Sarah Brady's misguided tears

Well howdy everyone, sorry I haven't been posting. I've been working a lot, and blogging just hasn't been a priority. I am still working on a rebuttal to a video, that will be posted sometime this year I hope.....

Anyhoo, you all have seen the reports on the shooting in Arizona last week. Lots of emotions are running wild, and people are calling for something to be done. A major problem with an instance like this is people take the deeds and thoughts of an insane man and try and paint a picture that anyone who is even remotely close to the same ideas is just like him.

Sarah Brady is calling for more gun control (of course) thinking that will solve the problem:

Obama is our best hope, because he is surely aware that much of the resistance to common-sense changes to our gun laws is meant to shut us down and shut us up. It is meant to allow the guys with the guns -- instead of ordinary Americans like us with the ideas -- and men and women of good conscience, like Gabby and Jim -- to make the rules.

So....People with guns are not ordinary Americans? Anyone with a gun is going to do this? With all the millions of guns in the US, the fact that this doesn't happen often (especially in a place with lots of guns) doesn't mean anything? The instant you must resort to demonizing your opponent, you have already lost the moral high ground.

The bullies have succeeded too often. They have made cowardly lions out of too many members of Congress. This moment, as grievous as it is, presents a new opportunity for the president and other elected leaders to demonstrate political courage -- the way President Bill Clinton did when he stood by the side of victims and fought with all he had to pass the Brady Bill.

That's right, never let a crisis go to waste..never mind that the Brady Bill did absolutely no good in curbing gun crime. Guns are tools. They work both ways. There are no good guns and bad guns, there are only good men and bad men. A "High capacity" magazine could just as easily be used to save lives as to commit mass murder. Think mass rioting/looting that happens when societies collapse (for example, when a large scale earthquake hits California.) One shop owner isn't going to be a deterrent, however, one shop owner with a couple thousand rounds of ammunition at the ready to protect his family and property is quite a deterrent. Firearms are force multipliers...they even the playing field. Suddenly, an 80 year old grandma doesn't need to give in to a 200 lbs rapist. Taking away guns creates an environment where the strong live and the weak suffer.

Say "no" to those who won't retreat from an ideology that is fixated on weapons of war that are turned on babies and grandmothers alike. An ideology that helps assassinate dreamers and the dreams they hold dear. That litters across our fruited plains the bloodstains of innocents. That has kept us from forming that more perfect union, and pistol-whipped us into a seemingly endless cycle of wounding, maiming and murdering one another.

Those "Weapons of war" have been used to murder innocents, yes. There is no question of that. They have also been used to stop mass murder, save people from being mauled alive, put food on the table, etc. Anything can be used for evil, no matter what it is. Nothing is sacred. The internet can be used to stay connected with those you hold dear, stay aware of the world around you, learn things you never could. It could also be used to look at pornography, gossip, destroy someones character, steal military secrets. The tool is not the problem, the person is.

The Brady bunch does not want "common-sense" gun regulations, they want no guns whatsoever. Now, if it were even possible to get all the guns (which it's not, but let's just assume) we would find ourselves in a world with no equalizers. The citizens would be completely reliant on the good will of their governments for protection. Those who devoted their entire lives to training to do violence would have the upper hand and be able to prey on those that did not.

Lessons from my father

A friend of mine posted this to facebook:


The series is called Lessons From My Father, and from what I have seen, it is very good.

I'd like to talk specifically about the scenario in the video where a town lost electricity. The majority of society collapsed. From just losing electricity! You see, this sort of shocked me, I'm ashamed to say. I grew up thinking what most people consider "tough," was normal. My friends and I always had the same mindset growing up. If we wanted something we got it, by building, earning, whatever. We never thought it would be given to us, and most of the time we'd get it after a great deal of working for it. Unfortunately, the rest of society is not that way.

During the aftermath of Katrina, something that's always stuck with me in my mind was a video clip of a single mom getting interviewed. She had lost her home, and belongings, and was sitting on a curb. The interviewer asked what she was going to do next, and what she said shocked me. "I'm just going to sit here till someone comes to take care of me." All I could think was what a horrible mindset.

Thinking about myself, I have a very "If it's to be, it's up to me." mindset. That's one of my sins sometimes, because I find it hard to trust that God will take care of me, and instead turn inward. However, it is most certainly a gift from God as well, because it instills a Get-R-Done, and I will survive attitude in me. That attitude has most certainly helped get me through some difficult times in life, and as long as I realize, that it comes from God, and not from me, I am blessed with success.

My dad always told me, "Don't sweat the small stuff." Funny how dad's have those words of wisdom that stick with ya for years after. I believe I've learned a lot from my dad. As a kid he did a lot of hiking, growing up as a missionary kid in the Philippines and Napal. By the time he had me and my siblings as kids, he had developed a dislike for camping. Sleeping on the ground, hiking through the woods, just wasn't his thing. He did, however, let us go camping with our friends, and my sister and I readily did that. Most wouldn't call my dad "tough." He's a computer programmer, wears glasses, etc. However, he was the one that instilled the mindset of a sheepdog within me, we trained side by side in martial arts, he taught me from a young age about God, he taught me to shoot, all that good stuff. His mindset is one of a survivor and a sheepdog.

I hope my readers will check out the other videos in the series, and teach others how to be sheepdogs.

Till next time, God bless!

Quote of the day

The Anti-Gunners (let's call them anti-self defensers shall we?) freak out when they see large amounts of firearms in the hands of civilians. Why would we ever need them? Are we planning on fighting a war? We must be terrorists!

Well, the fact that it is an inalienable right should be enough, let's give a few more reasons. The 2nd Amendment was set up to guarantee that we are governed, not ruled. Like wise, it was set up to guarantee the right of the people to defend themselves against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

With that, I give you the quote of the day:

"You cannot invade mainland America. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass." -Isoroku Yamamoto, Japanese Admiral

The Japaneses came close to finding out that that was true, but fortunately, they didn't. The question is, does that still hold true today? If an enemy force invaded, would there be a rifle behind every blade of grass, or just another sheep cowering, waiting for the slaughter? Something to ponder.

The difference between Terrorism and Militia

Saw this on MSNBC today:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The video states that a "Christian Militia" plotted attacks on the US government in order to bring about the ruin of the government. One such attack involved killing a police officer, then bombing the funeral. This, my friends, is terrorism. A militia provides for the common defense, this seems to be an offense against fellow citizens. The group hides behind a religious front claiming they are preparing for the anti-Christ. This may, or may not be true, but judging by their plan of action against US citizens, I would have to say this is an extremist anarchy group.

The press eats this up, because it is everything they claim we are. A bunch of knuckle dragging, anti-government, gun clinging, bible thumping, flag waving, extremists. Only they seem to have their own flag that they fight under, and the only mention of Christianity is preparing to defend against the anti-Christ. I do not know their heart, so I cannot judge, but this seems extremely cultish.

Be wary of these sorts of things. Though we may not agree with our leaders, God has still placed them over us. There may be a time when we have to fight with arms, to defend our rights, to be free to worship, etc; but as of now, we can fight it in the courts and congress. God is still in control, He has placed people in authority over us, and therefore, we should obey them, until their orders contradict the orders of God. We should pay taxes, give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's. Though it may seem bad and chaotic, in time, it will all make sense. During WWII, I doubt that it seemed to be making sense what was happening, and why things were going the way they were going; however, looking back, it all comes together. Everything happened in just the right way for evil to be stopped, at least for a while. Israel was created once again, and a nation of Israel was set up, so that the prophecies in Revelation could be fulfilled.

Should we fear the anti-Christ? No, we have salvation in Jesus. Who can stand against the awesome power of Christ? Our sins are forgiven, they are washed away, we have been made clean. We are children of God now, not the devil; sin and death have lost their power. Nothing of this world can have affect. Our God is an awesome God, He rescues His people out of darkness. We yearn for the day we can be united with Him in heaven, but until that day, we carry out His work.

Should we prepare? Yes. Hard times are ahead, I believe. Real persecution, like that which is in other countries. Our freedom has granted us an easy life thus far, we are free to worship, we are free to pray, we are not killed by the government for our faith. But that may change. I believe it will, personally. Prepare for that. Memorize scripture, know what you know is true. You must be sure of your faith, you must be sure of who Christ is, you must be sure of your forgiveness from sin. At one time, you might be faced with a choice, deny Christ or die. Remember, to live is Christ, to die is gain. Let the world despise and leave us, they have left our savior too. Let them destroy the body, let them take away the very air we breath, our God is mighty to save, and they cannot harm the soul. I do not believe we can fully prepare for that time of suffering, but I pray that I will have the courage to say "Yes, I do believe in Christ."

Human rights.

A friend posted this on facebook:

Couple of things. 

I am not Republican, I am not Democrat. I am a Juris Naturalist. I believe in higher law, set forth by Almighty God. There are two parts of Higher Law, Do what you say you will do and Do not encroach on other persons or their property. That is, do not rape, murder, steal, etc. If these laws are widely followed, there is prosperity. If not, there is misery. 

I believe that government should not be involved unless it is to stop one persons rights from being trampled on. That is, to protect the rights of its citizens in a way that does not destroy the rights of another. This is done by taking those who have committed an offense, and trying them in a court of justice. Notice that I did not say a court of law. Any jury, any court should be trying to find what justice is, and how to apply it to the situation. Justice, you see, is not created; justice is found.

Throughout history, man has shown their lust for control. The people with the biggest stick won, and trampled the rights of those weaker. That is why we have the 2nd Amendment. If the people have the biggest stick, the government must respect their rights. The people have a right to live peaceably. When someone decides to disrupt a persons peaceful life, that person has a right to defend themselves and property, to bring about justice. It is human instinct to stay alive and survive. 

Dealing with catastrophe.

Let's talk about survival situations in an urban area:

Say that we have a disaster with a magnitude like Katrina, where the entire infrastructure collapses. In the initial stages everyone will come together for the common good. We have a heard mentality, and will work for the good of the herd. But, as people begin realizing that there are not enough supplies to go around, it will become ugly. That is why it is important to make friends with those that can protect you later on. This means gangs in some cases. This may not seem morally acceptable, but understand that it is survival. Be ready to protect your supplies, that means, be ready to shoot anyone that tries to take them. Someone taking your supplies is a death warrant in this environment.

In disaster, creepers come out of the walls. Be ready for this, you will be the only thing standing between them and those you love. You will most likely not be able to hold them for authorities, as the authorities will be weeks away, and over swamped to boot. This means you will have to play judge, jury, and executioner, not a fun task. Be sure that you know what you are doing, do not strike in anger. Think things through, it will save you guilt later on.

The problem with urban is that it is not self sustaining. Everything comes from the countryside, and therefore, you eventually will have to move out. Have a plan to do so without using main highways or freeways. In some cases, they might not even be there. Know what environments you will have to to bug out in. If it's desert, know where the water is, and how to get it. Know the area, the plants, the animals, what can and can't kill you, and how to deal with it.

In a disaster, money will most likely become worthless, therefore have supplies to barter with. Beer and cigs are always going to be in high demand, and they are not necessary for your survival. Ammo and firearms is another, but you will need them for yourself, however, if you have ammo that you do not have a firearm for, it may be wise of you to use this to barter with.

As I write this, a tsunami is heading towards hawaii, pray for those that are there. The thing that caused this disaster was an 8.8 magnitude earthquake in chilli, pray for those there. Also pray for those in California, normally if an earthquake strikes South America, one strikes southern California within between 2 hours and 2 days.

God bless.

~Sheepdog

Reflexes

Amazing little things aren't they?

From Scientific America comes this:

A study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society finds that reacting to a movement, such as being drawn on in a gunfight, is faster than initiating the movement

I know this to be true from martial arts. Your defensive reflexes are far faster. It is much easier to defend than to score a hit, the only problem is that at some point you must go offensive because eventually the opponent will get past your guard. That is why it will never work to only train with blocks as some have told me. Some say that we should just block and not try and hurt the aggressor because we then become the same if not worse. Well, you can't block forever and you have to get away some how. Normally you must disable the aggressor first. Train like its the real thing, and make sure you can Get-R-Done quickly.

Profiling...

...you're doing it.

http://www.4029tv.com/news/22307123/detail.html

Got that from SayUncle.

I'm guessing this is just something for when the FBI back ground check fails, they can point fingers saying it's his fault! Then probably shut down the store, press charges of some kind, etc.

Self Defense Training

Brigid has an excellent post on it.

I suggest everyone reads this, but highly recommend it for females. The threat is real, your choice is to acknowledge it and train or ignore it and become a victim. I suggest when you train to take a mixture of martial arts. Train for medium range (kicks, punches), close range (throws, holds), and ground fighting (submissions, locks, grappling).

Some martial arts for these are Krav Maga (Israeli combat arts), and Systema (Russian combat arts). The karate school I train at teaches Karate, Judo, and Grappling all for the same enrollment price. This gives you all 3 ranges of fighting listed above. Karate (medium range with weapons and open hand), Judo (close range holds and throws), and Grappling (submissions, locks, etc.)

Look around your town and see whats available, however, be wary of karate and ancient martial arts like it. Nowadays, they focus more on looking good and disciplined and not enough on actual fighting. Gather intel, talk to the students and the sensei. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. Make sure you are being trained with the skills you will need to defend yourself.

Read Brigid's post, stay safe, God bless.

~Sheepdog

Ok then...

I can't tell if this guys joking or not...

Tell me, is this guy for real?

An alternative to lockdown is immediate exodus via announcement. Although this removes potential hostages and makes it nearly impossible for the shooter to acquire preselected targets, it unfairly rewards resourceful children who move to safety off-site more shrewdly and efficiently than others.

Mmmkay....so...your saying its unfair to those children who didn't make it to safety that others got away? That those who got away didn't get shot? Am I hearing you right?

But as a progressive, I would sooner lay my child to rest than succumb to the belief that the use of a gun for self-defense is somehow not in itself a gun crime.

 Glad I aint your child. I'd rather have Mr. Rapist dead and 6 feet under.

The stupidity of some people amazes me.

Internet Security

More specifically Facebook. Facebook is a wonderful way to stay connected. You can find old buddies from high school, or the service who you've long since forgotten. It's a great way to share information. The problem comes when you start sharing that information with the wrong people. Therefore, I give you these rules:

Don't make your account public: There is a setting where people do not need to add you to view everything about you. This means anything you post is up for viewing. Depending on what you post, someone could find, cell number, home number, address, birth date, name, family members, favorite music, favorite activities, home city, current city, religious preference, political denomination, and more. And those are just off the top of my head.

Don't add people you don't know and trust: This goes back to the previous rule. If you don't know em, or trust 'em, there's no reason for them to view your information. It's dangerous in fact. The chances could be one in a million that someone wants to do something, but all it takes is that one. The more information you put out, the more dangerous it becomes. The smallest thing can give away something important.


Don't give out more information than is necessary: Cell phone numbers, addresses, siblings, etc. These are not necessary, and they give  out far more information than you can imagine. At least go into your settings and control who sees that information.


Make your profile picture and friends list private to anyone you have not "friended": The thing about friends lists, they tell a lot about where you live. By looking at what your friends networks are, you can normally narrow down where someone is to at least the city. Not to mention your friends may not be as discerning as you, and give away little nuggets of information. Profile picture can give other things away. For example, if you are in a uniform, someone could trace your unit patches, name, etc. Also if it was at a local restaurant, landmark etc. I know this sounds like a pain in the butt, and that's because it is. Information is way to easy to get a hold of these days.


Thats it for now, more to follow. Stay safe. God Bless.

~Sheepdog

Gun registration

Jay G talks about it: http://stuckinmassachusetts.blogspot.com/2009/12/registration-confiscation.html

The problem with registration is it ALWAYS leads to confiscation. Always. Might take a few years, but they will come for your guns.

Lions

Now let's talk about lions. Lions are very close to sheepdogs with one exception. They don't go out of their way to defend others. They train to defend themselves, and, if necessary, to defend family. On the outside they're a cute cuddly kitten. Not something scary, just a normal person. However, when provoked, they become a clawing bitting lion that will destroy anything keeping them from getting to safety. Most people who train in the self defense community are lions. They will always be ready to defend themselves, and their family. They will never give up on their freedom.

Dark arts for the good guys.

Theres another dark arts for the good guys out: Think Fast!

If you haven't read the others, here they are:

Intro

Bribery Part 1

Bribery Part 2

Fight or Flight Part 1

Fight or Flight Part 2

Flight Plan

Where Theres Smoke

When No One Is Coming

Break On Through to the Other Side

None Permissive Environments

Change your mind, the rest will follow

Required reading for any Sheepdog

Rule number 6

Rule number 6 of Sheepdog's rules of life states: Know how to turn anything into a weapon.


Ok, great Sheepdog, now what. Now train with anything. It does you very little good to know how to turn it into a weapon of your not willing to use it as one, or haven't trained with it. A book is a great weapon, but it also opens up complications to use. If you do not understand these complications before hand, your first real life use of it as a weapon will be a rude awakening. You obviously cannot train with every possible weapon, because everything is a possible weapon. But, the more you train with, the better you are. 


In a fight, you must improvise or die. Being able to think outside the box is a necessity. "But Sheepdog! What if there are some people who just can't do that?" Life aint fair, no one ever said it would be. You can't improvise? Your what we call the walking dead. I understand some people can't do whats necessary to live, but they have to help themselves, or be lucky enough to have a sheepdog around to defend them. In this society, we focus on everyone being equal. Thats a good thing, but some people take that to mean they are entitled. Problem is, nature doesn't see it that way. In nature, you either have it or you don't. If you don't, to bad, pick up your darwin awards on the way out. Same thing with a fight. It doesn't matter weather its fair or not, it just is. Sometimes you can have the greatest amount of training out there, but if you don't have whats necessary for the fight, your done. You could be Jason Bourne, but sometimes, its still not enough. The best you can do is get the training to give you the greatest chance of survival. 


Also, never expect a fight to go the same way. Ever. Experience is learning from your mistakes, but you will never have two fights that go the same way. They will always be different, and always you will be surprised at some point in it. Your job is to recover faster than the attacker can recover from the surprises you throw at him. 


Stay light on your feet, and get out there and train. Training breads some experience, the rest has to be earned. Its a cruel road, but one that makes you stronger.


Stay safe, and God bless.

Improvise under stress

When things go south, they go south fast. The question is not if, but when. No plan survives the enemy on first contact, so be ready to improvise. The simpler the plan the better, but remember, have a back up for the back up for the back up plan. And when all those plans fail, have another. Expect nothing to work ever. Never assume that your weapon of choice will work. Expect your glock to jam, your magazine to not feed, your back up magazine ( you do carry a back up right?) to fall apart, your knife to break, your pepper spray to be broken, and in effect everything you carry to not go the way its supposed to. What then? Are you willing to kill with your bare hands? Have you trained to fight on the ground? Can you break someones knees or hyper extend their arm? Are you willing to cause them the greatest pain imaginable to stay alive? Decide now, because finding out in a fight is to late. Train with medium range, to close for comfort, and ground fighting.

Train under stress. Yelling, time limits, low light, rapid engagement, these all cause stress. One drill that I like is have someone suddenly yell to start and then count off three seconds. From start through those three seconds, you must unholster your weapon, rack the slide, safety off, then fire 3 rounds through the target (preferably the size of a head). This provides stress.

Another way is to do hand to hand combat blind folded. This opens up your other senses so you can "sense" what the attacker will do before they do it. Start off with just grappling or judo, but when you get better, move on to blocking strikes while blind folded. Mind you, this requires several years of experience

There are 4 modes to travel at:

White: Not paying attention, totally oblivious to the world. Basically they are prey, and will be surprised by anything that goes wrong.

Yellow: Paying attention, constantly scanning to know whats around, very contentious of their surroundings. Waiting to step up to the next threat level.

Orange: People at orange are aware of a threat that has just emerged. They are on a heightened level of awareness, ready to be attacked. At this stage, they have a weapon ready, though not visible. This is when verbal confrontation is a good idea, but from a distance. example: "Thats close enough, what do you want."

Red: Threat to life and limb is imminent, at red your body starts pumping adrenalin through your system. The weapons come into play, and it is now a physical confrontation.

Rule 4: Travel at yellow.

Traveling at yellow allows you to be aware of whats around you, and not be surprised when things go south. Traveling at white is suicide as far as I'm concerned, but much happier for the sheep. Basically its sticking your head in the sand.

The less surprise, the less stress in a fight. Being aware of whats going on also allows you to make those plans. When you have a plan, you have confidence. When you have confidence, you react faster and better. When you react faster and better, the attacker has to react to you. When the attacker reacts to you, he loses confidence. When he loses confidence, he loses the will to fight. When he loses the will to fight, he loses.

In conclusion, train under stress, train like its the real thing, have a plan, have a back up for the back up for the back up plan, and travel at yellow.

God bless.

Self defense

Brigid had her own encounter this weekend: http://mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com/2009/11/when-it-gets-close-to-home.html

Read it, learn it, do it.

Your funny of the day

Found this on Cold Steel:

Are You a Republican, Democrat, or Southerner?
The answer can be found by answering the following question:

You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children.
Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you. You are carrying a Glock .40 caliber, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family.
What do you do?

Democrat's Answer:
Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
Does the man look poor or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away?
What does my wife think?
What about the kids?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the Glock have appropriate safety built into it?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?
Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
Should I call 9-1-1?
Why is this street so deserted?
We need to raise taxes, have paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for a few days and try to come to a consensus.

Republican's Answer:
BANG!

Southerner's Answer:
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click..... (Sounds of reloading)
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! Click "Damn! I'm out!"
Daughter: "Nice pattern Daddy! Were those the Silver Tips, black talons, or them new Hollow Points?"
Son: "Can I shoot the next one Daddy?"
Wife: "You ain't takin' THAT to no Taxidermist!"

If death don't bring you fear I swear, you'll fear these marching feet.

From Straight Forward in a Crooked World comes this.

This is the mind set I have had for many years. I do not fear death, but I am sure going to put up a fight if you try and kill me. Its like in the warrior song, "Come to the nightmare, come to me." If you bring me the fight, I will make sure I am your worst nightmare. "Chin in the air with my head held high, I'll stand in the path of the enemy lines" No matter how big and bad you are, I am bigger and badder. "Put a grin on my chin when you come to me cause I'll win" I will win.

When they come, they will find a killing machine intent on stopping them. If that means killing, I aim to do just that. You come in looking for a victim? Thats the biggest mistake you'll ever make. This sheep is a sheepdog, and this sheepdog is willing and ready.

Thats my mindset, and thats stopping power.

Bring it!

Stopping power

When you think stopping power what do you think? Probably something over 9mm right? Well, lets take a look at this common misconception. Stopping power is the power to stop an oncoming critter. Now, can you stop someone with a .22? Yes. If you are well trained in the use of your weapon, or just plain lucky, you have stopping power. It does you no good to have a .4o S&W if you can hit the broad side of a barn, let alone center of mass.

Now, does that mean I think you shouldn't carry a bigger caliber? No, it means whatever you carry, let it be an extension of your arm. Train regularly, under stress, in different scenarios, with a time limit, etc. Don't have the mind set that because you have this type of gun, you don't need to train for accuracy.

Now, if you have trained regularly, you have stopping power. If your weapon of choice is a Walther P22, go for it. Its your choice. Id say practice lots and lots of head shots, but thats just me. Now, even wounding someone with a .22 could stop them. Actually, even the appearance of a gun may stop them. Most criminals wont stick around to contest the fact that you have a low caliber gun. Most don't want to get killed or injured.

Stay safe, and may God bless you all.