Category: Uncategorized

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 […]

Rights?

30 July 14 Rights? A relative recently said to me: “You may think you have the right to own guns, but I have the right to walk in the park and not be shot.” My response was a searing: “No, you don’t! “You don’t have a ‘right’ to have nothing bad ever happen to you. […]

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. […]

No Excuse Zone!

18 July 14 “As a teenager you are at the last stage in life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you.” Fran Lebowitz AR Dust-Covers and Annoying Surprises! During my Urban Rifle Courses, I council students armed with ARs to manually close the spring-loaded dust-cover at nearly every opportunity. […]

Always Faithful!

14 July 14 “‘Impossible’ is a word found only in the dictionary of fools.” Napoleon Bonaparte Between December of 1941 and VJ Day (15 Aug 45), the WW I Monument Castle Tower atop Mount Battie, overlooking Penobscot Bay on the Maine Coast, was occupied continuously by volunteer members of the “Home Guard,” mostly ageing WWI […]

Powertac

9 July 14 Powertac E5 Flashlight: An LEO friend recommended I get a copy of Powertac’s E5 flashlight. I did, and it is now mounted on my STS/AR and has been traveling with us. It is a genuinely small, military-grade, personal flashlight. Less than $100.00. And, it puts out 950 lumens! I still like my […]

“Border”

7 July 14 Southern “Border:” When in South Africa several years ago, I did some informal instruction at a range near the costal city of Durban. My hosts lived in Durban and transported me around. On the way back to town one Sunday evening, it was late and dark, and we passed a large cemetery. […]