Blog
Good Friday
The Focal Point of Good Friday
Those of us who champion our United States Constitution often refer to words and phrases found in the Declaration of Independence. For example, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
Understanding the truth of the fact that these “rights” do not come from government, but from our “Creator” brings us to the realization of why it is the “pursuit of Happiness” and not just happiness that is particularized in The Declaration, for it is while freely pursuing happiness that one can discover Joy.
The difference between ‘happiness’ and ‘joy’ is a topic of discussion by Albert Mohler in his Daily Briefing on this Good Friday 2018.
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Honors
USCGC Sherman (WHEC-720)
HONOLULU — The Coast Guard decommissioned its ninth High Endurance Cutter after nearly 50 years of service as part of recapitalization efforts during a ceremony at Coast Guard Base Honolulu, Thursday.
The Coast Guard Cutter Sherman is one of the Coast Guard’s four remaining 378-foot High Endurance Cutters still in operation. The fleet of 378-foot High Endurance Cutters is being replaced by the National Security Cutters, which will soon serve as the Coast Guard’s primary long-range asset.
Sherman’s operational resume includes action in the Vietnam War, major drug interdictions - including the largest individual cocaine seizure in U.S. history, maritime law enforcement cases, living marine resource protection, migration interdiction and numerous rescues.
“The crew members who’ve served aboard Sherman have contributed immensely to protecting the American public across Sherman’s nearly 50 years of meritorious service while changing the course of history through the cutter’s combat action in Vietnam and a record-setting drug seizure,” said Vice Adm. Fred Midgette, who leads the service’s Pacific fleet as the commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area in Alameda, California. “The Coast Guard remains committed to protecting the American public, our security and our economic interests wherever we are called upon to serve. Recapitalizing our vessels, aircraft, boats, and infrastructure is mission critical and our highest priority to ensure we remain ‘always ready’ to continue protecting our nation.”
Sherman was launched on Sept. 3, 1968, and was the sixth of 12 “Hamilton” class High Endurance Cutters built by Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans. High Endurance Cutters are the largest cutters, aside from the three major Icebreakers and National Security Cutters, ever built for the Coast Guard.
Sherman is also one of only two Coast Guard Cutters to hold the Vietnam Service Award and only Coast Guard Cutter to hold the Combat Action Ribbon for action in the Vietnam War. Sherman is the last remaining active U.S. warship in the Coast Guard to have sunk an enemy vessel in combat.
In March 2007, a boarding team dispatched from Sherman discovered seventeen metric tons of cocaine on a Panamanian flagged freighter, Gatun. This seizure remains the largest individual drug bust in U.S. history with an estimated street value of $600 million. As the record holder, Sherman proudly wears the Golden Snowflake.
Sherman is one of a few Coast Guard cutters to circumnavigate the world. The Sherman crew members accomplished this in 2001 after conducting U.N. sanctions enforcement duty in the Persian Gulf and goodwill projects in Madagascar, South Africa and Cape Verde.
“The Sherman has served above and beyond the cutter’s intended capabilities across her nearly half-century long service to our country," said Midgette. "Though Sherman has sailed her final patrol for the Coast Guard, a long and rich legacy has been left behind and the missions and commitment to our country will be continued by the men and women aboard future National Security Cutters who will carry the torch into the future."
-USCG-
For anyone who has ever served aboard ship, there is a very unique blend of pride and sadness that accompany the viewing of decommissioning ceremonies.
Well Done Cutter Sherman!
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Culture
Kids
David Hogg, one of the most famous gun control advocates in the country, is having a tough time getting into the colleges and universities he wants....
Hogg, a Parkland High School student, became the poster boy for the gun control movement after his school was attacked by a deranged gunman.....
Are there any adults who can scrutinize this kid's behavior and actually conclude that he would "change the world" into something better? If so, you might want to review world history.
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Culture
Not only misinformed, but illinformed as well
Students at the March For Our Lives event in Washington, D.C. were quick to call for a ban on ‘assault weapons,’ but do they know what those are?
Campus Reform, a project of the Leadership Institute, is America's leading site for college news. As a watchdog to the nation's higher education system, Campus Reform exposes bias and abuse on the nation's college campuses.
Evidently, the informed student's were all at the range Saturday...
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Culture
This World
The thing that concerns me the most about this issue is the fact that it constitutes 'news' to so many people:
Is there anyone who really believes that Siri, or any of her siblings, is listening only when you ask a question?
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Weather
Category 5
No, the above photo is not reversed; the storm is located in the southern hemisphere...
The first Category 5 storm of 2018 is Tropical Cyclone Marcus, which intensified to a low-end Cat 5 with 160 mph winds at 18Z (2 pm EDT) March 21, with a central pressure estimated at 921 mb. Marcus is located well offshore of the northwest coast of Australia, and is not expected to bring any direct impacts to land areas as it curves southwards, roughly parallel to the west coast of Australia. Marcus took advantage of very low wind shear and warm ocean temperatures near 30°C (86°F)--near average temperatures for this time of year. Satellite loops show a large storm with impressive organization, an eyewall with very cold cloud tops, and a 19-mile diameter eye. The storm is now headed into cooler waters, and has probably peaked in strength.
Our tropical storm "season" doesn't officially start here for a couple more months. In the meantime, the National Hurricane Center in Miami has a new Director.
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Culture
"Gun Control"
As Edmund Burke (1729-1797) once said: "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."
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Culture
How Times Have Changed!
I can remember when puppet shows were family-oriented and entertaining, with absolutely no profanity allowed—as was the case with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.... Not so nowadays—at least in the case of Michael Bloomberg and David Hogg. The sub-culture calls that "progressive."
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Culture
Human's Are Absurd!
The “news” brings us daily proof that human beings are absurd; we should therefor be prepared to deal with that fact without becoming overly disturbed by it. We know from scripture that “all [human beings] have sinned”... By the way, the English word "all" comes from the Greek word that means 'all' [thanks to the late Russell Kelfer for sharing that bit of wisdom.]
Using contemporary news events, theologian Albert Mohler points out in his Daily Briefing today that “sin is absurd”. You can listen to Dr. Mohler unpack that statement by clicking on the audio file below.
If you'd like, you can listen to the whole briefing here.
Are you prepared?
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Youtube
Remember Youtube?
Youtube clearly doesn't like for American citizens to use their server(s) to talk about guns.
Youtube announced this week that they intend to start censoring content regarding guns. This move, if it comes to pass, will effectively remove an entire segment of our culture from the Youtube viewing audience, forcing them elsewhere.
My primary concern is that firearm safety will take a hit that will cause a drop in the median skill level of American's, should some of the existing educational video be corrupted or disappear.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) alone has over 500 instructional video's on Youtube, not to mention countless offers from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and their affiliates.
The bottom line is, we don't need, nor should we rely on, Youtube—or any other single source. The firearms and outdoor industry in this nation is large enough, and organized enough, to support one or more robust network of server(s) for doing what used to be done on Youtube.
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Law
Wyoming Joins the Majority as “Stand-Your-Ground” State
While avoidance is certainly the best strategy, it is not a legal requirement for a claim of self defense in 36 of our 50 states. The rational is growing.
[O]n Friday, March 16, Wyoming became the 36th state to join the large majority that qualify as “Stand-Your-Ground” jurisdictions, furthering a trend that has been moving in only a single direction for quite a few years.
Thirty-six happens to be the number of states that honor Florida CCW (for credentialed citizens who reside in FL).
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Safety
What Does Dennis Alexander's Glock Have in Common With Ted Kennedy's Oldsmobile?
Hint: The answer involves the cognition of the 'operator' of each machine; you should be able to figure it out!
The latest entry for the Lee Paige Award is Dennis Alexander, a guy who calls himself a teacher, and is/was employed as such in Seaside, California.
While sternly warning his charges of dangers inherent to guns, the teacher casually pointed his pistol at the ceiling and pressed the trigger!
The news media is reporting the incident as an "accident", but the media commonly refer to these matters as "accidents" when they obviously involve ignorance and negligence. Unfortunately, the liberal media will use this event as an excuse to validate their claim that teachers should not have access to guns.
Guns don't go off by themselves, and just because someone wears a police uniform doesn't make them an expert in gun safety.
Another painful lesson in reality.
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Law: The Constitution
When Mania's Collide
Clear heads amongst the frenzy, David Kopel and Joseph Greenlee, point out that banning gun purchases made by law-abiding young adults would be unconstitutional.
[S]ome firearm retailers — including Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods, L.L. Bean, and Kroger — have begun refusing service to all customers under 21. The refusal has subjected the companies to lawsuits in states that have civil rights laws against age discrimination.
Besides violating the laws of some states and cities, firearms bans for young adults also violate the Constitution. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Supreme Court reiterated that “[c]onstitutional rights are enshrined with the scope they were understood to have when the people adopted them.”
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Justice
Last Friday, the Florida legislature passed a first-of-its kind bill to collect an unprecedented amount of data on its criminal justice system.
If Florida Gov. Rick Scott signs the bill into law, the state will begin collecting detailed criminal justice records from all 67 counties in the state starting in 2019, which will then be published online in one central location.
That data would be very revealing.
The State of Florida has 67 counties with around 96,000 inmates incarcerated statewide. If the crime problem were evenly distributed politically and geographically, there would be around 1430 criminals incarcerated from each county.... Assuming the books don't get cooked alike that recently disclosed in the Miami-Dade and Broward school system's, is there anyone who would wager that the bulk and norm of that 96,000 prison population doesn't come out of area's run by left-wing liberal government?
Veritas vos Liberabit!
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Politics
Faded Dimwit
“We do not do well with white men, and we don't do well with married white women,” said [Hillary] Clinton. “And part of that is an identification with the Republican Party and a sort of ongoing pressure to vote the way that your husband, your boss, your son, whoever, believes you should.”
Hillary is like racism; most people know that it's wrong, but it just won't go away!
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Training
Realistic Combat Training
Konrad Poplawski, a 22-year old Navy hospital corpsman, is about to be deployed as a battlefield medic with the 2nd Marine Division, which has served in deadly battlegrounds in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But first, he is making a pit stop at Cook County’s Stroger Hospital, which the Navy says is among few places here in the U.S. that provide experience treating the types of wounds he will inevitably see on the battlefield...
...‘The experience here can’t be replicated elsewhere, unless you have a major land invasion.’
Adventures in Rahmland...
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Law and Order
Where is "the wall?"
Most people are probably familiar with the Kate Steinle story, and other similar stories, but the core of the “illegal immigration” problem pre-dates 2015.
Consider this story: Eleven years ago, on March 14th, 2007, off-duty police commander Benjamin Espinosa and his wife were shopping for a gift in gratitude for a successful operation on their hospitalized infant daughter. They entered the Lozano Garza jewelry store in downtown Monterrey, Mexico. What happened next was recorded on the store’s security camera’s.
This is the kind of incarnate evil that has been sneaking into our country for many years now.
Back in 2007, when the Espinosa “execution” story was reported, a team of Los Angeles Times reporters and photographers were regularly chronicling the drug-related violence that had claimed more than 6,000 lives in Mexico—in less than two years.
Today, that news coverage has dwindled dramatically—since cartel thug's began decapitating, disemboweling and burning the bodies of “journalists."
Today, who knows how many of these evil thugs have ‘migrated’ to the United States? Anyone who follows the news can see plenty of tracks. For example:
MS-13 is ‘taking over the school,’ one teen warned before she was killed
For the past year, the Trump administration has waged a nationwide crackdown on MS-13. Nowhere has this effort been more intense than in Suffolk County, where police say the gang has committed 27 murders since a surge of unaccompanied minors began arriving in 2013.
[Trump’s MS-13 crackdown: Going after suspected gang members for immigration violations]
Ever wonder why the venue of the great majority of these stories are “gun-free zones?”
The corollary to "every cop being a part of the thin blue line” is this, "every law-abiding armed citizen is part of the wall."
Paraphrasing Pogo, we have found the wall and the wall is us!
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Crime: Home Invasion
Stand Your Grrrround
As a rule, Golden's are not the least bit aggressive; but, they're intrepid and smart enough to know when duty calls!
Way to go Sadie!
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Law
Federal Court Will Hold Landmark Hearing on "Global Warming."
U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup, will feature lawyers for Exxon, BP, Chevron and other oil companies...
“This will be the closest that we have seen to a trial on climate science in the United States, to date,” said Michael Burger, a lawyer who heads the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University.
The presiding judge has called for a "tutorial" on climate change.
In the five-hour hearing, both the cities and the oil companies will have a chance to present Alsup with their views on the history of climate change science, and the most important recent findings in the field.
Alsup ordered the tutorial as part of his ruling last week that the San Francisco and Oakland lawsuit would be heard in federal court, as opposed to California state court.
This ought to be interesting!
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Safety
The State of The Culture
Concerning our safety, we know at least two things to be true in today's culture:
1. The government is not, nor should it be, responsible for our individual protection.
2. If we plan on traveling interstate with a lawfully concealed firearm, the United States Senate doesn't really care about our personal safety either.
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Law
In The Heat Of The Summer
Paramount Network has teamed up with executive producer Shawn Carter for a landmark television event, “Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story,” based on the life and legacy of Trayvon Martin.
The heat of July 2018; that’s when this “story” from Paramount Network is scheduled for release.
The splash says “They say that time heals all wounds......it does not”— especially when the wound is repeatedly reopened and polluted with bovine fecal matter.
Get ready for more civil unrest, an attack on the truth, and another ignorance-based attack on self-defense “stand your ground" law.
For an accurate and comprehensive account of what happened on the night of February 26, 2012 in Sanford, Florida, audio-visual coverage of sworn testimony is available here. It was proven in court, beyond any reasonable doubt, that Travon Martin attacked George Zimmerman, and that Martin would have probably killed Zimmerman had Zimmerman not been armed and able to defend himself. The investigation and trial also provided us with other illuminating details regarding Martin's background.
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Ammunition
Federal Premium HST
For citizen's self defense, I think it's wise to carry the same type of ammunition that police officers carry, since the goal is the same for all—to stop a deadly threat. Citizen's can take advantage of the testing that has gone into the public safety testing programs.
Of course purchase cost is an important consideration, but the public agencies usually choose the ammunition that meets certain standards.
ANOKA, Minnesota –-(Ammoland.com)- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently awarded Federal Premium a major ammunition contract. Starting delivery in 2018, the contract provides for up to 180 million rounds of HST duty ammunition to multiple Department of Homeland Security law enforcement components and other federal agencies for up to five (5) years...
HST’s expanded diameter and weight retention produce the desired penetration without over-penetrating. Its bullet nose profile, nickel-plated case, Federal primer, and clean-burning, low-flash propellants provide the ultimate in function and reliability in semi-automatic handguns.
Of course, you also want to make certain that the stuff works flawlessly in your particular sidearm before you rely on it for self defense. To ascertain that, you'll need to do some of your own testing.
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Culture
Anti-freedom?
I've chronicled this issue before, but here we go again. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is an American institution that has been a solid part of our national structure since the 19th century. Everyone who has been paying attention knows that all of our national institutions have been under attack recently, including the NRA.
The NRA, aside from its political action, is the premier authority on firearms safety in this country. So, whatever motivated "Mad Dog Inc." to sponsor this billboard is clearly not safety related. Are they averse to freedom, or is it the requirement for personal responsibility that goes with that freedom that they find so "terrorizing?" Or, could it be something more sinister?
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