1 Oct 06

Today, at an Urban Shotgun Program in MA, a Mossburg 590, being used by a student suddenly went down. Normally, the Mossburg is among the most reliable of all the shotguns we see, but, on this copy, the magazine follower got stuck in the forward portion of the magazine tube, and spring pressure in the tube naturally went dead. The gun was immediately out of action, and my student was unable to complete the exercise. We tried to free the follower, without success. It was wedged tight in the tube. My student was compelled to switch to another shotgun in order to finish the Course.

I subsequently learned that the magazine follower responsible for all this heartburn was not the one that came with the gun! The factory follower had been replaced with an aftermarket substitute. Unfortunately, after replacing the factory part, the gun was never tested, until it found its way to our Program!

My student learned a frustrating, but important, lesson. Most aftermarket parts are inferior to the factory parts they are designed to replace. However, there are exceptions. In any event, any time a part is replaced in, or modification is made on, a serious gun, the gun must be thoroughly tested afterward, BEFORE being placed back into service!

My student was lucky! This unexpected difficulty was detected during training, and the price he paid was only a moment or two of frustration, not a fatal injury. Undetected, it could easily have been the later!

/John

 

3 Oct 06

Grasseaters in high places:

“As an experienced, oil-field technician, I volunteered to be a part of a team sent to Iraq last year, in an effort to get the local oil-producing infrastructure back on line. As civilian employees of the Army, we were all told directly that, while there, we would be issued, and allowed to carry, a pistol. When we arrived, we discovered that we had been lied to! We were subsequently informed that the ‘general’ (never did find out which one.) had decided that civilian employees would not be armed, at any time, in his domain. Naturally, we all ignored his pompous, half-witted ‘order,’ acquired guns, ammunition, holsters, and blades (all locally), and carried them, concealed, all the time we were there.

When I finally asked our JAG why we were (ostensibly) unarmed in an zone of active fighting, he thoughtlessly dismissed my question with the comment that we were not ‘trained in such things.’ Not willing to let it go, I offered to challenge him personally and beat him, hands-down, at any pistol course he could name. He suddenly discovered he was needed elsewhere and abruptly turned and walked away, never answering my question. I later checked for myself and learned that the carrying of defensive weapons by forward-deployed civilians is in full keeping with both the laws of land warfare and US Army tradition.

I was not prepared to believe that our own military management (the term ‘leadership’ does not apply) declines to attach any value to our lives! When we’re killed or kidnapped, they must figure they can always hire more!

Not surprisingly, those of us who initially volunteered have all declined a second tour, denying the Army our immense, collective experience and knowledge. I love my country, but I don’t enjoy working for people who care nothing for my personal safety, even my very life!’

Comment: The American military’s ghoulish fear of guns (and people carrying them) creates yet another needless, pointless defect in the War effort. The Republic cannot long endure at this rate!

/John

 

3 Oct 06

School Shootings:

Why is it that sociopaths, when they get the urge to harm the innocent, select places where, when they arrive in possession of a gun, they know they will be the only one there so equipped? Why don’t “school shooters” ply their trade at the local police headquarters or at commercial gun retailers? Could it be that they know full well most people in those places will be armed?
Sociopaths may be demoniac, but they’re not fools! In Israel, all teachers and school officials are continuously armed. Curious that we don’t hear of school shootings there, do we?

We’ve all heard of the “separation of church and state,” but public schools in America have no compunction about advocating religion, the faith of “Learned Helplessness.” In public education, personal initiative, personal courage and boldness, and personal achievement are all discouraged and punished as “aberrant behavior.” What is relentlessly nurtured, encouraged, and rewarded is (1) personal helplessness, (2) victimhood, and (3) cowardice. American children are taught, from infancy, that even occasionally wanting some capacity for independent action is unthinkable. Rather, being a “good victim” is one’s ultimate expression of patriotism. In fact, we learn that the government won’t even like you until/unless you are a victim (and remain one your entire life).

When they leave school, American youth discover that “learned helplessness” had mutated into “enforced helplessness.” Personal ownership of guns, for example, while not strictly illegal in some places (though leftist politicians are doing their best to correct that), is still publicly discouraged, in every conceivable way and at every level. Gun owners are marginalized by government and media alike as deviant and unpatriotic.

In Israel, where things are even more exciting than they are here, society has long-since come to their senses with regard to personal security. There, they know where there are gatherings of innocent children, there must also be responsible adults who are armed. They also know and understand that most of those responsible adults will not be police officers. The vast majority are armed citizens, who don’t think “being a good victim” is in their, nor their nation’s, best interest.

Additional video cameras, additional reams of “procedures,” and additional media hand-wringing will not provide protection for innocent children. Armed teachers, parents, and school officials will. When, as a nation, we stop worshiping at the feet of the false god of “Learned Helplessness,” we will collectively see the wisdom of really, physically protecting children, not just continuing to wallow in self-deception.

Several years ago, my friend and colleague, Mas Ayoob, suggested training and arming teachers as they only real way to protect innocent children in schools. He was instantly denigrated by the media, and even some in our own camp, for even suggesting such a preposterous thing. As always, he was ahead of his time!

This was John Adams’ take on the subject:

“It should be your care, therefore, and mine, to elevate the minds of our children and exalt their courage; to accelerate and animate their industry and activity; to excite in them an habitual contempt of meanness, abhorrence of injustice and inhumanity, and an ambition to excel in every capacity, faculty, and virtue. If we suffer their minds to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives.”

What ever happened to that philosophy?

/John

 

5 Oct 06

Comments on school security, from a friend in Israel:

“I am attending classes locally. All school administrators and most teachers wear pistols, neatly cased in holsters on their waists. They are all plainly visible. The practice actually has a calming effect! Everyone knows the school administration takes active protection of students seriously, not just with lip service, but with substantive action.

It is known and accepted that these brave school officials will courageously stand and fight, no matter what the odds. They will not die cowering under their desks, as would be the case in the USA.”

Comment: There are two kinds of pain: The pain of discipline, or the pain of regret. We can avoid one, but not both!

/John

 

6 Oct 06

Play and Players:

Poker journalist, Roy West, puts it well:

“When you find yourself playing with clueless lightweights, be neither astonished nor upset when they play like idiots!”

He goes on:

“Poor players don’t recognize skillful play. Competent players will gracefully get out of the way when they are supposed to. Poor players don’t know when they’re supposed to! Yes, competent players beat poor players, in the long run, but anyone, at any time, can get good cards,”

…or a lucky shot!

Similarly, competent gunmen are more than a match for the typical, cretinous, gun-fumbling hamburger. But, even idiots can get lucky, and, unlike the case at the poker table, you may not live long enough to test your theory at the next game!

When they represent a lethal threat, VCAs need to be taken out, instantly, ruthlessly, and with all the skill your can summon, as if they were skilled gunmen, not the buffoons they usually are. Yes, they are probably unskilled and incompetent, but, like the poor card player, they can still be extremely dangerous. Give them an edge at your peril.

When confronting David, Goliath, towering over him, paused and snickered. It was a fatal mistake! David took advantage of the gap Goliath created for himself. Goliath didn’t get a second chance.

You won’t either!

/John

 

10 Oct 06

When “second-rate” fails, from a friend in the Philippines:

“A short time ago, a deranged man took an infant hostage at a bus terminal during the season rush. Coincidentally, TV news crews were covering the exodus of metro citizens to their vacation spots, so the entire drama was caught on camera. The suspect cradled the child with his left arm, while his right hand held a knife against the child’s neck.

At long last, the city’s SWAT team arrived. All opted to assume a rambling, disorganized skirmish line behind the negotiator. While negotiations proceeded, a shot was fired. The suspect went down, but so did the child. Examination revealed that both succumbed to a single hit from a 223. The bullet was never recovered, but the conclusion was that only one bullet was fired, and it, alone, killed both suspect and hostage.

In the aftermath, it was discovered that SWAT team members had been drinking, in the precinct station, immediately before the call went out! In an interview, one SWAT member actually admitted that they were all enthusiastically celebrating a birthday. Realizing the implications of his statement, he stopped talking, never completing his sentence.

Of course, a few low-level scapegoats (the ‘usual suspects’) were fired, but nothing really changed. Local big-shots are all still comfortably in place. This particular city is well known for illegal gambling, fencing of stolen goods, white slavery, etc. Cops in key positions are little more than bag-men for corrupt, city officials. Not surprisingly, training was not high on their agenda, as everyone was busy maximizing their ‘police discount’ at local bordellos.

When a real call went out, all where perfectly incapable, inept, disorganized, and unprepared. The result was predictable.

Yes, mediocrity is a murderer!”

Comment: We’ve been assured by the media that personal sleaziness and incompetence on the part of government officials must be overlooked, so long as the particular officials involved are members of the media’s favorite political party. In the same breath, we are told that political loyalty makes a suitable substitute for personal righteousness, dedication, and competence.

Only naive Marxists believe that! Among the righteous, sleaziness and mediocrity are weeded out like the cancer they are.

/John

 

12 Oct 06

Police Tactical Lessons, from a Friend in the Midwest:

“We conducted a series of Air-Soft drills here with small teams of patrolmen from several, local departments. The theme was ‘Violent Crime in Progress.’ We staged an armed robbery, a hostage drama, and a barricaded gunman w/out hostages. Participants were not SWAT teams, but plain-vanilla patrolmen and detectives, thrown together and compelled by circumstance to work as a team. In each scenario, shooting had already started, and there was no opportunity to wait on the arrival of a SWAT Team. We wanted to see to what degree our guys could quickly organize themselves and then go in after the bad guy(s) with scant information and no time for detailed planning. We looked for (1) sound tactics, (2) credible teamwork, (3) competent gun-handling, (4) skillful negotiation, (5) constant objectivity, and (6) accomplished accuracy.

I played the role of one of the suspects. Our students, of course, made mistakes, but there was no lack of enthusiasm and ability to learn lessons quickly.

Here is what I noted from my perspective:

Presence of entry officers was often easy to discern, as many shotgun and carbine barrels and muzzles could be seen protruding from around corners, before the officer holding the weapon was anywhere near ready to engage threats on the other side. I first noticed the muzzle poking out from a corner. That alerted me to the fact that an officer was there and that he planned to enter the room or, at least, pie the corner. When they attempted the later, many needlessly exposed (1) elbows, (2) knees, and (3) feet. I shot all three many times, and the officers thus struck were sent stumbling backwards, out of action for the balance of the drill. Conversely, savvy officers (mostly those with military training) exposed precious little of themselves when they pied corners, making shooting any part of them extremely difficult.

When close to a corner, I was also able to forcibly disarm several officers, as they, once again, poked their pistols and carbines around corners. I just grabbed the gun and pulled! Most officers let go. Those who hung on were pulled off balance and came stumbling forward, usually falling, face-first, onto the floor. Again, leading with your gun carries with it all kinds of (mostly needless) risk.

Several of our officers were shot in the back by their own partners! This unhappy blunder was, of course, the direct result of poor gun handling (fingers on triggers) and poor muzzle control (muzzles up, instead of down). The astonished shooters didn’t realize how such bad habits can easily result in unintentional casualties. Through painful embarrassment, they learned their lesson!

Through victory and frustration, everyone took their lessons well, and I am persuaded that they all benefitted greatly. Participants were there, because they wanted to be there. My concern is for all the officers who weren’t there and probably never will be!”

Comment: This kind of training needs to be made available to all officers. Recent events show the need to be obvious!

/John

 

15 Oct 06

Glock Summit

The 2006 “Glock Summit” in Titusville, FL (east of Orlando) has just concluded. Hosted by my friend and colleague, Andy Stanford, this new, annual conference and clinic (last year, it was the “Snubby Summit”) has emerged as a premier training and comradery event, and one that I plan on attending every time. I used my G38 (45GAP) w/Cor-Bon DPX ammunition.

Along with Andy, Jim Yeager, Paul Gomez, Don Redl, Bill Davison, John Peterson, Dave Biggers, Skip Gochenour, and I all presented classes. The event was held at the Police Memorial facility in Titusville, which includes a spacious conference hall as well as two, modern, indoor ranges. Classes included live-fire clinics, as well as lecture, and Simmunitions (force-on-force).

Next year, it will be the “Patrol Rifle Summit.” Same time and place. Get hold of Andy Stanford at opstraining@earthlink.net for details. It is well worth attending!

/John

 

16 Oct 06

“Necessity”

At last weekend’s Glock Summit in Orlando, FL, Skip Gochenour presented a wonderful lecture on the subject of legitimate self-defense and what needs to be in place for it to be even considered by the Court during a criminal proceeding.

Skip emphasized that the trial judge at your murder trial, as his option, may (1) instruct the jury to consider the issue of self-defense, or, conversely, he may (2) instruct them that they may not consider it. The jury is the “trier of fact,” but the judge is the “trier of law,” and he will determine what laws and presidents apply and which do not, what the jury may hear and what it may not, and what the jury may include and consider in its deliberation and what it may not.

Like claims of “insanity,” claims of “self-defense” by the defendant may well be determined, by the judge, to be bogus. If so, he will instruct the jury that they must find the defendant either guilty or not guilty, but that they may not find him “not guilty by virtue of self-defense.” He will, in fact, specifically forbid them from weighing, or even looking at, the issue self-defense. Thus, as sympathetic as the jury may be to the hapless defendant, they may have no choice but to find him guilty of murder.

The legitimacy of claims of self-defense will rest on several tenants, the most important of which is “necessity.” Simply put, every blow delivered by the accused to the injured party must have been “reasonably necessary” in order to prevent the accused from sustaining lethal or crippling injury at the hands of his attacker. Blows delivered when no substantive threat exists, or delivered after such threats have clearly gone away will be deemed “unnecessary.” When there is a preponderance of such unneeded/unnecessary blows, which, by definition, served no logical purpose, claims of “self-defense” by the defendant will quickly be stripped of legitimacy.

It gets back to a training issue: Those of us who have trained ourselves to fire our pistols continuously, until the threat goes away, run the risk of producing several entry wounds in the side and back of the attacker. When most entry wounds are in the front, with only one or two in the back, a claim of self-defense may still be sustainable, as the attacker twisting as he is being shot has been chronicled and is explicable and comprehensible. However, many entry wounds in the attacker’s back will predictably create problems for the defendant.

A superior way to address the issue, in my opinion, to insert a deliberate “burst-limiter” into your shooting kata. That is, train yourself to stop shooting after a certain number of rounds (we use four), move laterally while simultaneously re-accessing, resuming firing when necessary. Thus limiting yourself to four rounds from any one position at once (1) confuses your attacker as to your exact position and (2) insures that all your shots are “necessary” and that you will stop shooting when the threat is clearly abrogated.

Our imperfect justice system rests in the hands of imperfect judges and imperfect juries. Our righteous claim of self-defense must be confirmed by “necessity.”

/John

 

18 Oct 06

DPX on Deer and Sheep:

Today, Vicki and I were hunting at a preserve in the Midwest. We do it every year at this time, and every year I like to use a different weapon. I especially like to use military rifles, as we never seem to get enough experience with these weapons in actual use.

This year, I used my EOTech-equipped RA/XCR (223) with Cor-Bon 53gr DPX ammunition. Vicki used her M1 Carbine, also with DPX (100gr). Normally, our friends at this facility require that hunters use something heaver, but they extended special dispensation to us, because they know us well, and I indicated to them that DPX would do the job. I was right, in spades!

I shot a Fallow stag (200 lbs), in full rut, quartering away, at seventy-five meters. My one shot entered at the rear ribs on the right side and penetrated through eighteen inches, exiting the shoulder on the left side. Internal damage was massive! He took several tentative steps and then dropped dead ten feet from where he was hit. Like all Barnes bullets, this one did not break up, but expanded fully and then held together. I was on the link immediately, trying to hit him again, but he fell before I was able to press off a second round.

Vicki shot a four-horned sheep (175 lbs) at forty meters, broadside. Her first round hit at the point of the shoulder and, like mine, went through and through. The sheep dropped immediately, not even taking a step. However, after kicking for several minutes, he struggled back to his feet. A second shot in the same spot settled the issue for good. Again, both bullets expanded, held together, and plowed through.

My positive impression of DPX, in all configurations, continues to grow! DPX is a wonderful performer on living tissue. Up until now, I would not recommend any 223 round for deer hunting, but, after today’s experience, I have no compunction.

The XCR is a ideal travel-gun. With it, I’m ready for anything. Equipped with an EOTech, it is hard to beat!

It was a great day! We do this every chance we get.

/John

 

19 Oct 06

Comments on self-defense shooting, from a friend and instructor, who is also a district judge and personally presides over many of these cases:

“An objective standard will be applied to your situation, by twelve people who weren’t there and likely have no clue as to what it really takes to emerge victorious and uninjured. That being the case, one must be able to articulate clearly not only what was done but, more importantly, why it was necessary.

It may well be good tactics to limit oneself to four rounds before moving, but if you explain it that way to a jury (instead of simply saying you stopped shooting in order to assess the situation and see if additional shooting was necessary) you will find that the jury (1) has not the foggiest idea what you’re talking about and (2) you have come across as cold, surgical, and detached. That will probably not end with a happy result.

Remember, trials have little to do with ‘truth,’ in any objective sense. They have everything to do with appearances, impressions, perceptions, and emotional connections. As the accused, you have to insure the jury sees the situation in a light favorable to you, and you do that by presenting yourself as a likeable, sympathetic, ‘normal,’ even naive person. Whether that is actually true or isn’t is largely irrelevant.”

Comment: Welcome to Planet Earth!

/John

 

19 Oct 06

A friend who does criminal cases sent me this. It is a closing argument in the defense of a person on trial for criminal violence:

“Now, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the prosecutor in this case has proven one thing to the satisfaction of all of us: a terrible crime has been committed. And, I know he doesn’t like my client, and I also suspect you don’t like him. In truth, I don’t like him either.

None of this is surprising. My client isn’t likeable. And, although the prosecutor has made a convincing argument that a dreadful crime has been committed, the case against my client is weak and largely circumstantial. My client may indeed be guilty, or he may not be, but the prosecutor has fallen far short of proving that he is. But, he is hoping you’ll convict anyway, mostly because the accused is not likeable.

If you or I were on trial for the same offence, such shoddy evidence would come nowhere close to justifying a conviction, but, since my client is not likeable, the prosecutor is doing his best to persuade you to overlook all that still convict, and he is sincerely hoping that is ‘okay’ with you.

Someday, this prosecutor, or some other prosecutor, will decide you’re not likeable! He will then do his best to throw you in prison, solely because he doesn’t like you. Is that okay with you? Because, it’s not okay with me!”

Comment: Criminal trials cannot be about convicting people because they are not likeable. They must be about convicting people because they are guilty. When our System loses sight of that, the stage is set for throwing people in prison solely because they are Jewish, or because they own guns, or because they hold unpopular views.

First manufacturing, then marginalizing, minorities (like gun-owners who don’t support Marxist politicians), pushing them so far from the mainstream that their lives become insignificant, indeed expendable, is the province of autocrats and tyrants. The foregoing is their preferred method of getting rid of political opposition.

Our System of justice is one of the dwindling few that even makes a pretense of equity. We treat it casually at our peril!

/John

 

21 Oct 06

Here in Memphis, TN, where, believe it or not, violent crime is eighteen times higher than in LA, local gun retailers tell me Glocks and SIGs top the list of serious guns wanted by those who carry concealed, a group that includes nearly everyone with at least two nickels to rub together.

The local PD has been into 40S&W for some time, and that is the caliber everyone here seems to want. Thus, the G23 is a top seller, followed at some distance by the G22 and the G27. The single-column SIG 239 is popular too, actually more in demand than is the double-column 229. After trying it, nearly everyone opts for the DAK trigger. Beretta, H&K (particularly the LEM), and Ruger are also in the mix.

The 1911 crowd is active down here too, with S&W’s Scandium being the top seller. Kimber and Detonics also sell well. Comp-Tac, Ky-Tac, and Hoffner holsters are well represented.

Like so many big PDs, MPD is hopelessly top-heavy, antiquated, slow to respond, and, not surprisingly, the local 911 system is clogged solid during evening hours. As always, you’re on your own. The good news is that honest citizens who shoot VCAs in self-defense (and it happens a lot!) are almost never prosecuted. They’re actually treated well by the criminal-justice system, unlike the case in so many other places. In TN, you have the clear right to defend yourself!

Actually, I prefer it here, where I am allowed, indeed expected to, take care of myself, to LA, where violent crime may be technically lower, but where all who take unilateral action to protect themselves are treated far worse, by the criminal justice system, than are the real criminals who try to harm them!

/John

 

23 Oct 06

I just finished an Advanced Defensive Handgun Program at my good friend Tom Given’s wonderful Rangemaster indoor range an gunshop in Memphis, TN. Tom’s annual “Polite Society” event is now scheduled for the weekend of 24-25 Feb 07 at the expansive MPD training facility in Memphis.

Like the NTI, it is an event not to be missed by serious students of our Art! Get hold of Tom at:

Tom Givens
Range Master
2611 S Mendenhall Rd
Memphis, TN 38115
901 370 5600
Rangemaster@peoplepc.com

/John

 

23 Oct 06

Aggressive Disengagement:

I tell my students to be particularly careful and alert while getting into and out of cars, because, when a car stops, predators know the people associated with it will always be distracted for a few moments as the embark or disembark. I confirmed that lesson today:

While stopped at an interstate rest area this afternoon, I was in the restroom briefly, as Vicki remained in our car. When I returned, I entered the passenger side, sat down, and closed the door. A man approached the passenger side. He was fiftyish, well dressed, and well groomed, and he was holding a cell phone in his hand. He motioned toward our right, front tire, and I though he was about to do me the courtesy of telling me the tire was soft.

I opened my window part way. He started by saying, “Do you know anything about Texas?” Surprised by his question, I replied, “No.” “Where are you from? He continued. “We’re from Colorado,” I replied.

He then commenced with a rambling, disconnected, convoluted line about how he lost his wallet, how his dog was having puppies, and how he didn’t know much about where he was. He stood just behind our outside mirror, so we couldn’t back out of our stall without hitting him. He talked so fast, there was no time to interject a response, and he progressively waxed aggressive . After a minute, Vicki and I simultaneously said, “We can’t help you,” as we began to slowly move the car backward. By that time, I had my Fox OC bottle in hand. The mirror did nudge him slightly, and he finally stepped aside, mumbling something about us being heartless. We were quickly on our way!

In retrospect, I handled the event poorly, allowing it to go on far too long. Like most of us, I’ve efficiently and briskly disengaged from many sleazy panhandlers, just as we teach the procedure in our classes. However, this character threw me off my normal tempo, because he was well dressed and didn’t appear to represent a threat. I should have noticed that he waited to approach until I was getting into the car and that he made a point a seizing the agenda immediately, throwing out a dozen story lines simultaneously, trying to get a sympathetic response from at least one of them.

Many times, while getting fuel, someone will ask about our car. How we like it, what kind of mileage it gets, etc. I regard most such contacts as harmless, and I usually engage in a brief conversation with the person. But, I know a fictitious line where I hear one, and I’m good at aggressively disengaging, or so I thought!

This con-man was smart! He knew his jaunty, nonchalant appearance, complete with cell hone, would cause me to initially take him seriously, and he knew I would likely be too polite to interrupt his rambling story line, and it worked! In retrospect, when he asked his first incongruent question (about Texas), I should have noted that the question did not fit the circumstances and replied with, “What do you want?” When he then launched into his rambling story line, I should have immediately come back with, “Sorry. We can’t help you. Now, step back please!”

I was too indecisive for too long. Not next time!

/John

 

26 Oct 06

Excellent advice on aggressive disengagement from a friend who travels extensively overseas:

“Initially act as if you don’t hear them. Then, when you do respond, do so while scanning all around, and respond in a different language. Bad guys want to communicate in their own language, and they quickly lose interest when they sense their opening line is not getting through. (when traveling overseas, speaking English, Hebrew, and German will predictably attract the attention of predators).

Pick up your cell phone with your support hand and act as if you’re receiving a call, while simultaneously waving them off with your other hand. Move away.

I routinely use these techniques and find them the most effective of all I know.”

Comment: I’m not multi-lingual, but the cell-phone trick I plan on testing the first chance I get!

/John

 

31 Oct 06

From a friend in a dying France:

“‘Incidents,’ largely unreported (our news media, like yours, never met an Islamic extremist, or a Communist, they didn’t like), have been common all year, including a whole train (not subway, but cross-country train, traveling between Marseilles and Lyon) that was invaded by thirty, young Muslims. Passengers were robbed, beaten, and nearly all women were sexually abused. The gang departed before any police arrived. Not a word of this was reported by the major media.

French police subsequently rounded up ‘the usual suspects,’ who were not involved but are easily taken into custody (because they don’t resist violently) and waited for the outrage to die down, all the while dangling carrots (little more than bribes, indeed extortion) in front of Islamic organizations.

Meanwhile, our police dare not enter those ever-growing areas controlled by Islamics, where all the real perpetrators can be found. These places are now, for all intents and purposes, separate nations, with their own laws, government, and police. They are, in effect, Moslem beachheads in Western Europe. There is no political will here to do anything about it. Our politicians are sluttish cowards, just like yours.

Radical Islamics account for only a minority of the Moslem population, but perpetually unemployed men, unceasingly on the dole, are easy to incite. Bombings and assassinations keep reticent ones in line. Bad guys are ever more organized and extensively networked across Europe. Nothing, beyond lip service, will be done to oppose or even contain them, at least by our current gaggle of elected gasbags.

We Europeans, currently in mass denial, are moving headlong toward major, armed conflict.”

Comment: The end of the Nineteenth Century saw the last of the “Little Wars,” and the world’s introduction to hi-tech warfare, the (1) Boxer Rebellion in China, the (2) Russo/Japanese War in Manchuria, the (3) Second Anglo/Boer War in South Africa, and the (4) Spanish/American War in Cuba and the Philippines. Collectively, these conflicts gave the world a depressing hint of what was coming. World War I stunned the civilized world with its stupefying level of destruction, and a death toll that went off the scale. When it finally played itself out, many delusionally believed it was the last “World War.” They were foolish and naive! World War II started twenty-one years later, almost to the day!

After thus hosting two, murderous, world conflagrations, the Twentieth Century gave way to the Twenty-First, and future historians will likely find the Twentieth was positively enlightened by comparison!

Western Civilization, born among, and so carefully nurtured by, selfless heroes from the Ancient Greeks to Marines in Iraq today, is, as we dither, crumbling under our feet! Its demise will usher in a Great New Dark Age, just as the world witnessed fifteen hundred years ago.

“It did not come with the mountain. It was not one with the deep. Men, not gods, devised it, and men, not gods, must keep!”

/John