an engineering compromise.
In the "Applied Bill Drill" notice the chamber check and magazine check before
performing the drill. I have a problem with that "protocol", because in the real world
that won't happen. So it should not be practiced. As Sara Ahrens says,
"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
Matt teaches two shots in the hostage rescue drill to ensure proper follow through
of the first shot and in case the first shot failed to achieve the desired result, because
there won't be enough time. I had learned and have always taught, one shot and then
assess. Because, as Ralph Mroz says, we should assess after every shot, because the
situation can change. And yes, as a matter of fact, the situation can change that fast.
If the bad guy drops, your second shot may be over him. What's going to stop your
bullet? This commonly occurs with students in video simulators.
"Step Out Drill" The idea is to move fast, so as not to give the enemy time to
react. You will shoot him before he can react to your presence. ["Presence" in the
sense of Led Zepplin.]
"Contact Distance Shooting" Thumb pectoral index, while tilting the pistol away
from your body to avoid fouling the slide in your clothes? I don't think you can do
both at the same time.
You must push forward. You must push your enemy off balance.
Notice how Matt has cleared his concealment garment in these demonstrations.
A lot of instructors will do this for "instructional purposes" or for "clarity in the video."
It ain't the same as clearing the concealment garment with one hand, drawing, and
firing. Which is what you need to practice.
Having your head on the wrong side of the enemy's head is not a good thing. The
solution is not to use a compensator on your carry gun. You need to have your head
on your firing side to prevent the enemy from seeing you draw your pistol, so he
won't try to grab your pistol or foul your draw. (Of course, we are talking about
combat, so who knows if you'll be able to accomplish any of this. But if you intend
to get your head on your firing side of the enemy's head, there is a better chance
that you will be able to.)
"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
"Could You Abort A Trigger Pull?" by Docent
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)
"The concealed carry advice that sounds smart — until stress hits"
by Leo Clark
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"There is no doubt that armed citizens can develop speed and accuracy,
but real defensive shooting is a single, decisive event, not a choreographed
series of actions."
"Without discrimination,
you're going to shoot the wrong person really fast."
-- Paul Howe
With regards to point shooting (shooting without using your sights to aim the pistol) --
"Point Shooting is Still a Meme" by Travis Pike
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpts:
“It’s Not Faster. That’s the biggest claim: it’s faster than sighted fire.
That’s true if you suck. If you cannot make acquiring your sights and tracking
your sights a skill, then you don’t need to practice point shooting.
You just need to practice shooting.”
"Learn to aim; you won’t be slower, but you’ll shoot straighter."
---
"Ineffective and potentially dangerous, point shooting should be avoided
at all costs and aimed fire employed in any lethal-force scenario."
-- Massad Ayoob
"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
---
That may mean using a timer. If you don't have the money for a timer, it could mean
scoring the target, as opposed to just looking at the group. It could mean video recording
yourself and watching the video. There are apps for your smart phone that turn your
phone into a shot timer.
"Firearms Training: Essential Life Skill or Elite Club? — #321"
by GUNS and American Handgunner Magazines
Jon Low's comments --
1.75 playback speed worked fine for me.
Before investing your money, ask the instructor for his training record, a copy of
his insurance policy, and the contact information for students that he has taught in
the past.
Call the people that have certified him as an instructor. Trust, but verify.
He should have at least 2 million dollars in general liability and 1 million dollars in
professional liability insurance (in case he gets sued for something that he taught).
Call the insurance company to verify.
Call the people that he has trained in the past.
Ask the instructor if he would be willing to testify for you at trial. Massad Ayoob
will testify for his students. I will testify for my students free of charge locally and
for expenses anywhere in the U.S. I've never been asked to testify outside of the
U.S.
"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
"Gunfight Training That Works Part 2: Chuck Haggard" by Dustin Salomon
Excerpts:
"The primary driver of organizational excellence came not from experienced
officers but from new recruits who went through the agency’s academy program.
In-service training resources are typically inadequate to really produce changes
in performance at any systemic level. However, people who learn correctly from
the beginning simply have good skills that work. The rising tide then works to
lift all boats (at least those interested in floating)."
Refusing to keep scores is engaging in a conspiracy to deny discoverable
information from the courts. (Stop and think about that. Because just about
every police department does that to prevent the officer's scores from being
used against him at trial. Though as Chuck says, it has never caused problems
for his departments.)
Well, she would go to guns because she was small and weak and knew that
she couldn't fight without her gun. The problem wasn't her shooting everyone
in the force-on-force scenario, the problem was that the department hired her
in the first place. Why would any department hire small weak persons to be
police officers? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Chuck wouldn't say it, so I will.
Chuck says you must have emotional control to learn and execute technical
shooting. (Stop and think about that. It's not the test score on the entrance exam.
It's not the score on the physical fitness test. How do you test for emotional
control? You have to observe the person under stress. You have to observe the
person attempting to shoot in a technically correct manner while under stress.
And most importantly, the instructors must have the ability to wash the failures
out of the class. If you're desperate for warm bodies or operating under DEI
hiring policies, you can't wash anyone out.)
"If you never weed out anyone, it proves your program is invalid."
"Weapon confusion. She was set up for failure by her department." She thought
she was holding her Taser, but in fact was holding her Sig. Taser! Taser! Taser! Bang!
[Task Overload Confusion is the term Chuck uses in his classes.]
Police departments do not strive for excellence. They do not advertise to
recruit by saying we are excellent, come be excellent with us. People who would
have made good police officers are not going to put in an application, because
they don't want to be associated with a department that is poor to mediocre.
"Lowering standards to keep warm bodies is a death spiral."
"Competent use of force at a low level de-escalates and prevents the need to
use more force later."
The purpose of the SWAT team is to force a surrender with no shots fired.
De-escalation is the fight never starts.
"It's decision making, not technical shooting that eats up the time."
"CYA is Can You Articulate."
A big thank you to Chuck for taking the time to do this. You can learn more
about Chuck Haggard and contact him and his training company Agile Tactical at
Can you imagine shooting and killing the hostage? Such is the result of bad
training. Which includes not making the student aware of his capabilities and
limitations.
"In reality, we are training for an unknown event, against unknown threats,
by developing as many known skills as possible."
-- Jeff Gonzales
"Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 39 Cases During May 2025"
"Having a gun is important.
But knowing WHEN to use it is even more important."
-- Greg Ellifritz
Email from Orion Taraban, Psy.D. --
"It's not too late."
Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
I started my psychological career at 28. At that age, most of my friends had long
since graduated with their professional degrees and had started earning enviable
salaries. Some of them had already gotten married and started families. While they
were moving forward with life, I was just starting over.
I started lifting weights at 40. At that age, many men had been going to the gym
for decades. Some of them had stayed lean and had gained quite a bit of muscle.
While they were maintaining their progress, I was just beginning to move forward.
My point is that it's never too late. It's never too late to start prioritizing your
money and career. It's never too late to start prioritizing your health and fitness.
It's never too late to build a life that you feel honored to live. Other people are
going to be on other paths. Cool – we don't need a world of clones. Some of them
are going to be ahead of you. Great – use them as emulative models to accelerate
your growth. You're not out of the race yet. While there's breath, there's time.
This week's behavioral experiment:
What project have you been putting off? Take the first step.
Warmly,
Orion
"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
"Physical Readiness Standards for Church Security Teams
This evaluation was developed after training revealed physical
readiness gaps that needed to be addressed."
by Keith Graves
Just scroll down to see the text.
Physical Evaluation Standard Revised
Excerpts:
Can someone stand post for an hour without needing to sit down?
Can they walk the building without stopping?
Can they climb stairs without becoming winded or unstable?
Can they lift a modest amount of weight and move it safely?
Can they kneel, return to standing, see clearly, hear instructions,
and respond with intent?
These are not athletic goals. They are the minimum physical requirements
to safely perform security duties in a church environment.
Armed and Unarmed Roles Are Not the Same
Passing a basic physical evaluation does not automatically qualify someone to be armed.
Carrying a firearm in a crowded church requires balance, mobility, coordination, and
the ability to move deliberately under stress. Armed roles should include additional
movement and equipment requirements beyond those expected of unarmed positions.
"A mistake that makes you humble is better
than an achievement that makes you arrogant."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"World War II Hand-to-Hand And Knife Combat Training" by Docent
"Shoot sooner, not faster."
-- Matt Little
"SureFire Institute - Cold Hard Facts"
Hat tip to John Hearne. John said he worked on this series of videos.
I can't find the rest of the videos. If you know, let me know.
“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
You'll have to read between the lines, but you're smart.
"Gun trainers nationwide say women and liberals are taking
more interest in classes after Alex Pretti’s shooting"
by Angela Yang
(Angela Yang is a culture and trends reporter for NBC News. Not a legal nor
political correspondent. Get it?)
---
"These sex workers in Minneapolis never thought they would own a gun.
Then ICE came to town"
by Sam Stroozas
Excerpt:
". . . Sex Workers Outreach Project, also known as SWOP, practices shooting
with her handgun at a free gun safety and training event hosted by SWOP at
Stock & Barrel Gun Club in Eagan."
---
This is way better than anything we could have concocted. For decades the
conservative Christian gun owners have feared the government and criminals,
and so have armed themselves.
Now the liberal prostitutes are jumping on the gun bandwagon to protect themselves
from criminals and the government. You think any of the gun rights organizations
would have gotten in bed with the Sex Workers Outreach Project?
Well, maybe the NRA would have. Oh, wait, they did. Friends of the NRA
directors (employees of the NRA, not volunteers) hired prostitutes to sell tickets
at Friends of the NRA banquets in South Carolina. Yes, I witnessed it.
How come we never have the Sex Workers Outreach Project at my range?
"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
"Gunfighting and Neuroscience: Why Using Your Front Sight Might Kill You"
by Jake
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"Less experienced shooters will need a hard focus on their sights to verify
their gun is aligned correctly. They do not have the requisite practice time to
look at a spot and line the gun up subconsciously. This is fine in a target shooting
scenario, but deadly in the real world."
[The vast majority (99%) of gun carriers in the U.S. are "Less experienced shooters".
The author says they "will need a hard focus on their sights to verify their gun
is aligned correctly." But doing so is "deadly in the real world." So who is the
author writing to? Who is the intended audience? The one percenters.
-- Jon Low]
“The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns,
we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise,
they will win and decent people will loose.”
-- James Earl Jones
"The Timer Trap" by Brian Hill
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"True speed, however, is maximum efficiency with minimum effort;
it may not feel fast when properly coordinated, but the timer reveals
the right level of effort."
"As Brian Enos warned in "Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals",
do not define your shooting by the timer; instead, let your vision guide your
shooting relative to the context."
"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
"Lessons Learned As An Instructor" by Matt Landfair
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpts:
"Mandatory sexual harassment courses should not have a practical exercise portion.
Qualifications (in most cases) don’t need a sit down classroom section."
"At this point I had to weigh if I should intervene and create a teaching moment
and correct their issues or allow them to fail and create a learning opportunity
hopefully letting them learn from their mistakes."
History --
"Jack Weaver: The Real Weaver Stance"
by Jeremy Clough
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Psychology --------------------------------
"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
"How to be angry
Anger is a fuel that’s dangerous when out of control.
But managed well, it can energise you to identify and confront problems"
by Ryan Martin
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
"Be stronger than your strongest excuse."
-- Nicola Cavanis
“Training deals not with an object,
but with the human spirit and human emotions.”
--Bruce Lee
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Conferences --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required for growth.
"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
Rangemaster Tactical Conference, $639
TacCon26 is scheduled for
March 27-29, 2026
at the Dallas Pistol Club in Carrollton, Texas
Security Operations Summit 2026, $150.00
July 23-25, 2026 A.D.
With hands-on pre-event options on Wednesday, July 22nd!
Wednesday to Saturday, so as not to interfere with church on Sunday.
Southeast Christian Church
920 Blankenbaker Parkway
Louisville, KY 40243
Bullets & Bibles 2026 (The registration fee is a tax deductible charitable donation).
Friday, August 21, 2026 – Sunday, August 23, 2026
Hosted at Living Water Ranch, north of Manhattan, KS.
Food and lodging included in registration price.
The Guardian Conference, $800
September 18th - 20th, 2026 in Oklahoma City, OK.
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Classes --------------------------------
Attending classes and conferences is required to avoid teaching
obsolete material, and to ensure you are teaching best practices.
"Near and Far: The Complete Handgun Fight" $550.00
by Jeff Gonzales and Greg Ellifritz
Date: March 7-8, 2026
Location: UpTex Shooting Range
Harris Combative Strategies Defensive Concepts for Low Light Environments
Date: Saturday February 21 2026
Time: 4PM - 11PM Eastern
Location: Windrock Shooting Range & Training Center
720 Windrock Road
Oliver Springs, TN 37840
Price: $200 ( plus a $10 cash range fee payable to the range at class )
Instructor: Randy Harris
THIS IS NOT A BEGINNER CLASS. Students should be able to safely load,
unload, draw from a holster and safely handle their pistol in close proximity to
other people. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PLEASE
CONTACT RANDY AND DISCUSS YOUR PREVIOUS SHOOTING
EXPERIENCE.
This class will cover some critical skills which include shooting with and
without the help of flashlights in low or no light. We will work both proactively
challenging unknown potential threats and also reacting to unexpected close
quarter attacks in low light settings. You will see just how much light you really
need to accurately shoot by and how much light you actually need to ID targets.
We will also cover manipulating the pistol in the dark both with and without
a light in our hands. We will load, unload, and clear malfunctions with and
without flashlights. A fair amount of time will also be devoted to using the
flashlight as a tool to help you get deselected in the "pre fight interview",
use the light as a distraction device and impact weapon, and as a bridge from
less lethal [is that like less pregnant?] to lethal force.
Range Gear and requirements: Handheld flashlight (Surefire 6P, G2,
Streamlight Scorpion or similar). Extra batteries. Pistol and holster designed
to be worn on the belt. Two spare mags (3 total minimum) and a mag pouch.
If you have a weapon mounted light for your pistol and want to use it for some
drills then please bring it too. If your carry pistol has a light that is fine too just
make sure it fits your holster.
Please bring a few rounds of your regular carry ammo so that you can see
how much or how little muzzle flash it exhibits under reduced lighting conditions.
Range Safety gear (eye and ear protection). Clothing appropriate for weather.
Snacks and drinks.
You are welcome to bring something for dinner as there is not much really
close to the range to go get something.
Ammo: Approximately 200 rounds. If you want to shoot more you are certainly
welcome to bring more and shoot more but we will be focusing on shooting with
high accountability not practicing mag dumps.
If you have a "blue gun" or airsoft gun and training knife or inert "trainer" pepper
spray you want to bring feel free to do so. We will be doing some interactive
exercises where students will play the role of both good guys and bad guys to get
a better feel for just what each experiences when the techniques are applied in low
light. If you don't see it from both sides you only know about half of what is going on.
Reality is that not everyone can carry on body all the time for whatever reason.
Yes on body is a better choice but it isn’t always feasible for some people.
So what are YOU teaching students in that case? Are you just insisting they
carry on-body or are you meeting them where they are so they are making the
best if not ideal? DTI’s class is being taught by Vicki Farnam and she knows
her stuff and is good at passing it on. She is also very good at making an
instructor class have actual instructor information on how to teach not just
what to teach. If you are an instructor and haven’t taken something like this,
get it while you can. Vicki and John won’t be teaching forever.
-- Bill Armstrong
FlexCCarry℠ Solutions Instructor Course 3 Day Class
taught by Vicki Farnam DTI for WomenDTI, LLC
March 13, 2026 @ 08:00 - March 15 @ 17:00
MeadHall Range, 2181 S Blackberry Drive, Mcloud, OK, United States
A combination of interactive lecture/discussion and range live-fire.
Learn gun-handling safety skills for Flex concealed carry with a
Flex carry bag. Learn the difference between a holster and a storage
container. Learn principles of Flex carry, understand them and
practice them.
Excellent training and education at
Project Appleseed
I have taken their pistol and rifle classes. I highly recommend.
Gunsite Academy
Lee Weems
Massad Ayoob Group
West Coast Armory North
Active Response Training, Greg Ellifritz
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
Defensive Training International, John Farnam
Rangemaster, Tom Givens
Trident Concepts, Jeff Gonzales
Apache Solutions, Tim Kelly
Harris Combative Strategies, Randy Harris
Mead Hall Range & Tactics, Bill Armstrong
Two Pillars Training, John Hearne
Mike Seeklander
Claude Werner, The Tactical Professor
Tatiana Whitlock - Training in Context
NRA Instructors and their classes.
‟Training is NOT an event, but a process.
Training is the preparation FOR practice.”
-- Claude Werner
*************************************************************************
for law enforcement activity in the country. My guys averaged over 150 arrests a year
for a variety of offenses.
While looking for something else, I came across this picture showing my guiding
principles for effective leadership.
These weren't posted where anyone visiting the office could see them but they were
tucked back where I could see them and have them remind me of what I was supposed
to be doing.
-- John Hearne
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ 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
"Getting More out of “Cold Performance” Assessments" by John Murphy
"Your speed [in mastering the art and science of your discipline] doesn't matter.
Forward is forward."
-- Nicola Cavanis
“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
"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
"Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
‶Practice is the small deposits you make over time,
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.″
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
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
"Why are the little things called little things?
They are everything."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"People rust faster than equipment."
-- John Hearne
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** 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.
"You win gunfights by not getting shot."
-- John Holschen
Tal sacrifices several pieces to gain positional advantage.
It's important to know what your goal is. Actually, a lot of people don't know.
They are short sighted. Don't be like them. Eventually, they lose to persons
who understand what's really going on.
"Never let fear decide your fate."
-- Nicola Cavanis
“How do you win a gunfight?
Don't be there.”
-- John Farnam
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Tactics --------------------------------
Maneuver and fire in support of your strategy.
Sometimes fire and close combat.
“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.)
"Real fights are short." -- Bruce Lee
"You often don't know where the bad guy is who is shooting at you."
-- Phillip Groff
“People shoot you because they see you.
They see you because you let them.
Don’t let them see you.”
-- Clint Smith
“Fortuitous outcomes reinforce poor tactics.”
-- Chuck Haggard
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Techniques --------------------------------
Ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics,
especially when disabled or under stress.
". . . only shoot as fast as you can assess, and . . . assess after each shot,
both of which we should be training to do all the time anyway."
-- Ralph Mroz, "Street Focused Handgun Training"
"Fastest Draw vs Reality | What Actually Works" by Massad Ayoob
Wow, high information density. Well worth your time parsing and analyzing.
Compare Massad Ayoob's times to Gabe White's times (given in previous blog post).
Do you understand "self initiated" vs. "reaction time"? Can justifiably shooting a
person ever be self initiated? Doesn't it require your reaction to something the bad
guy did to cause you to shoot him? Maybe not.
“What’s the number one reason for reloading?
Missing the target!”
-- Claude Werner
"Keys aren't defense tools
Please stop acting like they are"
by Ian
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Excerpt:
"TL;DR: Keys are for opening locks; weapons are for opening critters.
Don’t confuse the two."
"Grip first, then press."
-- Mike Seeklander
"AMBIDEXTROUS PISTOL DRILL NUMBER ONE"
by Suarez Tactics
Notice how his thumb moves when he presses the trigger. It indicates that he's
probably squeezing with his fingers when he presses the trigger. It's really hard to
isolate the trigger press from the rest of the fingers of the hand.
May I suggest this exercise? Grip a tennis ball (or foam squeezy ball) with
your middle finger, ring finger, and little finger. Relax your thumb, keeping it
relaxed as you move your trigger finger from register (up on the frame of the
pistol), to touching the trigger, to pressing the trigger, to resetting the trigger,
to taking the slack out of the trigger, to pressing the trigger, . . .
Watch what you're doing. Feel what you're doing. And you will notice how
much your other fingers are moving and tensing. That's degrading your accuracy.
Got to isolate the trigger finger. Ya, it's hard. It takes a lot of practice.
"Use only that which works,
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee
If you carry your pistol in a cross-draw position, you've made it very easy for
the enemy to draw your pistol.
"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 the ones that you can perform reliably.
"The foundations of your grip are established
before you even draw the pistol from the holster."
-- Tanner Denton
"Ineffective and potentially dangerous, point shooting should be avoided
at all costs and aimed fire employed in any lethal-force scenario."
-- Massad Ayoob
"The secret is applying extreme force with the pinkies and
working your way up the rest of the digits."
-- Jeff L. Gonzales
"Superior judgment trumps superior skills." -- Dan Millican
"It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!"
-- Bruce Lee
---
"I can always do nothing more consistently than I can do something."
-- Ben Stoeger
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** 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 Sections:
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
"The Stranger" by John Murphy
Excerpt:
"Geography matters in cases of self-defense . . . know where you are and
not just what the laws are in your area, but who enforces them."
In the right-hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the address,
"A Legal Nightmare . . . " by John Murphy
Excerpt:
"People will lie, especially families."
"Not all lawyers are equal."
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
"Police Shoot Man Inside His Own Business" by Liberty Doll
“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
"Man claims self-defense in deadly shooting at south Phoenix apartment, documents say"
by Alexis Cortez
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
So why was he arrested and charged with manslaughter? Because he ran his mouth,
rather than keeping his mouth shut.
"I invoke my right to remain silent. I invoke my right to counsel."
Your rights do not apply automagically. You must invoke them.
Hey, that's what the U.S. Supreme Court says, not me. And once you invoke your rights,
you must shut up, because if you start talking, you have waived your rights. That's
what the U.S. Supreme Court says.
Ask any prosecutor, and he will tell you that the primary evidence against a defendant
in such cases is the defendant's statements at the scene. If they don't have that evidence,
they will probably drop the case, because they don't have a 100% chance of conviction.
Prosecutors jealously guard their win-loss record. It is their reputation. They simply
will not take a case to trial that they are not sure they will win.
---
This case also shows that mace / pepper spray / and such are useless, unless actually
used. The mace was not used, because the defendant had not practiced with it.
You're not going to automatically use a weapon unless you have practiced with it, a lot.
He used his pistol ("by instinct" as he testified) because he had practiced with it.
Get it?
---
One would think that the defendant's friend would testify for him, not against him.
Or, at least keep her mouth shut. But, no, she testified against him. Sorry, that's just
reality. Civilian "friends" ain't the same as war buddies.
"America’s Dramatic Decline in Homicide Clearance Rates (Arrest Rates)
from 1965 to 2024: Falling From 91 to 52 Percent"
All the legitimate instructors teach to call 911 and report the incident immediately,
at least before the bad guy does. Because the bad guy is reporting you as the criminal.
But, if the bad guy robs, rapes, or murders you, the police are not likely to find him.
If they do, the judge is likely to release him without bail. At which point he will disappear.
If he goes to trial because he is in prison when it is discovered that he has other wants
and warrants, it is unlikely he will be prosecuted. Because you're dead, and so can't
testify against him.
If you kill the bad guy, and report the incident, you will be prosecuted, which is a huge
expense in money, time, emotional trauma, loss of work, loss of spouse, etc.
If you walk away, there is an excellent chance that the police will never find you.
(As long as you keep your mouth shut and don't post about your most extraordinary
experience on social media.)
No, you did not flee the scene. You left for your safety and the safety of your
loved ones.
You did not report the incident because you feared retaliation from the other
gang members, if you were identified. And you knew that the police and prosecutor
would not protect you, because they are required by law to identify you during the
discovery process pre-trial.
I could go on, but you get the idea. A competent attorney can explain your actions
as reasonable and justified. That's what you pay the big bucks for. Andrew Branca
says you have to give your attorney good facts to work with. But the meaning of the
facts is a matter of perspective, which can be controlled by a competent attorney.
You did not commit a crime. You are under no obligation to report. You should, of
course, tell your attorney immediately.
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Medical --------------------------------
"The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
“Your character is what you do when no one is looking.”
-- Thomas Jefferson
"If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
Tactical Emergency Casualty Care Course - NAEMT Certified, $495.00
Tracey Mendenhall | VP of Operations
(Life Saving Ninja)
DEFEND SYSTEMS
(615) 480-7758
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Survival --------------------------------
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
--Benjamin Franklin
"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
"Insufficient sleep associated with decreased life expectancy
OHSU researchers find catching at least seven hours of sleep
a night will improve how you feel, how long you live"
by Erik Robinson
Hat tip to John Hearne.
Excerpts:
“This research shows that we need to prioritize sleep at least as much as
we do to what we eat or how we exercise,” he said.
“Sometimes, we think of sleep as something we can set aside and maybe put
off until later or on the weekend.”
“Getting a good night’s sleep will improve how you feel
but also how long you live.”
"Survival is a mindset, not a skill set."
-- Greg Shaffer
‟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
"Rebuilding Mum and Dad:
The Astounding 1-Year Results of Strength Training in Their 80s"
by The Honest Channel
Hat tip to John Hearne.
"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
*************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** 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
2nd Amendment News & Articles
Citizen-Defender, John Murphy
Blog posts,
Rangemaster Newsletter, Tom Givens
Active Self Protection, John Correia
"My Gun Culture" by Tom McHale
Quips, John Farnam
Active Response Training, Greg Ellifritz
The Tactical Professor, Claude Werner
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
Gun Law Database
"This is What Happens When You Hire the RIGHT Attorney for the Job!"
by Audit the Court
Sources cited in description of the video.
This is why you must have a competent attorney.
PC is probable cause.
DIMS is District Attorney Intake Management.
“Laws are made for men of ordinary understanding and should, therefore,
be construed by the ordinary rules of common sense. Their meaning is not
to be sought for in metaphysical subtleties which may make anything mean
everything or nothing at pleasure.”
— Thomas Jefferson (1823)
"Gun Permit Bill Fails Tennessee Senate
The bill was introduced by Sen. London Lamar (D-Memphis)."
by Kailynn Johnson
The bill failed with two ayes and six nays.
“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
"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, Constitution of the United States of America
Never surrender your right to keep and bear arms.
Nor your right to keep and arm bears.
Nor your right to keep bees and arm bears.
Nor your right to secure your keep (castle doctrine) and arm others (militia).
Because your right to keep and bear won't matter much if you're the only one doing it.
I saw a female comedian, Saaniya Abbas, from Pakistan who said that she could
not wear sleeveless blouses in Pakistan. She is happy to now live and work in
America where we have the right to bear arms.
"ATF Reverses Course After Denying NFA Applications for Wanting to
“Exercise God-Given Rights” "
by John Crump
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.
"Firearms are second only to the constitution in importance,
they are the people's liberty's teeth." -- George Washington
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Instruction --------------------------------
"Remember,
the students who require the extra effort
are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
*************************************************************************
----- Instructors -----
Rangemaster, Firearms Instructor Training
“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
-- Richard Henry Dana
"The Gun Community Is Failing New Shooters — And We Are The Reason"
by Rick Billington
Excerpts:
Jargon Does not Equal Expertise
Every discipline has its language. Firearms are no different. But somewhere
along the way, terminology became a weapon instead of a tool.
New shooters are overwhelmed with:
• Acronyms
• Brands
• Obscure technical language
• Unexplained “common knowledge.”
Instead of translating concepts, many experienced shooters use jargon
to establish dominance.
Real instructors simplify. Ego hides behind complexity.
If someone asks a basic question and is made to feel stupid for asking it,
they will not ask again. And unasked questions lead to unsafe assumptions.
Welcoming New Shooters Does NOT Mean Lowering Standards
"Every time I teach a class,
I discover I don't know something."
-- Clint Smith
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
"You must teach skill sustainment as part of training."
-- John Hearne
"You don't have to memorize formulae.
Because you can always derive them from first principles."
-- Sven Hartman
"Thinking is the hardest thing a person can do.
That's why so few people do it."
-- Henry Ford
"Your curriculum needs to be recent, relevant, and realistic."
-- Austin Killmer
"The limited time you spend with students may be the only training they ever receive!"
-- John Farnam
“The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”
-- Robert John Meehan
“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
"A false path will always be tensely, angrily, violently defended
by those it has deceived, because those who are so easily deceived
are ever too arrogant to repent.”
-- Instructional axiom
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
************************************************************************
----- Students -----
“It may seem difficult at first but everything is difficult at first.”
-- Miyamota Mushashi
"It's better to be wrong than to be vague."
-- Freeman Dyson
If you're wrong, the instructor can correct you.
If you are vague, no one can help you.
“Train, Practice, Compete
are the key elements in the development of humans.”
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
"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 (as opposed to pedagogy) -----
"Growth is uncomfortable because you've never been there before."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"Thinking is the hardest thing a person can do.
That's why so few people do it."
-- Henry Ford
‟An instructor should not expect any learning to
take place the first time new information is presented.”
-- ‶Building Shooters″ by Dustin Salomon
*************************************************************************
------------------------------ Gear --------------------------------
And the safe storage thereof.
The purpose of a high capacity magazine is NOT to let you shoot more;
it is to let you reload less.
-- Tom Givens
"I’ve got two guns!" by John Murphy
As John says, this is a best practice.
“Your car is not a holster.”
-- Pat Rogers
"A Better Dummy Round for Dry Fire and Malfunctions Training"
by Jacob Paulsen
I went to the range this morning and had to replace three magazine springs in my
mags for my Glock 21 (full size, 45 ACP). The pistol was not feeding correctly.
The slide was coming forward on the side of the cartridge, not the rear of the cartridge.
The spring was not strong enough to get the cartridge up to the feed lips in time for
the slide to catch the rear of the cartridge and push the cartridge into the chamber.
This is why you must practice. Every practice is an inspection. Better to replace
springs in the calm of the pistol range than suffer failures to feed in combat.
Theoretically, one could (correctly) heat the springs, stretch them out, and correctly
cool the springs to make them serviceable. But do you know how to do annealing,
tempering, heat treating, and forming springs? I do (I learned when I was working
at Military Systems Group.). But it's not worth the time and effort. Better to buy
new ones.
Glock sells replacement springs for $5.28 each.
Or, you can buy from Wolff for $8.99 each.
The Wolff springs are 10% stronger and I have found them to be of higher quality.
"Everything You Wanted to Know About AR-15 Magazines
(But Were Too Afraid To Ask)
The Critical But Overlooked Part Of The Rifle"
by Brent Wheat
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
My son introduced me to mag covers a few years ago. I recommend. Keeps the dirt,
sand, and such out of your mags.
"There are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous men."
-- Robert A. Heinlein
As technology progresses, soft body armor gets lighter and thinner.
"Top Five Picks for Concealable Body Armor"
by Rob Reaser
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Do not spend your money on revolvers. They need to be reloaded too often.
They are more difficult to reload. They take longer to reload than a semi-auto
“Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
"Rideout Dragon - SHOT SHOW 2026" by Brownells, Inc.
Demo by Travis Rideout.
"Rideout Arsenal Dragon: A New Low-Bore-Axis Lever-Delayed Pistol"
by Forgotten Weapons
More detail. Note that this is a pre-production model.
Official web site.
~$5200 initially, ~$3600 when in full production and mass produced for the civilian market.
Stationary barrel, no Nielsen device. Stationary optic, no shock to the optic from a
reciprocating slide. Completely ambidextrous. No tools required for disassembly.
Uses Springfield Armory 17/20rd Echelon magazines. Lever delayed (as opposed to
roller delayed) action.
"Alien pistol by Laugo Arms" (Introduced at Shot Show in 2020.)
~$5600.
Ammo sources:
Unlimited Ammo
Target Sports USA
GunMag Warehouse
SGAmmo
True Shot Ammo
The Mag Shack
If you know of any others, let me know.
*************************************************************************
Where is the belt buckle?
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Intelligence ***** ***** *****
Always cite open source. There is always some conspiracy theorists who has said
what you want to say. Quote him. Everyone will understand.
"Concealed Carry in the Era of Terror Revisited" by John Murphy
Excerpt:
"Get this straight in your head. Terrorists are not criminals out to support
their drug habit, or a drunken bully looking to throw you a beat down. This
isn’t a parking lot dispute, a road rage incident or a conflict you can solve
with de-escalation. These are ideologically committed killers determined to
use violence to achieve global religious/political change. Killing as many as
they can to maximize the terror impact of their acts is their goal. Do NOT
underestimate these people. Take careful note not of just the mass beheadings
that were once in vogue overseas, but the artful way they were staged and
recorded, with high production values throughout. That is highly evolved
messaging leveraging modern technology with ancient terror tactics. More
recent attacks from various evil parties have even been “livestreamed” to
an eager international audience. Remember that dying for their cause is
considered the ultimate reward. They won’t be dissuaded and they won’t
be bargained with. They will be heavily armed and adequately trained for
their task, which is to slaughter unarmed innocents to further undermine
governmental authority. Unlike your typical criminal crew, a few shots
won’t send them into flight. They’re on a mission."
"So, with that in mind, the rules change. Back shoot them without
hesitation or warning. The cheaper the shot, the better. To ensure there’s
not a threat from behind as you move past their bodies, “anchor” shoot
them through the brain and from a position of advantage. While these
methods of engagement are illegal and inappropriate for a criminal
encounter and would likely see you charged with murder in that context,
I suspect a citizen acting this way against a terrorist threat will be given
a pass. (Differentiating between the two at that time could be difficult.
Choose wisely.) This will essentially be participating in no notice
infantry combat in your hometown."
You're laughing at the cop showing up with the optic on backwards on
his rifle, but it's sad, not funny. If cops and U.S. Navy Admirals can do it . . .
From Soldier Systems --
Despite claims of success in Ukraine, new Center for Strategic & International Studies
data shows that Russia is paying an extraordinary price for minimal gains, with over
1.2 million casualties. Russia is also in decline as a major economic power with slow
growth, weak productivity, and declining manufacturing.
[Can you fathom 1.2 million casualties? -- Jon Low]
"The Terrain Before the Terrain:
Why Special Operations Forces Must Master Administrative Battlespace"
by Erika Lafrennie
Hat tip to Soldier Systems.
"Leading the Digital Fight:
How the Navy’s Information Warfare Community Must Innovate to Win"
by Shane Halton and Adam Reiffen
Hat tip to Soldier Systems.
"This Is Why Ships NEVER Pass Between Australia and South America
Even Though It's Shorter" by Fresh Tech
A lesson in shipping.
"China’s ‘Ethnic Specific’ Bio-Weapons Target Specific Races Based on DNA"
by Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov
Notice the reference to OPM (Office of Personnel Management) data breech?
Do you remember that?
"Another Secret Chinese Bio-Lab Discovered--This Time In Las Vegas"
by Docent
"Let's Be Honest Chinese Weapons SUCK - Here's the Proof . . . "
by Business Basics
I read "13 Hours" by Mitchell Zuckoff et al.
ISBN-10 : 9781785030529
ISBN-13 : 978-1785030529
I scanned it cover to cover. Followed every link.
Put all the names in an association chart (spider web).
Note the publisher.
I recommend you read it.
"PANIC IN MOSCOW:
TOP RUSSIAN GENERAL ALEKSEYEV DEMILITARIZED Vlog 1312:
War in Ukraine"
by Anna from Ukraine
In case you can't understand her,
GRU, military intelligence.
FSB, civilian intelligence, formerly KGB.
Shot three times, but not dead. Just in the hospital in critical condition.
You notice that high ranking officers and ministers live in apartments in high
rise apartment buildings in Moscow.
Deputy Justice Minister drowned in his bathtub. Sort of like falling off your toilet
and breaking your neck. Or, is it like slipping on the ice and cracking your skull?
(You remember what I'm talking about.)
They are all gangsters, sending messages. If they were professionals, their targets
would die peacefully in their sleep. There would be no suspicion of foul play, hence
no investigation, and no publicity. So they are not intel, they are thugs.
Anna does not refer to Ukrainian Intel, she refers to
Kyrylo Oleksiiovych Budanov. Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
since 2 January 2026. Formerly chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence
of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine from August 2020.
"China Finally Got the War It Wanted" by China Uncensored
Playing games with data. Don't get caught by this logic flaw.
"Top 20 Tactical Training Programs In the US for Law Enforcement"
by RoninsGrips
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
The Dispatch
Strategy Page
"The Merge"
Breaking Defense
Intrigue
1440
29155
Global Recaps
Timber Sycamore
Ground News
Soldier Systems
We love spaghetti.
Remember from Sports Illustrated?
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Signals Intelligence,
Ground Electronic Warfare,
Cyber Security,
(sometimes Air Electronic Warfare too) ***** ***** *****
Always cite open source.
The steganographers have been playing nasty games with each other and their enemies
on this platform. They will have to play elsewhere.
"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
I hope you didn't lose your job. If you did, I hope you feel it was worth it.
As Andrew Branca says, "You've got to be able to wake up in your prison cell
after 20 years and say to yourself, “It was worth it. I would do it again.” "
May I invite your attention to "Packet-filter firewalls" in
"Computer Security and the Internet: Tools and Jewels" (2e)
by Paul C. van Oorschot
Chapter 10, Section 1.
ISBN: 978-3-030-83410-4 (hardcopy),
ISBN: 978-3-030-83411-1 (eBook)
I think it solves your problem.
I love listening to the Grand Ole Opry. I listen on WSM, 650 AM. It's also online,
"Social Engineering: 5 Manipulation Techniques
Learn How to Identify and Defend Against These Five
Dangerous Psychological Manipulation Methods"
by Jim Henry
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.
Breaking Defense has a weekly newsletter, "Networks & Digital Warfare" at
Crypto-Gram by Bruce Schneier
2600
Soldier Systems
I love spaghetti.
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Cryptology ***** ***** *****
Always cite open source.
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.
Even the Bible says, it's a literature search, not a research project.
---
"Mathematics and the Unexpected" by Ivar Ekeland
a translation by the author of his book
"Le Calcul, l’ Imprévu: Les figures du temps de Kepler à Thom"
© Editions du Seuil, 1984.
ISBN 0-226-19989-4
QA 614.58.E3413
Excerpts:
"Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already
of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things;
neither shall there be remembrance of things that are to come with those that
shall come after." (Ecclesiastes 1:10-11)
Page xi.
"Note that Galileo does not mention ellipses. This may seem a minor omission,
but it is not. In mathematics, pictures, which support intuition, may be more important
than the text, which develops and unfolds it. Ellipses are conspicuously missing, not
only from Galileo's consciousness but also from that of all astronomers up to Kepler.
. . . "
Page 7.
"Better still, Newton's solution of Kepler's problem, the first example and greatest
success of this technique, will lead scientists to believe that differential equations lead
to stable and regular motions. This belief comes easily when Kepler's law are taught
uncritically as basic facts, and is strengthened by teaching and experience. This is
because education depends very much on tradition, even in mathematics: one teaches
only what is well understood and has proved its usefulness, and skips unpleasant facts
and unknown areas. . . . "
Page 14.
"In science, as everywhere else, there are very few true creators, people able to
leave the beaten track and to come up with new ideas. It is very tempting to deem
a problem interesting because half the people you know are working on it. But truly
deep and difficult problems promise no easy returns, and do not attract people eager
to publish. Poincaré makes a distinction between problems that nature sets up and
problems that one sets up. And it is Poincaré who will initiate the critical analysis
of classical determinism, thereby opening the modern era. His tremendous powers
of analysis were directed toward the most formidable stronghold of Newtonian
physics, celestial mechanics, with devastating effect."
Page 25.
". . . and a reminder of the fact that a purely deterministic law may materialize in
a totally random sequence of observations if part of the information is withheld, as
it must be in any practical situation."
Page 64.
Comments:
Actually, the two patron saints of this book are Henri Poincaré and Henri Bergson,
not Johannes Kepler und René Thom. In particular,
"Les Méthodes nouvelles de la mécanique céleste" by Henri Poincaré,
Volumes 1 to 3, Paris: Gauthiers-Villars, 1892 - 1899. And
"Stabilité structurelle et morphogénèse: Essai d’une théorie générale des modèles"
by René Thom. Reading, MA: Benjamin, 1972. (English version:
"Structural Stability and Morphogenesis" translated by D. H. Fowler.
Reading, MA: Benjamin, 1974.)
---
The point is, differential equations are not stable in the real world (nor even in
the computer world). Rather, they produce randomness, chaos, strange attractors,
and such. You will only find nice stable orbits in the classroom.
[I had a girlfriend who thought I was silly, or crazy, to watch the water drain
out of the sink, the toilet flush, or the laundry tumbling in the drier. But, it's a
fascinating study in dynamic systems. If you (strive to) understand what you're
seeing. Or perhaps you don't have to understand what you're seeing on anything
more than an intuitive level. Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos,
didn't understand the technology at all, yet wealthy persons threw money at her.
Being able to talk the jargon is not the same as understanding. But, you must
have a certain level of sophistication to be able to discern.]
"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
Our friends are using the Oxford American Dictionary as their code book.
So I had to get a copy. Ya, it's online, but the online version is not the same.
A dictionary as a code book. Is that brilliant or what? You'll never get stuck
on a word that is not in your code book.
When I was in college, I had a copy of the OED (Oxford English Dictionary).
But that was British English, not American English. The language bifurcated at
around the time of Shakespeare, when the Pilgrims went to America.
One could argue that if the word was not in the OED, it was not a legitimate
word in the language. Anyone can make up or coin a word, but that does not
make it legitimate. Unlike the French who have an Academy of Language and
Culture, English is defined by common usage. "Common usage" is a technical
term. It does not mean in common use.
The scholarly American dictionaries were American Heritage and Random
House. So why use the Oxford American Dictionary?
"You don't have to memorize theorems.
Because you can always derive them from first principles."
-- Sven Hartman
Consider the difficulty of factoring large composites, X, with only two or so
large prime factors. [Why the "or so"? Because you start your search with the
√X under the assumption that there are 2 factors (and search toward 0),
∛X if there are 3 factors, ∜X if there are 4 factors, etc. The difference between
√X and ∛X may be significant. Same logic as in choosing to repeat a digit in
your 4 digit PIN, rather than using 4 unique digits.]
Consider the difficulty of finding the logarithms of elements of a finite field
where the base of the logarithm is a generator of field.
Consider the difficulty of untangling a 3-dimensional knot in 3-dimensional space,
which may have many ropes of different cross-sectional diameters and different
non-zero surface frictions.
You have some fascinating definitions and theorems in your knot theory research.
Ropes that have friction and so may bind. No longer strands of spaghetti sliding
through each other in the boiling water. (Cook for 11 -13 minutes and drain, 11
minutes if you prefer al dente. Do you prefer al dente? I don't. I like my spaghetti
plumb and chubby.) Yes, topology always assumes zero friction. One must always
be careful of the unspoken underlying assumptions. (As Black Pen Red Pen has
shown us with domain and range restrictions.) So we can't simply pull on a free
end and expect the rope to slide out of the knot. And even if we could, that
wouldn't necessarily untangle the knot, made of many other ropes that are still there.
Ropes of different cross-sectional diameters forming knots. A nice rabbit hole
to explore. Yes, what happens when you 'wrap' a torus with a rope? Quite the
standard magic trick in the industry. But, what is the math in topology? (Without
gimmicks.)
Knots that 'resist' untangling when lifted into 4-dimensions. Bravo! Forcing
the enemy to lift to higher dimensions? (Klein bottles exist in 4-dimensions.
3-dimensional illustrations are wrong. They always show the neck of the bottle
penetrating the bottle, which doesn't happen in 4-dimensions.)
I see that we are parameterizing the path of the rope in 3-dimensional space by
forming functions that take as input the distance along the path and output the
position in 3-dimensional space. As long as these functions are not reversible, we
have a good cryptosystem. Is this any better than using one-way cryptologically
secure functions with the already known mechanisms? Is this a better mouse trap?
Your preliminary results seem to suggest so. Efficiency in digital computers
if nothing else. Kudos!
"Computer science has nothing to do with computers or science."
-- Donald Knuth
"The Man [Georg Cantor] Who Almost Broke Math (And Himself...) - Axiom of Choice"
by Veritasium
Once you start playing with sets that do not have a well defined measure (as in a
Measure Theoretic measure) you are not in the real world anymore. You are in the
realm of pure thought (philosophy, as opposed to science). Beware! Monsters exist
beyond this point.
At 22:31 the narrator makes a mistake. There are values of measure zero, that
when added together an uncountable number of times give a value of non-zero
measure. For example, the measure of a point is zero. Add / union the points from
zero to 1 and you get a measure / length of 1. So it is wrong to say that the sum
given on the screen in the video has to be zero or ∞, infinity. [But, it's a video to
popularize math. I get it. I don't begrudge the narrator.]
I studied the Banach–Tarski Paradox in math grad school (this was before I was
in physics grad school). It's a LOT more complicated than alluded to in this video.
There is a thing in set theory called "forcing". I spent / wasted a lot of time figuring
out forcing. When the narrator says "simplified" he means extremely simplified.
"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 title is click bait. The significance is whether or not there is a minimum length.
Is it the Plank length or is there something shorter?
“I'm in the "Epstein files." Here is the story.” by Sabine Hossenfelder
Excerpt:
"Wishful thinking and mathematical fairy tales."
[I think persons were taking advantage of Jeffery Epstein's interest in physics to get
money from him. Epstein didn't have the sophistication to discern good science
from bad / fake / nonsense science. -- Jon Low]
"All that we don't know is astonishing.
Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing."
-- Philip Roth
This is an example of putting work energy into a system to lower its entropy.
As opposed to putting heat energy into a system to raise its entropy. Remember,
the systems in this video have finite degrees of freedom (because we are only
looking at the macroscopic arrangements that appear to be ordered versus the
macroscopic arrangements that appear to be disordered), which is entirely
different from systems with infinite degrees of freedom. This is all easier
to see if you work from statistical mechanics, rather than thermodynamics.
"The Mysterious Entropic Force" by The Action Lab
Our cryptology depends on Information Theory. Entropy is part of Information Theory.
We must understand. Otherwise, we can be deceived.
"Premature optimization is the root of all evil."
-- Donald Knuth
"Never memorize anything. Rather, study it until it becomes obvious."
-- Norman Christ
"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
*************************************************************************
I love spaghetti.
*************************************************************************
***** ***** ***** Religion and Politics ***** ***** *****
Greg Ellifritz says he doesn't do politics in his blog postings. It's time I follow
his example. I'll start in the 1 March 2026 A.D. newsletter.
"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, Constitution of the United States of America
---
"They Kicked Him Out for WHAT!? (joining the local militia)"
by Nick Freitas
Dan Bongino, former FBI Deputy Director.
Absolutely no one at the FBI said, "Wait a minute, this is wrong."
There are no good guys left at the FBI. They have all been corrupted.
Such is the result of decades of corrupt leadership. All corruption
starts at the top.
"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
"This Government (Iran) Just Killed 12,000 People After Taking Their Guns"
by Colion Noir
Critical thinking,
In case you don't understand California.
In case you don't understand New York City.
"Zohran Mamdani Stuns Host w/ Budget Emergency & Only One Way to Fix It"
by The Rubin Report
"Not allowing law-abiding citizens to carry guns on the pretext of public health
or safety makes as much sense not allowing sober people to drive cars in order to
protect them from drunk drivers."
-- Stephen P. Wenger
Here in Nashville, TN, USA we had several days of freezing weather. Nashville
Electric Service (a part of the Nashville government) serves the Metro Nashville area.
Half of the NES customers lost electric power and so were forced to move, many are
in hotels. There is no propane available in any of the stores, because people are using
it to keep warm, as opposed to freezing to death, as 23 Nashville residents have died
due to the cold.
Why you may ask? Because trees froze and broke (sometimes explosively) and
fell on power lines. But isn't this foreseeable and preventable? Yes, it is. Why were
the trees not trimmed as in past times? Because 7 million dollars were cut from the
tree trimming budget. That's crazy! Where did that money go? It went to Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion programs. They taught a lot of DEI classes. They made a lot
of DEI hires, including the CEO of Nashville Electric Service. Surprised?
Nashvillians overwhelmingly vote Democrat. So they get a Democrat government.
Resulting in massive power outages. Voting has consequences.
NES claims at the peak of the snow storm 230,000 residences were without power.
Local news media claim 240,000. NES is refusing to talk to the media. I wonder why?
No, I don't.
Tina Forte (Republican) for Congress (running against AOC)
If AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) is defeated for congress or even given a good
challenge (close race), she will be less viable for Democratic nomination for President
of the United States. You think I'm joking. I'm not. The little things count.
"Why are the little things called little things?
They are everything."
-- Nicola Cavanis
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."
-- Mary Flannery O'Connor
How the revolution works.
"Race Hoaxers Face $3.2 Million Judgment" by Docent
Excerpt:
"Vann told the Free Beacon that none of the media outlets that covered
the story in 2021 reached out to hear his side of events . . ."
Poor Asher Vann. Can you imagine how this affected him? Remember, at the
time, he was a child in middle school.
The mother, Summer Smith, of the fake victim, and their attorney Kim Cole
are truly evil persons.
"SHOCK REPORT:
New Mgmt. at CBS Preps MASSIVE PURGE! “FIRE THEM ALL!!!” "
by Trish Regan
---
"Alert:
Bezos' Secret Motive REVEALED as Post COLLAPSES -
Why He Really Bought the Paper"
by The Next News Network
*******************************************************************************
*************************************************************************
The purpose of war is not to die for your country.
The purpose of war is to ensure that the other guy dies for his country.
—George S. Patton
Get it?
"Men, Women, and Obvious Truths We’re Not Supposed to Acknowledge"
by John Stossel
"Billionaire [Reid Hoffman] Who Funded E. Jean Carrol’s Suit Against Trump,
Named Thousands Of Times In Epstein Dump"
by Christina Aguayo
Reid Hoffman, where have we heard that name before? No, not Linked In.
Dig deeper. Perhaps this article should be in the Intelligence Section.
“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
Sometimes sanity prevails.
"Wilder: New Civil War 2.0 Report" by Docent
Excerpt:
"I suppose most conservatives believe that law enforcement and the military
will act on their behalf. That is incorrect and naive. Law enforcement and the
military are sheep dogs--they work for the shepherd not the sheep. And we have
seen this in Minnesota also where local and state law enforcement have followed
orders to not assist ICE agents. And if they won't act to help fellow law enforcement,
what makes you think that they will help you?"
There is a difference between the sides.
Trumps approval ratings are so high that,
"Gallup nixes presidential approval:
Gallup has announced it will stop tracking presidential approval ratings",
more than 80 years since it began doing so. The polling giant explained
that it remains committed to "long-term, methodologically sound research"
and that the change represents "an evolution" in its research practices.
Vagaries aside, there is no clear reason for the company to end what many
considered the gold standard of presidential approval measurements."
I thought to post this because this "Religion and Politics" section is going away.
***************************** Begin Psychology ***********************
"His money is my money: modern slavery" by Orion Taraban
Freedom = capitalism = private property = freedom = . . .
"Why Women Think Degrees Make Them Attractive (Men Disagree)"
by Rich Cooper Clips
Get it?
“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
---
"Why do women fall for monsters?" by Ken LaCorte
Get it?
Contrary to what LaCorte says in the video, 50% is not a small fraction.
---
“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
"Well, you know me, a good argument is up there with a good orgasm
in terms of my dopamine release."
-- (I refrain from citing the author.)
"The democratic lie: we are not created equal" by Orion Taraban
Excerpt:
"The democratic lie is the cherished belief that all men are created equal.
And the corollary to this belief is that any inequality that does exist must
originate from social causes. However, we are not created equal. Even a
cursory examination of your senses confirms this fact.
Biological differences in intelligence, attractiveness, and ability
create real advantages and disadvantages in social action. Denying this
source of inequality is misguiding the general public with unreasonable
expectations."
"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
ISBN-10 : 0062696122
ISBN-13 : 978-0062696120
Required reading when I was in high school.
Dr. Taraban is of course mistaken. He confuses "created equal" with "are equal
throughout their life". The Founding Fathers of the United States of America had
no illusions that people could be equal throughout their lives.
"Created equal" means born equal. This means that the United States shall have
no hereditary rank or title held by its people.
The U.S. Armed Forces recognizes that all men are born equal and die equal.
So every service member is given 3 volleys of rifle fire at the burial ceremony.
Gun salutes are only given during the time that that person holds that rank in life.
[I am always surprised by how many people think that service members get
a 21 gun salute at their burial, because 7 riflemen fire 3 volleys of rifle fire.
Gun salutes are done with guns (howitzers, cannons, naval guns, etc.), not rifles.
21 gun salute (the one gun may be fired 21 times or . . . ) for heads of state,
19 gun salute for . . . down to a 1 gun salute. Only an odd numbers of guns are used.]
"Height: tall men have it easy" by Orion Taraban
Excerpt:
"Being rich is way better than being poor."
[And it ain't that hard to be comfortably wealthy. Just work, save, and don't
waste your money on vices. If you don't spend money on cigarettes, booze,
prostitutes, and such, you will have huge amounts of expendable income to
use to take girls out on nice dates.
Inviting a girl to go the House of Cards (dinner, magic show, and sitting
across the table from magicians doing close up magic) is entirely different
from a coffee date at Chick-fil-A. But note that the self-made billionaires
do the coffee dates, because they know what they are looking for and how
to avoid the gold diggers.
-- Jon Low]
"Being jacked and being financially stable are things you have control over."
[You don't even need to be jacked. Being physically fit is enough to put you
way above 70% of the U.S. population. Most Americans are obese. -- Jon Low]
"I can still win. Even with this real disadvantage, I can still win."
[Attitude is everything. -- Jon Low]
"Become a monster: owning your darkness" by Orion Taraban
An explanation as to why people are evil. The person committing the evil
always thinks he is doing good. From inter-personal to international genocide.
Rationalizing is easy for the weak mind. (Expediencies easily override the
conscience.)
***************************** End Psychology ************************
Милена модель
Congratulations.
"When you let people who want to destroy your country into your country,
they will destroy your country."
Is there any doubt that he will win his Birmingham (UK) City Counsel election?
Obama said it,
"Bob Vogel takes a [plea] deal" by Ben Stoeger
"Larry Vickers Speaks Out About Guilty Plea"
by Larry Z.
"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
The unholy alliance.
"Beware of Toxic Candy: Arsenic Found in 28 Major Brands"
by Facts Matter with Roman Balmakov
Baby Formula Findings:
Candy Findings:
I had a credit card with USAA. There was a charge on my bill that I did not make.
I told USAA. They removed the charge. Then they reinstated the charge, saying that
they had investigated and that I was responsible for the charge. I told them that I had
never bought anything from that company and that that charge was not mine. I reviewed
the documents and informed USAA that the alleged charge had no physical signature,
no digital signature, no PIN (Personal Identification Number), and no CVC (the 3 digit
number on the back of the credit card to prove that you have possession of the card)
to verify that I had made the charge.
USAA responded that the company had my address and phone number and that that
was enough. I checked the documents and sent a letter to USAA informing them that
the document does not have my phone number (the entry was blank). USAA responded
that my mailing address was enough.
My attorney told me that it would cost more to fight it than it would be worth,
so I should just pay it, as it was only $40. So I paid it.
While this correspondence was going back and forth, USAA reported me delinquent
to the credit reporting agencies.
I will never do business with USAA. I will bad mouth them every chance I get.
Perhaps my bad review will cause their stock to crash and they will become insolvent.
I have no inside knowledge, so shorting them would not be insider trading.
An abuse of power? No, I have no power to abuse. It is USAA who has abused
their power. Talk about bad customer service.
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email: Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio: KI4SDN
Милена модель
Indian elephant, as opposed to African elephant, as opposed to the one in the room.
