The Tactical Mind

I want to take some time to give some down to earth practical advice. Lots of us carry. If you carry to... this is for you.

The most important thing in a fire fight is not the type of weapons involved... its the minds of the collective participants. You fight more with your head than your hands. So just like you prepare your hands by drilling at the range... you also need to prepare your head.

You need to develop a tactical mind.

The first step to this is accepting the reality that this is a dangerous world, and combat is not only possible... at some point... its probable. Once you've accepted that you can take the necessary steps to insure the proper response... which is to kill the sorry son-of-a-bitch that tries to bring harm to you or your loved ones.

The next logical step once you've accepted reality is situational awareness. Now we humans have been conditioned to shut our brains off and wonder around on auto pilot. If you've ever seen zombie kids with ear buds walking down the street you know exactly what I'm talking about. You don't have that option. Your brain is on... and going thousand miles an hour... every second of the day.

This doesn't mean you're paranoid. It means you're awake. You should find yourself thinking about questions. "Where is my gun?" "If someone broke through that door just now... would I be able to respond?" "What would I do?"

Now on to step two... what happens when you find yourself in a fight? For all of psychology's faults... and there are many... it has provided us with some useful information about human emotion. So we actually know a lot about what you're going to feel when a confrontation starts. Obviously everyone is going to react differently... but we can speak in general terms and can certainly give you a starting point.

You may think you'll be afraid, but that's not likely. Fear actually takes a while to build up. Fear is the accumulation of negative thoughts. You won't have much time to be thinking negative thoughts. The first thing you'll feel is most accurately described as astonishment. You'll be utterly amazed that someone has suddenly attacked you or your loved ones. Its extremely important that you are able to recognize this and act accordingly. Another important thing to remember is what to do if you actually do have time for fear to well up. I'll give you the best advice I've ever been given when it comes to dealing with fear: Get. Pissed. Off. Yes... you read it correctly. You must make a conscience effort to convert that fear to anger. Humans function very well when angry. Not at all well when afraid... and yet the two are closely related. Its remarkably easy to convert fear to anger... so do it. After all... that son-of-a-bitch is trying to take everything from you.

These next seconds are critical. Seconds is all you have. Chances are the whole fight will be over in 30 seconds... especially if you keep your head. During the fight... it will be easy to get lost in a million different thoughts... and thus to just shut down and start squeezing the trigger. It happens to cops a lot. I know cops that have sworn they only fired 4 shots in a fire fight... but had actually emptied their 9mm's mag and stuffed the weapon back in its holster with the slide still locked back.

People that shut down like that don't do very well in a fire fight.

I'm going to keep this as simple as possible. You must allow yourself to think only this:

"DRAW. FRONT SIGHT. PRESS. FRONT SIGHT. PRESS. FRONT SIGHT. PRESS."

You must see the front sight. Make yourself see it. If you see it.... you'll hit the bad guy. One drill I do is firing as quickly as possible by relying on muscle memory to let my pistol fall back to the exact same position after recoil... and trying to locate the front sight before I can double tap. If I'm not able... I slow down a little.

Now...

Its all over. The bad guy is laying dead at your feet... where he belongs. Now what? Well do you want the PC 21st century version or do you want the truth? The PC 21st century says you're going to be terrified... shaken... upset... and traumatized because you had to shoot some one.

The truth?

The truth is you're going to be elated... exhilarated...and positively pumped. Food will taste better... Beds will feel softer... and you'll be at least an inch taller. Winning a fight, and that's what you've just done, doesn't traumatize us. It fires us up.

Winning a fight didn't become traumatizing until the lawyers got involved.

So lets sum up the Tactical Mind:

1) Situational Awareness. Be vigilant. Understand that fighting is a distinct possibility and make up your mind to be ready for it.

2) During the fight... concentrate on technique. FRONT SIGHT. PRESS. FRONT SIGHT. PRESS. If you find yourself being afraid... try to convert that fear to anger.

3) After the action... try not to strut around to much.

I Hate Being Right

This is getting old. For weeks now we've been hearing that the recovery was right around the corner... and for weeks now we've (me, vox, several others) have been telling you that the worst is yet to come.

And here we are... its almost May... The administration has fired every bullet in its gun. The Fed hasn't started shooting yet... because it knows if it does it risks something far worse than a mere depression.

So here we sit... waiting. And I'm getting really sick of it.

The other day I stopped by a little pool business here in town. Its run by two hardworking people... a man and his wife. They've made money their whole lives by the sweat of their backs. Now?

Now they're on food stamps... and 10 grand behind on their rent.

I know industrial mechanics... tool and dye... electricians... all out of work. Been out of work for months. No jobs in sight... and to many government obstacles to start their own businesses. I don't see how this ends well.

And all the while the jackasses on TV tell us the recovery is right around the corner... What do you think their gonna do when fall rolls around and things are still on the decline?

Well I'll tell ya one thing... if you've managed to recover some of your losses in your 401k you better get out soon. We're not gonna be flirtin' around with 8000 to much longer. We're at or near the peak right now. You may be able to wait a little while... but just remember... when it drops this time... its gonna drop big.

Keep your powder dry boys... if ya have any.

License to Reload?

Go Time approaches.

It seems like every few days I'm reading about some new attack on the Second Amendment. Clinton wasn't this aggressive in his wettest of dreams. The fact is all these tactics are indeed having their effect.

Yesterday I was over at Bass Pro. The boys there at the gun counter told me they'd been averaging 120 handgun sales per week since December. That's a lot of firearms boys. But get this... the last 2 days? Practically none.

Why?

No ammo. People ain't paying 700 bucks for a fancy new firearm they can't shoot. It'd just be an expensive, extremely well engineered paper weight. For the first time ever... a shortage of ammo is negatively affecting firearm sales. Not good.

I also took the time to talk to them about their Primers. Seems like you boys that like to poopoo rumors better start perkin' up. When a company as big as Bass Pro can't get CCI small rifle primers... there's a problem.

And yes... I'm well aware that Cabellas "appears" to have them... but if you'll take the time to add those primers to your cart you'll see that they are on backorder. You can't get them.

Bass Pro has no idea when they are gonna get some. Neither does anyone else.

The good news is... I have a line on .223... but no... I ain't sharing.

The Leading Economic Indicator

So whenever you hear some talking head rambling about how the decline is all but over and the light is clearly at the end of the tunnel. Do take a moment to point this out to them.

Nothing says recovery like CFO's offing themselves.

Of course if you note the wording of the article there are at least some suspicious aspects of the death. But then again, its not like the murder of Freddie Mac executives would bode well.

Well... I suppose that depends on the goal doesn't it?

Flip Floppery

See? Change ain't always so easy to deal with. You get quite a bit of chaos and even a few shenanigans. But in the end... it all works out for the better.

Or not.

Change...

Definately... but I don't know about hope. Feel free to rant about all the changes in the comments... assuming you get them to work. I didn't want to do it. I really didn't... but it was time folks.

Out with the old... as they say.

On Secession

Enough is enough. It is time for the People of the South to declare once and for all that they will decide their own fate... for better or worse.

We have the right... no... we have the duty to chart our own course. We have our own distinct culture. We have our own distinct art. We have our own distinct literature and music. We share political and economic views that are incompatible with those of the United States. A Democrat from Georgia is more conservative than a Republican from New York. That's just a plain fact.

Right now... state legislators are fretting over secession... is it constitutional... is it not? What idiots. While they do so... the Federal Government continues to violate the contract with impunity.

Tell me friends... what exactly happens to a contract once its terms are violated?

That contract is null and void.

Allow to ask one question... this is to you folks that believe secession is illegal...

Does the United States have the right to leave the United Nations? More over... if the United States did leave the United Nations... would the UN have the right to invade the US to force its various views upon us?

Of course not. Its ridiculous.

Well... its no more ridiculous than the so-called American Civil War.

The Smartest People in the Room

The Gray Ghost

John Singleton Mosby was a Virginian with a penchant for violence. To be remembered as such would probably do him proud. See Mosby was practicing law when the war broke out... and immediately joined up with J.E.B. Stewart's cavalry. Mosby quickly rose through the ranks and soon became J.E.B.'s trusted right hand man. In fact... it was John Mosby that facilitated the Stewart's famous ride around McClellon.

It wasn't long before John was asked to go off on his own. He was given permission to recruit some partisan rangers and take them to war. He started out initially with one battalion of rangers.

With those few men... he managed to raise all manner of hell throughout northern Virginia. Mosby, like his contemporary in the west Nathaniel Bedford Forrest, was a gorilla fighter. He was a hit and run specialist... and the yankees loathed him for it. Large forces were frequently sent to destroy his little band... and every one of them failed. Most of them failed spectacularly.

In one such instance... Mosby and 29 of his men road into Fairfax Virginia one night where Union General Edwin H. Stoughton slept. Mosby woke him up with a slap on the ass. The general shouted, "do you know who I am?"

Mosby just replied, "Do you know John Mosby?"

It was dark and the general was apparently a little slow that night. He said, "Why? Do you have the scoundrel?"

I'm certain Mosby smiled as he put his pistol to the general's head and said, "No. But he has you."

Things got so bad that Lincoln ordered that if any of Mosby's men were captured, they should be killed. George Custer actually executed several himself.

Mosby made a terrible problem of himself throughout the war... until Lee surrendered. Rather than surrender himself... he simply disbanded his unit and moved to San Fransisco. He settled in well out west. He eventually befriended a young boy that lived nearby. He and the boy would draw up battle plans in the dirt and re-enact battles. Mosby spend years teaching the little boy everything he knew about tactics, leadership, and battlefield management.

That little boy? You've probably heard about him to...

His name was George S. Patton.

Meeting the Lord in Assless Leather Pants

All show and no go. If you've ever been around the motorcycle culture you've heard that. The loathesome Harly Davidson Motorcycle Company embodies the statement more than any other. Fitting then that a company could go so far as design its whole business plan around carting old dead people on them.

After extensive research on the company's website I learned they actually have an environmental policy which requires an escort to go along behind the processions for oil cleanup. After all... you can't have a couple hundred hogs rolling through town without leavin' a helluva mess. The clean up crew no doubt ride Hondas.... which look better... go faster... turn better... are more comfortable... more reliable... and don't leak oil all over the road.

Then again...

Playing dress up isn't as fun when you aren't part of a whole club of grown ups playing along with you.

Thanks Be to God

1Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

-Luke 24

Oh Death... Where is thy sting?

It is Done

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. -Luke 44-46

Today we remember the day Death died... and we remember the cost.

Bolt on... As such

One should be aware that an accessory claiming to be "bolt on" ain't necessarily... and even if it is... there the possibility that there is a great deal more to the story. I found this out today.

See I wanted to install new handguards on the KLX. What it had deflected the wind and bugs... but that's about it. I wanted somthing that could take a lick... save my levers... and maybe even my fingers.

Now... these guards came with mounting hardware. The process seems simple. You put what amounts to a glorified concrete anchor into your handlebars... and put a screw through the end of the guard into that hardware.. which expands and presses up against the inside of the bars. Fair enough.

One problem... My bars are full of steal. Seems Kawi decided the KLX could benefit from some weight in the bars to keep vibes down.

Ah... but never fear... What does a good redneck do when he sees a hole?

He taps it... so he can screw it whenever he pleases.

For the record that's an 8M X 1.25 I knew ya'll be wonderin'.

We Apologize

I realize we've been slackin' around here. See my Grandmother... my dad's mom... died friday morning. We've been runnin' around like chickens without heads ever since. At any rate.... we've been to Cincinnatti and back... and we now resume some semblence of our regular schedule.

Rest assured... just after we crossed the border back into Kentucky we changed the tires on the vehicles and threw away our boots so as to prevent any transfer of tainted yankee soil into our beloved Dixie. I speak for not only myself but can also vouch for JAC.

We also have a couple tales... though I'm a little to tired to relate them all tonight. I'll tell ya about one though...

See Jeb's favorite book is an encyclopedia of fighter planes. Literally ever aircraft ever built for the purposes of air-to-air combat is included. It starts in 1914 with the Fokker E1 and goes all the way through to present with the F-35. It tells the history, cost, design process, and specifications of every fighter built anywhere on the planet.

We read it. Every day.

Now some of you may know that my cousin Bryan happens to be an honest-to-God-no-shit Fighter Pilot. He flies an F-16. And also as you can certainly guess... I was very excited about introducing Jeb to him.

Upon said introduction... Jeb had one question. He looked Bryan in the eye and said.. skeptically I might add, "How fast does an F-16 go?"

This is where the trouble started.

"Well... it goes a lot faster than I'm willing to fly it."

Jeb was not impressed. Bryan realized this and tried to recover...

"It goes about 600mph buddy."

Jeb looked at Brian... Looked at me... and shook his head. That was that.

Later on we all went to the steak house and Bryan and I were recalling the little conversation... I had to point out how badly he'd screwed up. Bryan's a bright one though... he knew it.

"Yeah... I realized he knew he ment top speed when I said 600mph and he looked at me like I was a dumbass."

See... Jeb knows full well that the F-16's top speed exceeds 1,320mph. He examines it every day.

See? This is what happens when you talk to one of my boys like you're talkin' to a kid.

Don't let none of this fool ya though. I've been lookin' forward to seeing Brian and finally meeting his wife and beautiful little girl for a long time. A classier group you'll not run across. We got to meet another cousin's fiance'... that'd be Amy... Brian's little sister... a doll in every sense who's found herself a fine husband. Though I cannot imagine what possessed her to bring him to family fuctions before she had secured the deal with contractually.

I just wish we could've gotten together under better circumstances.

Drinkin' Back When

I'm gonna tell ya the plain truth boys... we're a damned bunch of teatottlin' do-gooders compared to our glorious ancestors. In this regard... I shall tell a tale... and a true one at that.

Way back in 1812 the USS Constitution left Boston. The ship had a crew of 475 officers and sailors. It was outfitted for war with 74,000 pounds of shot, and 11,500 pounds of powder. For drinking there were 48,600 gallons of water, and 79,000 gallons of rum.

Six weeks later the ship made Jamaica where she took on 68,300 gallons of rum. Three weeks after that she provisioned at the Azores where she shipped 64,300 gals of portugese wine. After shooting up the sea lanes around England, she made a raid on the Firth of Clyde where she captured, among other things a distillery. They loaded up 40,000 gallons of Scotch whiskey and headed for home.

The Constitution arrived home with its ammunition gone. So was all the rum, wine, and whiskey. But so the story goes... still in the hold were those original 48,600 gallons of water.

In honour of those fine men... and that fine tale... I will also share a recipe...

Chatham Artillery Punch

Three Gallons Catawba Wine
1 Gallon Rum
1 Gallon Brandy
1 Gallon Rye Whiskey
5 pounds brown sugar
2 qts of cherries
Juice from 3 dozen lemons

Smooth with 1 gallon of gin... just before serving add 3 gallons of champagne.

Time for an Investigation


So the other day I got this email... it was from a fella that claimed he'd heard about a supposed Islamic compound near Dover TN. He said he took a drive out to the place himself just to check it out.

These are some pictures he took while he was there. As you can see they've erected a sign at the entrance to the place. I don't know what Muslims of the Americas is... but I can assure you I intend to find out.

Apparently after speaking to some neighbors around the compound the emailer learned that there is a power line easement, and the compound is on either side of it. They have erected fences and barriers to discourage any traffic down that easement. Something tells me TVA won't be to happy about that.

He also included a pictures showing a satellite view of the compound, and the easement.

I cannot help but notice the convenient location of this compound... very close to Fort Campbell.



If you're interested... It is west of Carlisle, TN off of Eden Way, which is off of Dreamwood Lane. A quick search on mapquest will confirm the satellite view.

Wisdom

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein