Shelf-Life!
11 Sept 14 “Who enjoy responsibility usually get it. Who merely enjoy exercising authority, usually lose it.” Malcolm Forbes Disappointing speech: Last night, our nation’s chief executive: >Told friends and foe alike, everything he wouldn’t do. >Never connected ISIS and Islamic Jihad. >Actually used the word, “terrorist” several times, but never once preceded it with […]
Humphrey’s World!
8 Sept 14 “The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.” Humphrey Bogart Drugs and guns, lessons for all of us: I’m afraid Humphrey’s world is just a distant memory! Recreational marijuana is now “legal” in CO, at least under state law. Medical marijuana has been legal here since 2000, […]
The Chance that was Wasted!
7 Sept 14 “Hear my words, that I might teach you Take my hand, that I might reach you, But my words, like silent raindrops, fell…” From “Sound of Silence,” written in 1964 by Paul Simon. Most famous rendition sung by Simon & Garfunkel the same year. Learn from history? This, from a friend and […]
… coming to a place near you!
6 Sept 14 “I recommend the Statue of Liberty be supplemented with a ‘Statue of Responsibility.’” Viktor Frankl 1. Self-defense shooting 2. Gunfight 3. Massacre Number one occurs a number of times each day within CONUS, and has for as long as anyone can remember. Some involve police. But, the majority involve non-police (but armed) […]
A “Special Class” of Citizens!
5 Sept 14 This from friends in OH: “Judges of our 4th District Court of Appeals, which covers fourteen counties in southeastern OH, are, by their own one-sided ‘proclamation,’ licensing themselves to carry concealed handguns, both while sitting on the bench and at all other times. They are not extending that special privilege to anyone […]
Live-Fire Scenario Training!
4 Sept 14 Live-Fire Scenarios! At least once per year, Pat Troy and I get together and do a Live-Fire Scenario Course at the wonderful Echo Valley Range in WV. Many from the DC area join us there! Like NTI and “Polite Society,” this Program is not for beginners, and it requires a lot of […]
War that Never Ends!
3 Sept 14 War, from now on! “Don’t worry, be happy…” From the song of the same title, recorded by Bobby McFerrin in 1988 Enough contemporary fantasy! Now let’s listen to James Madison: “‘Universal peace.’ It is to be feared! It is in the catalogue of events which will never exist, except in the imaginations […]
“Shibumi” and the Middle Finger!
29 Aug 14 Middle Finger and Unintentional Discharges! “‘Shibumi’ is a Japanese word that loosely translates to ‘effortless perfection.’ Anything that is ‘Shibumi’ is quiet in refinement, noble, and fulfilling in a manner not shaped exclusively by analytical thought. In Japanese culture, Shibumi implies ‘simplicity of spirit,’ an attitude of refinement without pretense, honesty without […]
While Nero fiddles…
26 Aug 14 This experience, from a friend in the NW: “I visited our State Military HQ yesterday in order to have my wife’s ‘dependent’ ID card renewed. I encountered a lone and unarmed contractor/guard at the front gate. He was courteous and polite, but had never heard of ISIS and had no idea what […]
Warning Shot!
20 Aug 14 “Warning” Shot(s)! “No one remembers who came in second.” Walter Hagen On 19 Mar 1988 in West Belfast, Northern Ireland, two young British Army corporals inadvertently drove in the vicinity of the elaborate funeral procession for Kevin Bradey, considered a hero by the IRA. The two corporals were in civilian clothing, and […]
Pre-Corpse
19 Aug 14 “But, I don’t want to go among mad people,” said Alice. “Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat. “We’re all mad here!” From “Alice in Wonderland,” written in 1865 by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym “Lewis Carroll.” A recent study, commissioned by the BHO Administration, concluded (buried near […]
LAD
12 Aug 14 “Good and prudent people will heed the warning. Darwin will claim the rest!” Glassy From a colleague and retired Paratrooper: “When asked why I’m carrying a gun, I politely reply, ‘… because you’re not! Someone here needs to be armed, so I guess it’s going to be me!’ Law enforcement and military […]
From “Warriors” to “worriers!”
10 Aug 14 “Warriors” or “worriers?” “We are undisciplined, like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but no progress” H Jackson Brown Jr From a friend and colleague: “Formally legitimizing organized killing is the psycho-dynamic process our esteemed colleague, Dave Grossman, compasses in ‘Killology.’ Most humans are genetically hardwired to limit violence […]
Yet Another Massacre!
7 Aug 14 Comments on the murder of our two-star in Afghanistan (at the national “training academy”) and the serious injury of seventeen others, on 6 Aug 14, all perpetrated by a single VCA. These comments from a veteran of the African Bush Wars of the 1960s and 1970s: “My Directorate Section Chief (also a […]
No Pressure… No Diamonds!
4 Aug 14 Where is the glamour? “I feel like Zsa Zsa Gabor’s sixth husband. I know what I’m supposed to do, but I don’t know how to make it ‘interesting.’” Milton Berle A potential student asked my yesterday, “… and do you do all the stuff I’ve seen in Rambo movies?” I replied, “Do […]
Tale of Two Presidents
31 July 14 Benjamin Netanyahu and Harry Truman Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, the last living member of Enola Gay’s crew, just died at the age of ninety-three. “Enola Gay” was the nickname of the American B29 bomber, commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbits, that delivered the atomic bomb (code named “Little Boy”) to the Japanese city […]
More On International Travel
25 July 14 On international travel, from a friend and student: “Several years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel on a low-cost deal, so I decided to go. I was the guest of an organization promoting the education of Jewish youth. Nothing much exciting happened in the two weeks I was there, […]
Places to Stay Away From!
23 July 14 “Terrorism is not ‘the pursuit of legitimate goals by illegitimate means.’ Whatever these murderers may be trying to achieve, ‘creating a better world’ certainly isn’t one of their goals!” Salman Rushdie Places to stay away from: Recent reports on acts of terrorism, perpetrated by devotees of assorted demented ideologies (the vast majority […]
Lusitania?
19 July 14 Lusitania? “I have never heard anything about the ‘resolutions’ of the Apostles, but I have heard a good deal about their ‘Acts.’” Og Mandino Under a timid, military-hating President Wilson, America resisted becoming involved in what would ultimately be called “The Great War” (WW1), already raging in Europe since July of 1914. […]
Gun industry legends Dave Spaulding, Massad Ayoob, Mike Boyle, and John Farnam join Fernando Coelho to dive deep into the history of the gun industry, shedding light on how firearms and firearms training have transformed over the decades. They discuss the dramatic shift from traditional print reviews to the digital age of internet forums, social media influencers, and YouTube personalities of the industry.
