Blog
Good citizens
Civic Minded
I wish this guy would move into my neighborhood. He would be a big help in dealing with some people who act like animals.
/fl
Home Defense
A Resolution: Fortify Your Castle
There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to defending your home. Selecting the proper equipment is one of those things. Dave Maas, over at the North American Hunting Club, offers some useful thoughts regarding his selection.
I would like to add an amplifying comment to one of the issues in Maas' article. Nobody should be foolish enough to think that they can hide a gun from children that may be running around in their home; THEY WILL FIND IT! And they will probably find it when there is no adult around to supervise the discovery.
If you have kids, all gun(s) need to be securely locked up until you are confident that every person in the home is qualified to handle them safely. Safety education for the entire family should be a priority item early on. The good news is that it is easy to find a solution these days.
In his article, Maas describes how he dealt with these issues in his own situation.
Have a safe New Year!
/fl
Skill Development
Listening to Mom
It's good that not all mom's are like that hoplophobic gaggle of 'Moms Demand Attention'; you know, the ones that have been ignorantly trying to turn grocery stores into target rich environments for psychos.
In this video, mom (Robin Dallenbach) EARNS some attention by proffering good advice to her daughter (Kate).
A good mom is worth listening to.
/fl
Weather
Infragravity Waves
Here on the coast, we're used to seeing wind-driven waves breaking as they come ashore during a storm, but occasionally there can be a wave that has such a long wavelength that it doesn't break; it can resemble a tsunami when it rolls ashore — even though it isn't associated with any geologic event.
On November 8, 2013, during Typhoon Haiyan, a super-long "infragravity" wave was caught on video in Hernani, in Eastern Samar, Philippines. The following video illustrates the reasoning behind mandatory evacuations. At least 6,300 people died, mostly due to the storm surge, making it the deadliest typhoon in modern Philippines history. It was only by the grace of God that the person making this video survived.
The wave was powerful enough to move a 180-ton boulder on the beach.
/fl
Home Invasion
Teen who shot break-in suspect was protecting his grandmother
Burglars had tried to break into George and Anna Marie Wyant’s home near Mint Hill at least twice, so they kept a pistol hidden in the house for protection, hoping they’d never have to use it.
“I took him to a shooting range,” George Wyant said. “All the boys, I wanted them to learn gun safety. That’s what all of us should have for protection. These are different ages, and you have to protect yourself.”
On Tuesday, their 14-year-old grandson was visiting. He was sick with bronchitis, and Anna Marie, 73, had just had hip replacement surgery. They were taking care of each other while his mother and the rest of the family was at a Christmas party.
“The man was breaking into the window,” [Anna Marie Wyant] told the [911] operator. “He was halfway in the window. My grandson told him to stop and get out of here and he didn’t so my grandson shot him. ... Somebody just broke in the house and we shot him.”...
Police have said they believe the fatal shooting Tuesday was justified. They say the teen was trying to protect himself and his grandmother.
Anna Marie Wyant said the teen is “his grandmother’s hero.” “If I was by myself, God knows what they would have done to me,” she said.
Preparation does make a difference. All's well that ends well.
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Fighting Evil
Just War Theory and Self Defense
It's difficult to reconcile the recent complaints about our interrogation techniques that were used on incarcerated terrorists at a Guantanamo Bay prison with the evil displayed in the recent attack on a Pakistani school by members of the same terrorist organization, especially when we know that this same kind of attack on a school full of children has occurred before, on September 1, 2004.
In the latter days of WW-II, General George Patton had been receiving complaints about the duration of the war; people were getting depressed with the apparently endless fighting, and wanted to see the war ended.
On June 5, 1944, while addressing his troops who were about to participate in Operation Overlord, Patton commented on the complaints that he had received.
“Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home. The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I’d shoot a snake!” — General George Patton
One of the benefits of having every law-abiding citizen armed and trained is the potential capacity of a citizen dealing with evil in a timely, and effective, manner — "just like I'd shoot a snake."
There are no "Marquess of Queensberry Rules" when it comes to fighting evil — as pointed out by Albert Mohler in his Daily Briefing today.
/fl
Justice System
Prosecutor Cuts Deal with Killer
As we mark the fourth anniversary of the death of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who died at the hands of a gunman armed with a firearm that had been intentionally "run" into Mexico under the guidelines of the U.S. Justice Department, we see another example of bureaucratic behavior that falls into the "felony stupid" category.
From the State of Washington, a state that just enacted a law (I-594) that penalizes law-abiding gun owners in order to supposedly keep guns out of the hands of miscreants, comes this story:
King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg’s office yesterday announced a plea bargain with a two-time killer that involved dropping a serious gun charge, only weeks after helping pass a gun control measure that penalizes law-abiding firearms owners.
Yesterday, Satterberg’s office announced a guilty plea from Ja’Mari Alexander-Alan Jones in the murder of DeShawn Milliken at a Bellevue Square restaurant/bar, noting that a firearms charge was dropped as part of the deal that will send Jones to prison. Had the case gone to trial and Jones been convicted of murder and the firearms charge, he could have faced a much longer prison sentence, according to published reports.
“Instead of throwing the book at Jones, Satterberg’s office dropped the gun charge. That’s outrageous, especially after Satterberg prominently campaigned for I-594, a measure that was touted as a means of keeping guns out of the wrong hands – people like Jones – when all it really seems to do is penalize and inconvenience law-abiding gun owners and criminalize perfectly legal activities.
Law-abiding gun owners are getting fed up with this kind of stuff. The National Rifle Association, and other gun-owner organizations, supports the zealous prosecution of criminals who misuse firearms in the course of their illegal activity. Instead, we see draconian laws imposed on law-abiding citizens, under the guise of cracking down on crime, while the outlaws intentionally go unpunished.
/fl
Memorial
Brian Terry
August 11, 1970 - December 15, 2010
“I have been waiting four years for justice for my son Brian, which have been the worst years of my life,” said Brian’s mother Josephine Terry. “It’s hard for me not to cry when I think I will never see his face again. The loss I feel cannot be described”
Navigation
When things go 'bump' in the night
There are an estimated 100,000 seamounts around the globe. A seamount is a mountain rising from the seafloor, typically formed from extinct volcanoes. The one's known to exist have been charted, but it's easy to overlook them if you use the wrong chart scale. A charted seamount can disappear on an electronic chart display if a navigator selects too small of a scale.
On November 29, 2014, Team Vestas Wind was sailing on a reach at 19 knots, in the dark of night, when they blindly arrived at 16º48.28'S, 059º34.51'E, a spot where, unbeknownst to them, an 'invisible' seamount awaited their arrival.
The event was captured on cam:
Navigation waste is hazardous waste!
/fl
Civil Rights
Public Support for Citizen's Gun Rights is Growing
For the first time in more than two decades of Pew Research Center surveys, there is more support for gun rights than gun control.
Currently, 52% say it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns, while 46% say it is more important to control gun ownership.
Support for gun rights has edged up from earlier this year, and marks a substantial shift in attitudes since shortly after the Newtown school shootings.
Education
NRA Youth Education Summit
The National Rifle Association is now accepting applications for the 2015 Youth Education Summit. Current high school sophomores and juniors are eligible to apply. Admitted students receive an expense-paid week in the Washington, DC area with the chance to earn $30,000 in college scholarships. The summit offers a unique opportunity to learn more about American history, government and the NRA while making friends with other students from all over the country. Dont miss out on the experience of a lifetime!
Evil
Burning victim's last words could lead detectives to her killer
"She left to go clean out her car and was going to get her something to eat."
The 19-year-old never made it home... Jessica Chambers, was found burning near her car that was also engulfed in flames... "When the fire department got there, she was walking down the road on fire," he said. "Only part of her body that wasn't burned was the bottom of her feet."
The gruesomeness of this story reminds me of the Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom case.
There is a just, and effective, way to deal with evil incarnate, but it takes preparation. Are you prepared?
/fl
Suppressors
Florida To Allow Hunting With Suppressors
(NSSF News)
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission last Friday voted unanimously to repeal the state's 57-year ban on hunting with suppressors. Effective immediately, Florida hunters are allowed to use sound suppressors on firearms while hunting deer, gray squirrels, rabbits, turkey, quail and crows. Florida joins 32 other states in allowing the use of suppressors for hunting all game animals. Meanwhile, a committee of the Ohio State Senate may consider legislation this week that would repeal that state's prohibition on hunting with firearm suppressors. The measure passed in the Ohio House of Representatives earlier this year. For more information, see http://www.nssf.org/factsheets/PDF/Suppressors.pdf