Monday, July 15, 2024

CWP, 15 July MMXXIV Anno Domini

 Greetings Sheepdogs, 
 
Table of Contents:  
  Prevention
     Mindset 
         Situational Awareness
     Safety
     Training 
     Practice 
  Intervention
     Strategy
     Tactics
     Techniques 
  Postvention
     Aftermath
     Medical
     Survival
  Education
     Legal
     Instruction
     Gear
 
*************************************************************************
*****     *****     ***** Prevention *****     *****     *****
Things you can do to avoid the lethal force incident.  
 
Table of sections:  
     Mindset 
     Safety
     Training 
     Practice 
 
*************************************************************************
----- Mindset -----
Figuring out the correct way to think.  
 
     ‟We don’t decide what is necessary to survive a 
lethal force encounter initiated by someone else.  
That person decides what’s necessary for us to survive.”  
– William Aprill
 
"Video: Wrong Assumptions People Make As To Street Fights" by Docent
 
     ‟Fear is an instinct.  Courage is a choice.”  
-- Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, U.S. Navy
 
"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Concealed Carry
Carrying a defensive pistol with you means making some changes to how you live."
by KEVIN CREIGHTON
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpt:  
     ". . . a Georgetown University study showed that 81.9 percent of the time, 
just showing that you were armed ended an armed violent armed encounter.  
Those are good odds, but you only get to play those odds if you have a gun 
ready to go at a moment’s notice."  
     "Relax in the knowledge that you’ve started on a journey called 
“effective concealed carry,” and the end destination is a peaceful life for you 
and your family, no matter what may happen."  
 
     ‷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
 
"Old School" by John Farnam
Excerpt:  
     "A fight avoided is better, by far, than a fight “won”. "
     [Farnam Street is a main drag through Omaha, NE. -- Jon Low]  
 
     “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.)
 
***** Situational Awareness ***** 
How to avoid being taken by surprise.  
 
     "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 5 Stages of Situational Awareness - Critical Mas EP 72" by Wilson Combat
     Well, you haven't been attacked yet, because the bad guy sees you in condition yellow 
and understands what that means.  That causes the bad guy to de-select you for victimization.  
It's no accident.  
 
     If you get a speeding ticket, your situational awareness sucks.  Why didn't you see 
the police car in the median before the police officer could see you?  Why didn't you 
see the police car on the shoulder of the road before the police officer saw you?  Why 
didn't you slow down to the speed limit to slice the pie around that billboard that the 
police officer was hiding behind?  Why didn't you see the police car approaching you 
from behind and slow down?  
     The police don't beam down from the mothership.  They approach you just like 
any other threat.  Pay attention.  (Thanks to Tom Givens)  
 
     “You need to have the capacity for danger.  You need to be ‘dangerous’.  
Yet, you need to learn how to not use it except when necessary.  
And, that is not the same thing as being harmless.  
     There's nothing virtuous about harmlessness.  
Harmless just means you’re ineffectual and useless.”  
-- Jordan Peterson 
 
*************************************************************************
----- Safety -----  
How to prevent the bad thing from happening in the first place.  
How to avoid shooting yourself, friendlies, and innocent bystanders.  
 
     Attendees at Trump's rally were screaming at the police and Secret Service for 3 minutes 
telling them that there was a man with a rifle climbing on the roof of that building.  [Eye 
witness interview at the scene, broadcast on the radio minutes after the shooting.]  Securing 
roof tops is a pretty standard thing to do.  
     When Trump was first elected President of the United States, he brought his own security 
with him.  You may remember a Secret Service Agent posted on her Facebook.com page that 
she would not take a bullet for Trump.  She was subsequently fired, but the damage was done.  
Some how, the Secret Service convinced Trump that they were competent and that Trump's 
security officers would interfere with Secret Service protocols.  So Trump relented.  
     You think Trump is considering dismissing the Secret Service and bringing his own 
security back?  Trump's security is highly competent, highly paid.  Secret Service training 
is what you would expect of 'good enough for government work'.  Secret Service pay starts 
at GS 7 step 1.  You get what you pay for in this world.  
     I do security as my paid job.  I have training and experience.  In my opinion the Secret 
Service is incompetent.  
     "FBI Confirms Would-Be Trump Assassin as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 
Matches Democrat Donor Description Per FEC Data."  
     "Biden on July 8: 
‘We’re Done Talking about the Debate, It’s Time to Put Trump in a Bullseye.’ "
by Jack Montgomery
Excerpt:  
     Joe Biden engaged in dangerous rhetoric in a call with donors on Monday, telling them:  
“We’re done talking about the debate; it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”  
The 81-year-old Democrat made the comments about former President Donald J. Trump, 
who survived an assassination attempt yesterday, in a recording of a July 8 call with donors 
obtained by POLITICO.  
[Now you know why the Democrats stopped all political advertisements.  Oh, it was 
much worse than this.  
-- Jon Low]  
     The daughter of the gentleman killed in the assassination attempt put out a statement 
saying that her dad had thrown her and her mother to the ground and covered them with 
his body, taking the bullet that would have killed them.  
     "Assassination Attempt On Donald Trump" by Docent
     "Chaos, just under the surface!" by John Farnam
---
     "“Donald Trump's senior campaign adviser says the former president life was saved 
by his decision to reference charts on the big screen at his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.  
Dan Scavino Jr. said a slight move of Trump's head to the visual aid on the jumbotron 
was the reason a bullet grazed his ear rather than went through his head.”  Miraculous 
as that was, it serves as a reminder about attempting head shots.  The distance has been 
reported as 130 yards (390 feet) and a .223/5.56mm bullet would have left the muzzle 
of a 16” barrel somewhere around 3,000 feet per second.  Among other factors is the 
delay between the brain deciding to press the trigger and the finger responding to that 
signal.  And, from a years-old article quoted in my discussion of head shots on the 
Naked Emperor page of my own website:  
     “Indeed, according to Executive Director Dr. Bill Lewinski, the Force Science 
Institute has documented that an unrestrained subject can move his head sideways 
6 to 10 inches in as little as 1/10th of a second – 'faster than a rifle bullet can travel 
200 yards and faster than any officer could possibly react.'” 
     Tangentially related, it is reported this morning that a local police officer climbed 
to the roof where the would-be assassin positioned himself, apparently in response 
to reports that a man with a rifle had been spotted there, but was driven back when 
the suspect pointed his rifle at the officer.  Why Secret Service did not have a 
rifleman on that roof or at least secure it in some fashion will no doubt be a topic in 
the forthcoming investigations."  
-- Stephen P. Wenger
 
Jeff Cooper′s Rules of Gun Safety  
RULE I:  ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.  
RULE II:  NEVER LET THE MUZZLE COVER 
                  ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.  
RULE III:  KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER 
                   UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.  
RULE IV:  BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET.  
 
"First Responder?" by John Farnam
 
     "It's easier to stay out of trouble than to get out of trouble."  
-- Claude Werner
 
"Protecting Your Outdoor Gathering" by Greg Ellifritz
Excerpt:  
     "Long distances combined with lots of innocent people running around virtually 
demand that you carry a full-sized pistol."  
 
"An Astonishing Place!" by John Farnam
     What was she thinking?  Sexual assault is rare and it only happens to other people.  
I don't have to worry about such.  It won't happen to me.  So I don't have to take any 
precautions.  
 
"Revisiting the Reload – “Work Space” or Safest Direction? "
by Rich Grassi
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
 
"No Safe Place
No one can predict when and where we might have to defend themselves 
from a criminal attack." by SHERIFF JIM WILSON
Excerpt:  
     "We carry a defensive handgun because we don’t know when we’ll need it."  
 
"Commentary: Data is clear: Permitless carry keeps us safe"
by Ashley Widener
     South Carolina the 29th state to adopt permitless carry.  I used to live in South Carolina.  
They have the strongest Self-Defense Immunity laws in the country.  And court appointed 
public defenders will take your Self-Defense Immunity to the State Supreme Court if the 
prosecutor keeps appealing it.  Lots of documented cases.  I mentioned one in a previous 
posting on this blog.  
 
"Home Invasion!" by John Farnam
Excerpt:  
    "Having a gun in your home, in an unknown state of readiness, 
“laying-around somewhere” is not “going armed.”  Operators “go armed,” 
every waking moment, whether “home” or “out.”  We are ever-capable 
of an instant response to unlawful deadly force coming our way."  
 
     There are dumb people in the world.  Don't be one of them.  Don't let your friends or 
relatives be one of them.  Educate!  Outreach!  Yes, it is your responsibility.  Yes, you 
do have a duty.  
"Parents face endangerment charges after child accidentally shoots himself near Mesa"
by Ben Bradley
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.  
     "Even if there had not been a child in the home, such storage of a firearm leaves it 
accessible to burglars.  A handgun kept in a state of readiness is best holstered on the 
person.  The flapped Safepacker concealment holster from Wilderness Tactical allows 
the flap to be inserted between mattress and box spring [or between cushion and couch] 
during sleeping hours.  During waking hours, it can be threaded on a belt or slung with 
an optional shoulder strap."  
-- Stephen P. Wenger
 
"Never Believe it!" by John Farnam
 
     The world is full of stupid negligent persons.  Don't be one of them.  Don't let your 
friends and relatives be one of them.  Teach, educate, outreach.  
"4-year-old shoots 5-year-old sibling in Oklahoma home that had multiple kids inside"
by Deirdre Bardolf
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.  
 
John Farnam's rules to keep you out of trouble:  
Don’t go to stupid places.  
Don’t associate with stupid people.  
Don’t do stupid things.  
Have a “normal” appearance.  
Be in bed by 10:00 PM (your own bed).  
Don’t fail the attitude test.  
 
*************************************************************************
----- Training -----
Figuring out the correct tasks to practice.  
 
     "Never memorize anything.  Rather, study it until it becomes obvious."  
-- Prof. Norman Christ, Physics Department, Columbia University 
     Applies directly to all self-defense theory and practice.  
 
"Second Hand Student Shootings" by Tom Givens
Excerpt:  
Several lessons from these incidents:  
1. Both incidents occurred in broad daylight, one at 7:25am.  There are no “safe” times or 
locations.  
2. In both cases, the action erupted suddenly.  There is no time to “get ready”.  It’s better 
to stay ready.  
3. Do some work at longer distances periodically.  Although most pistol fights happen 
very close in, not all do.  In both cases, the range was about 35-40 yards.  
4. Quality training pays off.  Do the work.  
 
     “Train, Practice, Compete 
are the key elements in the development of humans.”  
-- John M. Buol, Jr.
 
"BRINGING THE RIGHT GUN TO YOUR TRAINING CLASS"
by JAMES QUEISNER
     Sort of the opposite of those who advocate to train with what you carry; 
don't bring specialized equipment to the class and then carry something different.  
 
     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)
 
"Getting people to pass the qual" by Ben Stoeger
     Shooting fast without accountability as to hits.  This is deep and significant.  
And Ben is correct, most instructors won't do this, because they don't understand 
this.  
 
     “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
 
"Defensive Handgunning: Skills & Tactics" by Richard A. Mann
Excerpt:  
     "Through training, you condition yourself to use a specific tactic based on the stimulus 
you receive.  In other words, you create a conditioned response.  This keeps you from 
having to think about what must be done."  
     "If you decide to take a true tactical defensive handgun course, 
you should be able to shoot before you get there."  
 
     "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
 
"The paradox of lessons" by Seth Godin
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpt:  
     "Learning creates more competence but first, it amplifies our feelings of incompetence."  
 
     "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
 
     “If you are reading this and can’t put your hand on your defensive firearm, 
all of your training is wasted.” -- Col. Jeff Cooper
 
     "You don't need to memorize theorems, because you can always derive them 
from first principles."  
-- Prof. Sven Hartman, Physics Department, Columbia University 
     Similarly with all self-defense theory and practice.  
 
--- Classes and Conferences ---
 
Rangemaster-Certified Instructors
 
SOS.24 Defenders of the Faithful
 
FPF Training
 
Defensive Training International
 
Rangemaster
 
Email from Randy Harris -- 
     Just a quick heads up on a few things. First and foremost is the upcoming training 
group at Brian's Mom's place in Pisgah, Alabama on Saturday July 27th.  It will be a 
pistol and pistol caliber carbine day.  Morning will be spent on some low round count 
drills and some new shooting while on the move drills and the afternoon will be spent 
working on you Pistol Caliber Carbine skills.  
     Next up is that we still have spots available in the August 3 Primary Skills for the 
Armed Citizen Class in Gallatin TN.  So tell your friends in the middle TN area to 
get signed up!  
     Finally Massad Ayoob wrote an article for The Armory Life about the Pin Shoot 2024 
where he mentions me.  
     And finally the schedule is filling in for the rest of the year so keep an eye on 
Eventbrite as the new classes and Training Days will get posted there before they 
get updated on the Harris Combative website calendar.  
Hope to see you in class soon !!!  
Randy Harris
Harris Combative Strategies
Harriscombative.com
 
     ‟Training is NOT an event, but a process. 
Training is the preparation FOR practice.”  
-- Claude Werner
 
*************************************************************************
----- Practice -----
How to get proficient at that task.  
 
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
 
"Performance Shooting Techniques" by SLG
 
     ‟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 
 
     “Willingness is a state of mind.  Readiness is a statement of fact!”  
-- Lt. Gen. David M Shoup, USMC Commandant 1960-1963
 
     "People rust faster than equipment."  
-- John Hearne
 
     ‶Practice is the small deposits you make over time, 
so that in an emergency, you can make that big withdrawal.″  
-- Chesley Burnett Sullenberger, III
 
*************************************************************************
*****     *****     ***** Intervention *****     *****     *****
Suggestions on how to deal with the incident that you failed to avoid.  
 
     Awareness, Avoidance, De-Escalation, Escape 
 
Table of contents:  
     Strategy
     Tactics
     Techniques 
 
*************************************************************************
----- Strategy -----
Deciding on the end state and how to achieve it, 
which tactics to use, which includes walking away.  
 
     “How do you win a gunfight?  
Don't be there.”  
-- John Farnam
 
     "You win gunfights by not getting shot."  
-- John Holschen
 
*************************************************************************
----- Tactics ----- 
Maneuver and fire in support of your strategy.  
 
     "Real fights are short."
-- Bruce Lee
 
"3 Cases When a Good Guy With a Gun Was Mistaken for a Bad Guy"
by Massad Ayoob
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
     [Bad guys can yell, "Police!  Drop the gun!", too.  Plain clothes cops can yell such 
commands.  Armed citizens can yell such commands.  
     Mas gives an example in the photo of what might help to avoid getting shot in the 
back.  When I was military police, we were taught to carry the badge on a chain around 
our neck inside the shirt, and to toss it onto our backs.  
     Unlike civilian police who apply for the job, Marine Military Police are assigned 
the job of military police, no choice.  So the attitude is very different.  
-- Jon Low]
 
     "You brought a gun to the fight.  That doesn’t mean it’s YOUR gun.  
The gun belongs to whomever can keep it.  Think about that before intervening 
in other folks’ problems.  When is the last time you practiced your in-hand weapon 
retention skills?"  
-- Greg Ellifritz
---
     ". . . if the assailant has a gun, it may actually be the easiest gun for you to access, 
if you know how to take it from him."  
-- Stephen P. Wenger
 
     “Fortuitous outcomes reinforce poor tactics.”  
-- Chuck Haggard
 
     "There's an old maxim, don't shoot faster - or, for that matter, farther - than you can hit.  
Add to that, don't hit faster than you can think.  You are legally responsible for every 
bullet that you fire.  Continuing to shoot an assailant who no longer poses a threat can 
turn a justifiable shooting into a murder in the eyes of the law."  
-- Stephen P. Wenger
 
     "You often don't know where the bad guy is who is shooting at you."  
-- Phillip Groff
 
     “When you’re in the dark, stay in the dark; 
when you’re in the light, light up the dark.”  
-- Stephen P. Wenger
 
     "The shorter the fight, the less hurt you get."
-- John Holschen
 
*************************************************************************
----- Techniques -----
Ways to execute a given task in support of your tactics, 
especially when disabled or under stress.  
 
     "Use only that which works, 
and take it from any place you can find it."
-- Bruce Lee 
 
     You ever try reloading a revolver while lying on your side?  
I bet your can't even visualize it correctly.  If you're going to 
carry a revolver, this is something to practice.  Because it ain't 
easy.  
 
     Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
"Speedloading the Revolver Part 1: The FBI Method" by Massad Ayoob
"Revolver Speedloading Part 2: The FLETC Technique" by Massad Ayoob
"Revolver Reload Part 3: StressFire Technique" by Massad Ayoob
"Revolver Reloads Part 4: Right-Hand-Only" by Massad Ayoob
"Revolver Reloads Part 5: Left-Hand-Only" by Massad Ayoob
"Revolver Reloads Part 6: Without Speedloaders" by Massad Ayoob
---
"THE SPEEDLOADER COMES OF AGE:
1960S-1970S TURNING REVOLVERS INTO REAL FIGHTING TOOLS!"
by Mike Wood
 
     "The foundations of your grip are established 
before you even draw the pistol from the holster."  
-- Tanner Denton
 
"Prove you can go target focused with irons" by Ben Stoeger
     Make a good faith effort and start slow.  
 
     "Grip first, then press [the trigger]."  
--  Mike Seeklander
 
"Physiological Efficiency, Key to Improving Skill" by Dave Spaulding
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpt:  
     "A few years back, I had a new instructor tell me, “I don’t need to know all of that 
scientific stuff, my job is to teach folks how to run their gun.”  How do you do this 
properly if you don’t comprehend how the human body works?  It would be like 
training a pilot but leaving out the part about how an airplane stays aloft!"  
 
     "It's not daily increase but daily decrease - hack away at the inessentials!" 
-- Bruce Lee
 
*************************************************************************
*****     *****     ***** Postvention *****     *****     *****
     Suggestions on how to treat your wounds or the wounds of your loved ones.  
     Suggestions on how to avoid prosecution, conviction, and prison time.  
     Suggestions on how to avoid the civil law suit and judgment.  
 
Table of contents:  
     Aftermath
     Medical
     Survival
 
*************************************************************************
----- Aftermath ----- 
     You must be alive to have these problems:  criminal and civil liability.  
 
     “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
 
     In the right hand column of this web page, click on "Never Talk To The Police"
or use the address, 
 
     In the right hand column, click on the link labeled "Self Defense Insurance".  
Or, the link is, 
Read this before you buy insurance.  You need to make an informed decision.  
The various policies are drastically different.  
     "You need to read the fine print." -- Massad Ayoob  
 
     “Your understanding and consent are not required 
for someone to take your life, kill your loved ones, 
and destroy all you hold dear.” 
-- William Aprill 
 
*************************************************************************
----- Medical -----
 
 
     "If you prepare for the emergency,
the emergency ceases to exist!"
-- Sherman House
 
*************************************************************************
----- Survival -----
 
     "If you stay fit, you do not have to get fit. 
If you stay trained, you do not have to get trained. 
If you stay prepared, you do not have to get prepared."
-- Robert Margulies
 
*************************************************************************
*****     *****     ***** Education *****     *****     *****
 
Table of contents:  
     Legal
     Instruction
     Gear
 
*************************************************************************
 
     "You will never get smarter or broaden your horizons 
if you're unwilling to learn from others and read."
-- Becca Martin
 
     From an email from Dustin Salomon -- 
"Understanding the Terrain"
     In the previous email we defined consolidation, the brain's process for retaining 
information for the long-term.  
     We mentioned in the previous email that there are two long-term memory systems.  
One of these systems stores information that we access consciously (Declarative Memory).  
The other stores information that we access unconsciously (Procedural Memory).  
[Note that the terms are used in an almost opposite sense in computer science. -- Jon Low]  
     In our profession, we train people to perform skills that will almost exclusively happen 
under high stress.  Therefore, performance from unconscious (Procedural) memory will be 
the most effective memory system for us to target for long-term consolidation.  
     There are a number of things that we can do as instructors to impact students' procedural 
consolidation.  For any who have not read it, this is the primary subject of our 2016 book 
Building Shooters.  
     Here, we will only mention two areas of consideration.  The first is downtime and sleep.  
The second is chaotic, or "interleaved" practice.  
     It is somewhat counterintuitive, but both time away from the subject matter and sleep 
are extremely important for retention.  The reason is that the complex chemical processes 
necessary to store information and create new neural circuitry have some requirements 
that cannot be met when we are awake and actively working with new material.  
     If students do not have both downtime, away from the related subject matter, and sleep, 
you can be sure that retention will be poor and that most of what you see from students 
during the training is only happening from short-term memory.  
     This may get students through a qualification.  It is much less likely to get them through 
a gunfight.  
     Likewise, weaving multiple skills together during practice - ideally in a manner similar 
to how they may be used in the real world - improves retention and biases consolidation 
to the Procedural (unconscious access) memory system.  This is called "interleaving" in 
neural network training.  
     In the scientific literature, this method of training often significantly reduces students' 
ability to perform fundamental skills in isolated settings (e.g., shoot two rounds from the 
holster in a specific time frame). However, it also consistently and somewhat paradoxically 
improves real-world application of those same skills.  
     We advise some caution in how this literature is interpreted.  The majority of the 
research is from sports psychology, where students may have had a wide variety of 
exposure to other training and practice outside that which occurs during research.  Much 
of the literature also involves relatively simple physical tasks (such as kicking a ball) 
as compared to the complexity of interfacing with a firearm.  
     Most of the literature also involves research on interleaved practice with real tools 
and environments (i.e., balls, nets, and human opponents in research related to soccer), 
where physical performance during the practice is a literal equivalent to physical 
performance during a game.  This is not the case with combative firearms training.  
Something is always "fake."  
     Nevertheless, we certainly can take away from the research that performing pre-known 
and isolated skills and skill sequences (e.g., on the buzzer, draw and fire six rounds in 
less than three seconds within an 8 inch circle at 7 yards) will have, at best, a limited 
ability to transfer effectively into the real world.  
     A selection of references for this email are available at this link.
Password: BRAINMAP!
     What should be taken away from this email is that performance in gunfights occurs 
from procedural memory (unconscious access).  
     In order to store information and skills in this system - within our students' brains - we 
need to structure training so that students are able to have down time and sleep.  We also 
need to make skills practice more dynamic and "chaotic" in nature, specifically by 
eliminating the "pre-defined" nature of training events.  
-- Dustin Salomon 
Building Shooters Technology LLC
PO Box 159, Silver Point
Tennessee 38582 United States
 
From an email from Dustin Salomon -- 
     In this email, we're going to dig a little bit deeper into the mechanics behind the 
formation of neural circuitry.  Again, if you're asking why this is relevant, the answer 
is that you do not need to know this material, but we want to expose you to it, 
because it will help you understand the mechanics of why some of the things we 
experience both in training and in the real-world happen [as] they do.  
     As the brain builds circuitry, cells called ogilodendrocytes are constantly scanning 
axons for neurotransmitters—indicating that the axon is being used for signal 
transmission.  When neurotransmitters are detected on an axon body, the 
ogilodendrocyte performs a “spot weld” and begins applying a substance called myelin 
to the outside of the axon.  
     (Fields, 2020) “…when a neuron fires, neurotransmitters are released not only at 
synapses but also all along the axon.  We found that the “tentacles” of the octopuslike 
oligodendrocytes probe bare sections of axons in search of neurotransmitters being 
released from axons firing.  When a single tentacle touches an axon that is firing, 
it forms a “spot weld” contact, which enables communication between the axon and 
the oligodendrocyte.  The oligodendrocyte begins to synthesize myelin at that spot 
and wrap it around the axon.” (P11)  


                                      Ogilodentrocyte Detects and Applies Myelin
     Most people in the industry have heard of myelin and myelination in general terms, 
but often without a lot of understanding of the process.  There are a few things worth 
understanding about myelin that go a little deeper than the standard understanding of it.  
     1) Myelin is an electrical insulator.  
(Fields, 2020), “…axons are coated with a fatty substance called myelin, 
which acts as electrical insulation(P3)…protecting [the axon] better against voltage 
loss (P5).”  
     2) Myelin increases the speed of signal transmission down the axon.  
(Fields, 2020) “…boosts the speed of transmission by 50 to 100 times.” (P4)  
     3) Myelin limits the axon’s communication and networking capabilities
(Fields, 2014) Myelin prevents bare axons from releasing neurotransmitters.  
“bare axons can release neurotransmitters” (P2)  
(Fields, 2014) Myelin prevents synapses from forming on axons and the sprouting 
of axons.  “Myelin can also constrain where axons sprout and form synapses with 
dendrites or with other axons.” (P2)  
(Stevens, 2014) “Myelin is made of protein and fatty substances.  It insulates the 
axons.  Myelin is a bit like the plastic coating that jackets the copper wires in your 
home.  That insulation prevents electrical signals from inappropriately leaking out 
of one wire (or axon) and into another.”  
     Myelination, which you have almost certainly heard of before, is one (of three) 
parts of the process involved in creating physical structures in the brain.  Recall that 
the creation of physical structures that no longer change is what produces long-term 
learning.  
     We saw in the previous email that the brain communicates across synapses by 
sending chemicals (neurotransmitters) across the gap.  This requires both transmission 
and reception.  
     The receiver in a new synapse can receive many different messages from many 
different neurotransmitters.  This can produce a significant “noise to signal” ratio, 
especially when a lot is going on in the brain.  
     In order to improve the "signal to noise ratio" the brain conducts what is the 
second (of three) parts of the process involved in creating physical structures for 
long-term learning.  It uses cells that work with the receptors in synapses and basically 
prevent them from receiving signals.  
     This is "tuning" the radio receiver to only pick up what is important for that circuit.  
Please see some relevant selections from the literature below.  
-----------------------------
     Synaptic connections are also highly relevant to plasticity and networking.  
As learning occurs, connections become both specialized and regulated with 
respect to signal transmission.  
     During Hebbian process, synapses become specialized in their communications.  
     (Schwartz and Begley, 2002) “Hebbian plasticity begins with the release from 
pre-synaptic neurons of the neurotransmitter glutamate.  The glutamate binds to two 
kinds of receptors on the postsynaptic neuron.  One receptor notes that its own neuron, 
the postsynaptic one, is active; the other notes which presynaptic neurons are 
simultaneously active.  The post synaptic neuron therefore detects the simultaneous 
occurrence of presynaptic and postsynaptic activity.  The ultimate results is that a 
particular action potential whizzing down the axon of pre-synaptic neuron becomes 
more efficient at causing the pre-synaptic neuron to fire.” (P107) 
     “…the sensitized neurons had undergone a long-lasting change: 
when excited…they discharge more neurotransmitter than do neurons 
[that have no undergone sensitization]…These stimuli give rise to increased levels 
of so-called secondary messenger molecule…[which] results in the activation of 
certain genes…which appear to play a role in establishing new synaptic 
connections...the basis for long-term memory.” (P109-110) 
     Synapses can have the signals that are sent and received through them further 
specialized through design and through (for one example), regulatory cells called 
astrocytes, as well as via inhibitory neurons.  
     (Somogyi, 1998) “The analysis of these salient features of connectivity has 
revealed a remarkably selective array of connections…  As multiple sets of output 
neurones evolved, requiring subtly different needs for their inputs, the basic circuit 
may be superimposed several times in the same layer.” (Abstract)  
     (Fields, 2020) “astrocytes positioned close to the synapse between two neurons 
can regulate synaptic transmission during learning by releasing or taking up 
neurotransmitters there.” (P13)  
     (Lourenc¸o, et al., 2020) “Burst firing of layer 5 pyramidal neurons (PNs) induces 
long-term potentiation of inhibition (LTPi).  LTPi strongly affects PN input/output 
spikes, prevents transfer of information across cortical layers, and affects phase 
locking of PN firing to cognition-relevant rhythmic activity…  In the neocortex, 
synaptic inhibition shapes all forms of spontaneous and sensory evoked activity.  
Importantly, inhibitory transmission is highly plastic…” (Abstract)  
     (Hayden and Carmignoto, 2006) “Astrocyte-derived glutamate, which 
preferentially acts on extrasynaptic receptors, can promote neuronal synchrony, 
enhance neuronal excitability, and modulate synaptic transmission.  
Astrocyte-derived D-serine, by acting on the glycine-binding site of the 
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, can modulate synaptic plasticity.  
Astrocyte-derived ATP, which is hydrolyzed to adenosine in the extracellular 
space, has inhibitory actions and mediates synaptic cross-talk underlying 
heterosynaptic depression.” (Abstract)  
     (Yu, et. al., 2013) “Synapses are the basic building blocks for the diverse types 
of neural circuits that mediate perception and behavior.  How information is 
processed and transmitted is determined both by the identity of the neurons in 
the circuit and the nature of their synaptic connections.  Indeed, synapses exhibit 
a range of morphologies and functions, varying both the nature of the signal and 
its strength.  Recent efforts to unravel the molecular basis of synaptic specificity 
have begun to define the mechanisms that match pre- and post-synaptic partners 
and thereby establish the overall wiring pattern.  These studies suggest that the 
fate of each partner is determined by cell-type specific transcription factors, 
which activate expression of a unique combination of cell-surface receptors to 
permit adhesion only between appropriate partners.” (P1)  
----------------------
     Once again, we do not need to be experts on the nitty gritty details of the mechanics, 
but synapses are the gaps between neuronal structures across which neurotransmitters 
travel, carrying messages / signals.  
     Let's just think of the receiving side of a synapse like a big satellite dish as a visual.  
Let's further imagine that it's picking up all traffic running from both AM and FM, each 
from 30 to 512 MHz.    
     You would probably get a lot of noise and overlap of signals, right?  Now, what if 
you knew you wanted to listen to a certain type of music on 128.5 MHz FM.  
     Would you keep the antenna scanning and receiving through all AM and FM 
frequencies from 30 to 512 MHz?  Or, would you tune the receiver to 128.5 MHz 
for FM only?  
     In some ways, this is a crude representation of what the synapses do.  If they know 
that a certain type of signal is very important, they will tune to it.  
     This "tuning" occurs, just like in a radio, through the INHIBITION of receiving 
and processing other signals.  This is accomplished through a variety of mechanisms, 
including the use of cells called astrocytes.  
     Please see relevant references for this email at this link, 
Password: BRAINMAP!
-- Dustin Salomon
Building Shooters Technology LLC
PO Box 159, Silver Point
Tennessee 38582 United States
---
     [50 to 100 time speed up?  You may be thinking, electric signals move at the speed 
of light; how can you speed it up?  
     But, the context is electro-chemical signal transmission in the brain.  Which is 
entirely different from electro-magnetic signals in conductors or wave guides or space.  
Why would God use such a "slow" system in the human (and other brains)?  Because, 
it is redundant, robust, and reliable.  Large volumes of the brain may be destroyed without 
killing the human.  The bit error rate is orders of magnitude lower than in Integrated 
Circuit chips in our digital computers.  (In contrast, the bit error rates in quantum 
computers is so high they are effectively useless.)  
     You ever have a nerve conduction test?  The doctor will tell you how slowly the 
signals are running around your nerves.  That's your reality.  You can't force your 
nerves to conduct any faster.  
-- Jon Low]
 
     "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
 
"THE NEXT TIME YOU HEAR “THE POLICE DON’T HAVE A DUTY 
TO PROTECT YOU”…" by (no author cited, probably Massad Ayoob)
     Cited article, 
"Former Uvalde school police chief, officer indicted in 1st-ever criminal charges 
over failed response to 2022 mass shooting" 
by Shimon Prokupecz, Leigh Waldman, and Emma Tucker
 
     "Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca 
(free book, just pay for shipping so you don't have to go to Colorado to pick it up)  
 
“Peace Officers” vs. “Law Enforcement Officers”
by Greg Ellifritz
     The good Peace Officers that Greg describes are actively, intentionally screened 
out of police recruiting pools by Human Resource Department psychological exams 
and interview questions.  Think about why this is so.  Remember Covid-19?  The 
non-compliant police officers were fired.  The compliant police officers were retained.  
Enforcement of unconstitutional laws were used to weed out Constitutionalist 
police officers.  Those who refused to arrest persons attending church services, 
were fired for insubordination.  Those who arrested Black Lives Matter and 
ANTIFA rioters, were fired for insubordination.  What kind of police officer is left 
in the police department?  Those who will follow orders regardless of constitutionality.  
What would such unconstitutional orders be?  Confiscate the guns and arrest those 
who refuse to surrender their guns.  And of course, use lethal force against those 
who resist arrest.  The use of lethal force was written into the orders for executing 
the search warrant on former President Donald Trump.  You think the LEOs wouldn't 
use it on you?  Remember Bryan Malinowski? et al?  
 
     "The 5 Elements of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca (free of charge) 
 
"Percent of Police Departments Participating in FBI Crime Data in 2022 — 
32% not reporting and 24% partially reporting the data"
Excerpt:  
     "The Democrats and media want to rely on the FBI data to show violent crime is falling, 
and we point to more evidence that 32% of police departments are not reporting data to the 
FBI, and another 24% are only partially reporting crime data.  So only 44% of police 
departments are reporting complete data.  That is the data that they want to push to protect 
Democrat policies?  Seriously?"  
 
"Estimating the Effect of Concealed Carry Laws on Murder: A Response to Bondy, et al"
by John R. Lott and Carlisle E. Moody
 
"How Does Concealed Carrying of Weapons Affect Violent Crime?"
by John R. Lott and Carlisle E. Moody
 
"Self-Defense and the Law: Bad Advice—Debunking Self-Defense Case Myths"
by Massad Ayoob
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
     If you are acquitted or if the charges are dropped, you can petition the court to expunge 
the arrest record.  In which case you can legally answer, "No, I have never been arrested."  
     Running your mouth in an attempt to avoid getting arrested is not something any 
competent defense counsel would recommend.  Ya, it might cause the responding officer 
to not arrest you, but that doesn't prevent the detective from arresting you or the prosecutor 
from indicting you.  And everything you say will be used against you.  It will be twisted, 
taken out of context, and fabricated (because the police officer's notes and memory will 
be admitted into evidence, even if he wasn't listening to you while transcribing).  
 
     Why conservatives vote to defund the police.  
     Remember, most people are not like us.  They are so poor they don't have $100 to 
bond out.  Do you think she will ever trust the police again?  Do you think she will 
ever cooperate with a police investigation?  First hand experience cannot be changed 
by propaganda.  
     Refusal to show credentials is a red flag!  
 
 
"Judge closes door to new trial for Arizona rancher in deadly shooting of Mexican man"
by The Associated Press
Hat tip to Stephen P. Wenger.  
     NEVER fire warning shots.  NEVER talk to the police without your attorney present.  
 
"SOME PERSPECTIVE ON SHOT COUNT & PLACEMENT, RELOADS, 
REENGAGEMENT" by Steven Harris
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
 
    “Is there no virtue among us?  
If there is not, we are without hope!
No form of government, existing nor theoretical, will keep us from harm.
To think that any government, in any form, will insure liberty and happiness 
for a dishonorable population represents the height of self-deception.”  
-- James Madison, 1788
 
*************************************************************************
----- Instruction -----
 
     Colonel Robert Lindsey to his fellow trainers:  
"We are not God's gift to our students.  
Our students are God's gift to us."  
 
----- Instructors -----
 
     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
 
     Filler words:  "I mean . . . ", "I have a question . . .", "um", "What I mean is . . . ", . . .  
Using them makes you sound stupid.  Better to read off a script than to use filler words.  
 
     "Teach them diligently . . . "
-- Deuteronomy 6:7 
 
     "Remember, 
the students who require the extra effort 
are the ones who need us the most!"
-- John Farnam
 
     "You must teach skill sustainment as part of training."  
-- John Hearne
 
----- Students -----
 
     I know training can be difficult.  Let me share some words of encouragement that 
my teacher told me, that I believe apply to all training regimens.  
     "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
 
----- Andragogy -----
 
     ‟An instructor should not expect any learning to take 
place the first time new information is presented.”  
-- ‶Building Shooters″ by Dustin Salomon
 
     “The most valuable resource that all teachers have is each other.  
Without collaboration, our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”  
-- Robert John Meehan
 
*************************************************************************
----- Gear -----
And the safe storage thereof.  
 
     “Mission drives the gear train.”
-- Pat Rogers
 
"Concealed Carry Clothing With Style"
by KEVIN CREIGHTON
Excerpt:  
     "People conflate dressing up with dressing well.  Dressing up is putting on a 
costume for Halloween.  Dressing well means putting some thought and care into 
your clothing.  The two are not the same."  
 
"I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW!
SHOOTING GLASSES DEMYSTIFIED"
by CINDY HAGEL
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
 
"Blinded by the Light: Handgun Muzzle Flash" by Chris Baker
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
 
"TWO APPROACHES TO IWB LEATHER" by Tom McHale
 
     If you can't get all of your fingers (especially the little finger of your support side hand) 
on the grip of your pistol, you will not have optimal control of your pistol.  Control is 
accuracy.  Control is recoil management.  Control is weapon retention.  Control is not 
dropping your pistol when transferring to the other hand, when reloading, when clearing 
malfunctions.  Strange things happen in combat.  Murphy's Law applies.  Don't handicap 
yourself with a too small grip.  
 
"Results of gun care product evaluation" by DIY_guy
Hat tip to Greg Ellifritz.  
Excerpt:  
     "What we have been told is correct, apply liberally to coat and then remove all excess 
to the point where you think you have removed too much and you will enjoy the least 
amount of friction.  The side benefit to that dry level of lubrication is that it will not 
attract foreign contaminants that could get trapped in excess/wet lubricant."  
     [Note how many counter-intuitive result the author got.  That happens in real world 
experiments.  I don't think the author made the mistakes that he conjectures.  
Strange, unexplainable results are part of any experiment conducted in the real world, 
even those conducted in laboratory conditions at universities or national labs.  
     A critter could have licked the left edge of the "One Shot Hornady" test plate.  
-- Jon Low]
---
     What a great experiment.  Well documented.  Good scientific method.  Bravo!  
 
     “Your car is not a holster.” 
-- Pat Rogers
 
*************************************************************************
     *****     *****     *****  Cryptology  *****     *****     *****
 
     "Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, 
and preserve order in the world as well as property.  
Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of their use." 
-- Thomas Paine
 
     Cryptosystems are considered "arms" by federal law, ITAR, 
International Traffic in Arms Regulations.  That means cryptosystems are 
covered by the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  Never let the 
government infringe on your right to keep and bear cryptosystems, to 
include home made cryptosystems.  
 
"Math's Fundamental Flaw" by Veritasium
     I love these layman explanations of difficult concepts.  Not rigorous, but useful.  
 
     "Computer science has nothing to do with computers or science."  
-- Donald Knuth 
[Computer Science as taught in American Universities is pure math. -- Jon Low]  
 
     "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
 
     "Premature optimization is the root of all evil."  
-- Donald Knuth
 
***** Signals Intelligence and Ground Electronic Warfare, Cyber Security, 
(sometimes Air Electronic Warfare too) ***** 
 
     “Your character is what you do when no one is looking.”  
-- Thomas Jefferson
 
     "It can mimic things that are sent to it that it detects, turn it around and send it back.  
So it becomes a hole, it becomes a black hole, it becomes mostly undetectable."  
— Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, 
on the special pods being adapted to the service’s MQ-9A Reapers
     [I know he's just a General, not a techie, but stop and think about what he said. -- Jon Low]  
 
Critical Security Advisory | RegreSSHion Vulnerability & Exploit (CVE-2024-6387)
     Overview
     Our team has been monitoring recent news regarding a Critical Vulnerability leading 
to unauthenticated remote code execution in OpenSSH server.  OpenSSH is an 
open-source implementation of the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol suite that provides 
encrypted communication sessions over a computer network.  It's used by many 
Linux-based servers as well as IoT, routers, and other network devices.  
     On Monday, July 1, 2024, Qualsys published a blog post detailing their research 
into this bug, warning users that OpenSSH versions prior to 4.4p1 and versions 
between 8.5p1 and 9.8p1 are vulnerable to the bug.  Shortly after the blog post was 
published, a Proof-of-Concept exploit was released publicly on GitHub.  We predict 
this vulnerability will be actively exploited in the wild within hours.  
     Impact
     Per the Qualsys blog, exploitation by a malicious actor "could lead to full system 
compromise where an attacker can execute arbitrary code with the highest privileges, 
resulting in a complete system takeover, installation of malware, data manipulation, 
and the creation of backdoors for persistent access.  It could facilitate network 
propagation, allowing attackers to use a compromised system as a foothold to traverse 
and exploit other vulnerable systems within the organization."  
     The blog continues, "this vulnerability is challenging to exploit due to its remote 
race condition nature, requiring multiple attempts for a successful attack.  This can 
cause memory corruption and necessitate overcoming Address Space Layout 
Randomization (ASLE).  Advancements in deep learning may significantly increase 
the exploitation rate, potentially providing attackers with a substantial advantage in 
leveraging such security flaws."  
     Recommendation
     Layer 8 Security recommends identifying all OpenSSH servers within your 
organization's network and external assets as well as determining their version 
number.  All versions affected by the vulnerability (before 4.4p1 and after 8.5p1) 
should be patched immediately.  
     Additionally, limiting SSH access through network-based controls as well as 
network segmentation of OpenSSH servers and ensuring network traffic is monitored 
to and from these hosts can limit the impact should this vulnerability be exploited on 
your network.  
     If you have any questions or concerns relating to this Critical Security Advisory or 
believe your organization may be impacted, please contact Layer 8 Security at 
Respectfully,
The Layer 8 Security Team
 
     We always referred to them as Captains And Colonels Incorporated.  
"EW platform for dismounted use nabs $100 million U.S. Army contract"
by Lisa Daigle
     I think "surveying" is supposed to be "surveilling", but who knows.  
 
"US Air Force Awards Lockheed F-16 Viper Shield EW Contract for Allies"
by Inder Singh Bisht
     Bahrain, Bulgaria, Morocco, Slovakia, and Taiwan.  What does this mean for us?  
 
Breaking Defense has a weekly newsletter, "Networks & Digital Warfare" at 
 
Crypto-Gram by Bruce Schneier
 
     ‟If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it.  
The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury.  
Therefore what he must fear is his victim.”  
-- Col. Jeff Cooper, "Principles of Personal Defense" 
 
*************************************************************************
     *****     *****     *****  Intelligence  *****     *****     *****
Gathering, Analyzing, Disseminating
 
     "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, 
the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."  
-- Second Amendment, U.S. Constitution 
 
     The art and practice of Intelligence is an arm protected by the 2nd Amendment 
to the U.S. Constitution.  Never let anyone infringe upon your God given right 
to keep and bear intelligence.  (The enemy will try to dumb you down.  Resist!)  
 
     BLUF:  "Ukraine used USVs (Unmanned Seagoing Vessels) armed with 
explosives to destroy or damage over a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet warships.  
The surviving Russian ships fled to distant areas of the Black Sea to escape these 
novel but very effective Ukrainian attacks."
---  
"Surface Forces : Russian Black Sea Nightmare"
     July 14, 2024: Russian president Vladimir Putin believed that Russia must dominate 
the Black Sea and enable Russian warships and commercial transports to exit the 
Black Sea and enter the Mediterranean Sea, to demonstrate Russian naval power and 
increase maritime trade with foreign nations.  Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula 
from Ukraine in 2014.  Before that Russia fought a brief war with Georgia in the 
Caucasus and gained control of most of Georgia’s Black Sea coast.  These moves were 
apparently prompted by the 2013 Russian formation of a Mediterranean Squadron from 
ships of the Black Sea fleet.  In 2015 Russia intervened in the Syrian civil war on the 
side of the pro-Russian Assad government.  This enabled Russia to build its Hmeimim 
Air Base in Syria’s Latakia province near the Mediterranean coast.  Russia also 
improved the nearby Tartus naval base it leased from Syria.  This serves as a base for 
ships of the Russian Mediterranean Squadron.  In North Africa, Russia took control 
of the Al Jufra Air Base in Libya.  This was to serve as a military base for further 
Russian activities in Africa.  
     All this came to nothing as Russia lost control of the Black Sea after it invaded 
Ukraine in 2022.  Ukraine used USVs (Unmanned Seagoing Vessels) armed with 
explosives to destroy or damage over a third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet warships.  
The surviving Russian ships fled to distant areas of the Black Sea to escape these 
novel but very effective Ukrainian attacks.  Even in the new, more distant bases, 
Black Sea Fleet ships were still attacked by new, longer range Ukrainian attack USVs.  
This was humiliating for Russia, which lost control of the Black Sea to Ukraine, 
a country without a fleet.  The Ukrainians continue to use their USVs against 
surviving Russian warships and now commercial ones.  Ukrainian USVs now block 
Russian tankers and commercial vessels from leaving or entering the Black Sea.  
     This change means Russia no longer has much naval power in the Mediterranean 
and dares not try to send any ships back into the Black Sea, mainly because Turkey 
invoked clauses of the 1936 Montreux Convention that enables Turkey to halt warship 
access to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean via the narrow Turkish Bosporus and 
Dardanelles straits.  Turkey invoked the Montreux Convention after Russia invaded 
Ukraine in early 2022.  
     The Ukrainian USVs are waiting for such a move and the Russians have not been 
able to develop methods to deal with the USVs.  Without access to the Mediterranean, 
Russia no longer has any influence over numerous Middle Eastern situations where 
past Russian support for one side or another was decisive.  
     Russia must now rely only on its Baltic Sea ports for commercial shipments.  This 
increases ground transport costs for Russian exports of grain and oil, and imports to 
southern Russia.  Nearby Russian Northern Fleet bases can send warships to the 
Mediterranean but those ships cannot enter the Black Sea.  Even if they could, the 
Ukrainian USVs would sink them before they could reach Russian bases over a 
thousand kilometers east where the surviving Black Sea fleet ships have taken refuge.  
     This Russian naval defeat in the Black Sea has eliminated, for the duration of the 
Ukraine War, the Russian ability to exert any influence in Middle Eastern conflicts, 
particularly the one between Iran and Hamas against tiny but mighty Israel.  When 
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, they never expected to lose control of the Black sea 
along with over a third of the Black Sea Fleet warships.  This is an unexpected 
nightmare for Russia and there appears to be no easy way Russia can reverse the 
situation.  Worse, NATO countries are discussing how to make the reduced capabilities 
of the Black Sea Fleet permanent and banish or greatly reduce any future Russian naval 
power in the Black Sea or Mediterranean.  Ukraine’s blockade of Russia’s Black Sea 
ports with USV’s will also give it considerable leverage when peace negotiations begin.  
-- Dunnigan
Hat tip to Sidney Ontai.  
 
"Joe Rogan Experience #1921 - Peter Zeihan"
     Peter Zeihan is wrong.  The GWOT has not ended.  
     He is correct about crypto currencies:  fraud or pyramid scheme.  
[And the math is wrong (insecure).  Block chain is not secure. -- Jon Low]  
 
     "Good habits and skill beat luck every time."
-- Sheriff Jim Wilson
 
🔷 Spirit
Excerpt:  
     "Who knows how it’ll play out, but the good news is that the legal situation 
should be resolved before the Spirit acquisition closes in mid-2025, so at least 
the programs listed above should be safely outside the blast radius."  
 
     The ChiComs are building an army inside CONUS.  And they could only do so, 
because Brandon opened the border for them.  Did you think otherwise?  Don't be 
naïve.  
 
 
     This is significant.  It's not just obscure Indian journals that are publishing papers with 
false data and false results.  
"ACADEMIA IS BROKEN!  Stanford Nobel-Prize Scandal Explained" by Pete Judo
     My graduate advisors are still in denial that such could be happening in their fields.  
 
"Iran's naval destroyer has sunk, state media says" by Associated Press
Hat tip to Sidney Ontai.  
 
"High-Tech American Weapons Work Against Russia—Until They Don’t"
Moscow is learning how to defeat Western precision munitions in Ukraine
by Yaroslav Trofimov
Hat tip to Tenth Legion.  
     Paywall to read the article, but you can listen to the first 1.5 minutes of the audio of the 
article free of charge.  Which you might find sufficient.  It's the Wall Street Journal, not a 
technical journal.  
 
09 July 2024 A.D.  
     U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines released a statement informing 
the public about recent efforts by the Iranian government to influence demonstrations 
in the United States related to the war in Gaza.  
 
"The Merge"
 
Breaking Defense
 
Intrigue
 
*************************************************************************
     *****     *****     *****  After Thoughts, Politics, and such   *****     *****     *****
 
"Cops: The Young versus The Old" by Greg Ellifritz
 
"How backspin ACTUALLY works - in super slow motion" by Steve Mould
     Of course, with simplifying assumptions.  
 
Emily Zeck
 
     Why rational persons vote to defund the police.  
“Illinois Woman Fatally Shot By Authorities After Calling About Possible Intruder, 
Attorney Says Sonya Massey made a 911 call for help.  
But soon after officers arrived, she was "struck by gunfire," authorities said.”  
by Sebastian Murdock
     Anytime the authorities refuse to release the body cam videos, you know they are 
hard at work on the cover up.  Good police departments release the video immediately 
for transparency and to maintain the appearance of honesty.  
 
    “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 
 
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."  
-- (Mary) Flannery O'Connor
 
 
“Who controls the past controls the future.  
Who controls the present controls the past.”  
-- George Orwell
 
 
     We're going to go to war.  
 
     Secretary of Transportation Buttigeig is lying.  Electric Vehicle motors are no where 
near 90% efficient.  Half the energy from the electrical outlet is lost to heat charging 
the battery.  Half the energy in the battery is lost to heat running the motor (heating the 
motor and heating the battery).  
      The initial energy source is coal or oil, because that's what is burned at power plants.  
50% of the energy is lost in heating up the power transmission lines.  Whereas burning 
the fuel in the car engine to create kinetic energy (motion of the car) loses 50% of the 
chemical energy of the gasoline to heat.  
     So the internal combustion engine in a car is 50% efficient.  The electric engine in 
a car is 50% (burning in the power plant) X 50% (transmission line) X 50% charging 
the battery X 50% (heat discharging the battery) X 50% (heat running the motor) = 
3% efficient.  
     Only persons who have no concept of physics (such as Buttigeig) could make such 
false statements with a straight face.  Because destroying the coal and oil industry is 
his goal.  
 
From an email from Sid Ontai -- 
     Reagan followed about 60% of the Heritage Society's policy recommendations, 
and Trump implemented about 70% in his first term.  
     If Trump is re-elected, which seems increasingly likely, this will likely be the 
blueprint for his policies.  . . .  If you read the Forward, you will get the gist of it.  
-- Sid Ontai
 
     Michael Cargill of Central Texas Gun Works, 
is the plaintiff in the Bump Stock case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court.  
GARLAND, ATTORNEY GENERAL, ET AL. v. CARGILL
     He has a radio talk show (like Rush, not like all these internet podcasters and 
bloggers, a real radio show).  
     Whenever I send guns to my sister in Austin, I use his FFL.  
 
     Been playing chauffeur and bodyguard for a Texas official visiting various persons.  
     State capitol in Austin, Texas - security including metal detectors and X-ray machine, 
but anyone saying that they are carrying concealed is waived through the metal detector 
and no other searches are done.  
     State capitol in Omaha, Nebraska - no security.  
     State capitol in Des Moines, Iowa - security including metal detector and X-ray machine, 
but anyone saying that they are carrying concealed is waived through the metal detector 
and no other searches are done.  The security officers did ask me what I was carrying and 
how many extra magazines I was carrying.  I told them a Springfield Armory XD in 45 ACP 
and one extra 13 round magazine.  They seemed happy.  I guess asking is part of their 
protocol.  They did not ask to see anything.  
     State capitol in Topeka, Kansas - security including metal detector and X-ray machine, 
but anyone saying that they are carrying concealed is waived through the metal detector 
and no other searches are done.  
     Just because you see a lot of security officers and a lot of equipment does not mean 
it's a gun-free-zone, quite the contrary.  
     Principal met with the Mayor of Wichita, Kansas.  (non-partisan elected position)
https://www.wichita.gov/785/Mayor-Lily-Wu
The Mayor is smoking hot.  Not my subjective opinion, I mean objectively hot.  
In 2012, she was crowned Miss Kansas United States.  Anchor and reporter for 
Wichita television stations KAKE and KWCH 12 News.  
     She is book smart.  "Mayor Lily graduated from the International Baccalaureate 
program at Wichita East High School.  As a Gore Scholar at Wichita State University, 
she graduated Summa Cum Laude with two bachelor’s degrees in international business 
and integrated marketing communication.  While serving as a Rotary Ambassadorial 
Scholar, she also earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of 
Hong Kong."  
      "Registered voting member of the Libertarian Party."  Newsweek says this is the 
biggest win in history for the Libertarian Party, but the Libertarian Party does not 
acknowledge Mayor Wu's win because it was a non-partisan election.  
 
Semper Fidelis,
Jonathan D. Low
Email:  Jon_Low@yahoo.com
Radio:  KI4SDN
 



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