Monday, August 31, 2015

2A Rights - Who Has Them?

 An appeals court recently ruled that illegal aliens have Second Amendment rights. That's funny, many legal Americans with no criminal record, nor mental health issues do not have Second Amendment rights...

Just ask any man slapped with a bogus restraining order by some family court somewhere.


Friday, August 28, 2015

Wrist Locks

Many (if not most) Japanese JuJutsu systems are heavy on standing wrist locks. A common criticism is that there is too much emphasis on these wrist locks and so it negates much of the practicality. Largely, this criticism is true.

Which made me wonder - for years - why an art which was constructed specifically for self defense would continue to focus on moves that are not practical. As is usual, the answer is "never assume malice when an excuse of ignorance will suffice."

Simply put: people kept teaching what they had been taught, because it was what they had been taught.

But why had wrist locks been such a staple in the past? This question also eluded me for years. Then I attended the recent MAUSA seminar. One of the instructors had the answer to that question. And I hadn't expected it at all.

In Japan of yesteryear, nearly 10% of the population went around armed... with swords. Europe, before firearm bans, saw a peak of around 3% daily armament. Even the modern US doesn't reach 5%. And modern martial artists train plenty to deal with clubs, knives, and guns. 

Back to Japan - defenses against a sword while unarmed can get tricky. Doubly so if the sword is already drawn. So why not specialize and pay lots of attention to stopping the draw? That's what about half of the wrist locks are based on.

The other half? If you have a sword you wish to draw, and someone tries to prevent the draw, how to get their hands off you.

So simple, it hurts.


Thursday, August 27, 2015

Gamma Pastor

Most churches are led by a reasonably strong figure - head. The pastor is, in typical fashion, an Alpha or Beta.

Funny though, I know of at least a half-dozen "wanna-be" pastors who cannot seem to land a gig. To a man, they are Gamma males (read - a man who acts like a woman). One of them might even be a family member, and another might be my secret admirer, you never know.

My advice to these folks would be simple: work on your Gamma tendencies. Graduate to Delta and look for a very small rural church where they just cannot seem to get any help. Or maybe, land a supporting role in a more reasonably sized church.

Hats off to my pastor, definitely an Alpha by any measure of the word.


Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Gamma or Omega?

I'm about to fire my attorney. I don't trust him to get justice for me. He acts like he's sitting on his hands, waiting to play defense. Grumble. Complain.

<<< Meets with attorney. >>>

I like this guy. He's going to win this for me. What's funny is he almost fired me at the beginning of the meeting. He pushed opposing counsel around on the phone. I can't figure out his plan, but he has a really good plan.

Witnessed this recently. My wife asked if this narrative came from a Gamma or an Omega.

Clearly, the attorney is an Alpha.

And equally as clearly, the narrative comes from a Gamma.

The Attorney
The attorney here is adept at asserting his will. He dominated opposing counsel, as well as an overly emotional client. All Alpha traits. 

The Client
The client enters society frequently enough, but doesn't understand "the rules." That's why he needs an attorney in the first place. His issues with the attorney prior to meeting are all based in emotion. The attorney asserts dominance, and all of a sudden, the client "loves" him (like a woman would... almost). All Gamma traits.

An Omega
Is generally clueless. Doesn't generally venture into society. Stays quiet (and therefore is perceived to be playing by the rules) when in social situations. Isn't generally all emo about everything.

Would never need an attorney in the first place. And would never react like this to an attorney. If things did go extremely poorly, and if the Omega was enraged, the Omega would go on a killing spree - likely killing the opposing party, all attorneys involved, and maybe a few innocent people, as well.

A Gamma
Generally exhibits behaviors of a (typical) woman.
Would be in a litigation (like a woman).
Would be mad at all parties involved (like a woman).
Would be planning to base decisions on the emotion as opposed to the facts (like a woman).
Would respond (like a woman) to the Alpha.


.


Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Pussification of Sports

Just a few days ago, I read  this article on Return of Kings (one of my personal favorite blogs). Then, this evening, I see that Curt Schilling gets  suspended from ESPN for comparing Islamic terrorists to Nazis.

Of course, I'd hoped someone was sticking up for the Nazis to prevent them from being compared to such low-life scum as Islamic terrorists, but such was not the case.

Given that most major sports can trace origins to combat or direct contests of strength and / or skill, it only follows that these are things that make men, well, men. Since ESPN wants to inject said men with enough estrogen to kill a hundred women, I don't think I'll be watching much of them anymore.



Posted via Blogaway


Not Getting Sore

Do you keep seeing and hearing people complaining about being sore? I do.
I rarely get sore these days, and when I do, it's over in a matter of hours... maybe a day.

It is my firm belief that doing only two things will drastically decrease your soreness:
1. ELIMINATE grains from your diet & eat more meat.
2. Supplement with Vitamin D. (I take 25,000 units per day)


Monday, August 24, 2015

Nonviolent Martial Arts?

Overheard someone recently say they picked their art, Aikido, because it was a nonviolent martial art. Same person also stated that her goal in martial arts was self defense.

I hate to break it to folks, but "nonviolent" martial arts are not effective for self defense.


Friday, August 21, 2015

Exercise and Weight Loss

This past weekend, at dinner with several other martial artists from the seminar, I observed two separate, but equally sad statements.


Statement 1
This statement, made by a woman who stood 5'3" and weighed north of 250 pounds. When asked what she wanted to eat for dinner by the server, she placed her order. The server was made aware of multiple allergies experienced by my fellow martial artist. The list was... impressive.

What she wound up eating was mostly grain-based. There were a few vegetables and a tad of meat.

It is my opinion, as well as the opinion of many in the medical field with credentials to back it up, that if she went grain-free, her allergies might well reduce or subside completely.


Statement 2
This statement was made by a gentleman who, though a towering 6'4", also claimed to weigh 340 pounds. He said he didn't worry about diabetes, because he was so active that he would burn up the sugar. This right after he said he was "only" 270 pounds in college because he lifted weights more then.

His dinner? An entire appetizer plate of nachos, two liters of beer (yes, liters, not pints), and a "donut-burger" complete with fries.


I actually ate more food than either of them - 25 chicken wings. Also has carrots & celery. The restaurant had a hot wing option where the sauce was Sriracha. My weight on Monday morning? 208


Thursday, August 20, 2015

Grappling Musings

This past weekend, I taught a fundamental hadaka jime session. There were also four other 90-minute sessions taught at the seminar. Attendees had varying ranges of experience with grappling and striking arts.

Several of the masters had kind words for me after the session. Said it was informative and reminded them of old-school grappling. (Note - it had better!)

A friend and fellow grappler was talking with me after the sessions, and sharing some BJJ moves he has been working on. He is a BJJ brown belt, Judo black belt, and 4th degree black belt in a jiu-jitsu style that resembles Judo and BJJ in the sense that they learn mostly grappling.

My friend showed me about 4 or 5 sport BJJ moves. He had also commented that my session brought back old memories as we focused on getting the fundamentals of grappling down correctly.

Then, the next day (after going over some more sport moves) he talked about how he prefers the self defense moves. About that same time, one of his students was having great difficulty getting out of a scarf hold / headlock while rolling with a grappler from a different school.

All irony, in my book. Not a dis on my friend, but this is the mindset that's out there. Sport grappling =/= self defense.


Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Hotel Musings

Sitting in the hotel breakfast lobby writing this. Yesterday was the martial arts seminar. I'm a bit sore, and soon we will leave back for the Nashville area.

The hotel is in the middle of Athens, GA. This weekend was registration weekend for the University of Georgia. Many families are here with their Freshman son or daughter. Here are several observations from the weekend:

At this hotel, as was also the case in years past, people are here with college age daughters over sons by a margin of 10 to 1, at least. Not sure what enrollment numbers are these days, but assuming they are pretty close to even, it would seem our society requires boys to "man-up," while simultaneously coddling grown daughters as though they were needing support.

I despise that mentality of support.

Many times (most of the time), the mother and daughter clearly favor one another. In cases where one is heavier (NOT always the mother, mind you!), that heavier one is eating "healthy whole grains" for breakfast. The slimmer one is either consuming very small portions of fruit or yogurt, or is eating meat & eggs.  This was true in every case I saw.

Of the martial artists I saw at suppers / lunches / etc., the heavier ones were always consuming grains. The leaner ones were consuming salads, vegetables, and meat.

I have yet to see one halfway alpha-male dad here with his daughter. Or even a beta. Mostly deltas, maybe a gamma here or there.

As a Vols fan, I kinda feel like a spy in enemy territory.

There weren't this many obese freshmen when I started college in fall of 1993.

The athletes still stand out and look like the athletes did 22 years ago.

The hotel breakfast lobby is much more crowded than it ever is during the week when I travel for work. And the hotels I generally stay in have much smaller breakfast lobbies than this. This lobby is three times the size and has many more people (dozens more).

Austin, Cael, and I were observing that confidence is not necessarily part of what is being taught in the martial arts any more.


Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Continuing Ed

Attended my 3rd straight Martial Arts USA seminar this past weekend. Really enjoyed it. Had the privilege of teaching a session. My son helped me teach it - I'm still not sure he realizes that he has now helped demo in a seminar.

That said, I am of the mindset of stepping back from seminars for a while. The other content, while fun, was really lacking in usefulness. Not that everything has to be useful, but I find it more enjoyable when it is.

If my son still wishes to attend, I'll be happy to take him. I just think it's time for me to curtail how much I participate.

Teach sessions?  Sure.

Assist as another teaches? You bet.

Participate? Maybe not for a while.


Monday, August 17, 2015

Anti Gun Argument 2

Some people claim they are anti-gun. Or, at least, that they wish to ban (or perhaps merely restrict) certain guns. To be sure, it is not advisable to engage in long arguments with them, but in select instances, it is necessary to establish the opposite point of view.

Ask a question.
Use a question that will bait them into painting themselves into a corner. This is not a "trick," because a true trick would go against the natural order of things. Anti-gunners are already operating against logic and the natural order of things, so it is really they who have painted themselves into the corner. You are simply going to demonstrate that.

What has been banned in the past where the ban worked?


Friday, August 14, 2015

Anti Gun Argument 1

Some people claim they are anti-gun. Or, at least, that they wish to ban (or perhaps merely restrict) certain guns. To be sure, it is not advisable to engage in long arguments with them, but in select instances, it is necessary to establish the opposite point of view.

Ask a question.
Use a question that will bait them into painting themselves into a corner. This is not a "trick," because a true trick would go against the natural order of things. Anti-gunners are already operating against logic and the natural order of things, so it is really they who have painted themselves into the corner. You are simply going to demonstrate that.

Do you think we should restrict some guns or all guns?
All guns: respond with the question - "and how do you propose we forcibly remove guns from the possession of criminals?" Here's a hint - this question cannot be answered.

Some guns: respond with the question - "how do you propose we handle it when criminals get their hands on the wrong type, because you know they will?"


Thursday, August 13, 2015

Liberal "Thought" Process

Liberal thought process:

Human shoots a human - blame the gun.

Human shoots an animal - blame the human.

Human shoots an alien - make money off it and then lash out against capitalism.

Animal shoots an animal - it's just nature.


Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Camo Comparison

Just a short while ago, I viewed a YouTube video of some folks training in rifle proficiency. Glad to see fellow Americans training. Many of the people running through the drill were wearing their favorite camouflage. Since all shooting was done outside, here are some observations on the effectiveness of the respective patterns on the Tennessee summer forest background:

ACU
Might as well been wearing neon yellow. This has no visible redemptive value as a camouflage pattern.

Multicam
Not as bad as ACU. Not "all that," either. It stood out a bit from the Tennessee vegetation.

Woodland
This was surprisingly good. Almost perfect. No flaws here.

A-TACS
This pattern blended very well. Almost too much. A couple of times, my eye lost track of a limb here or there.


.


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Rousey - Cyborg

A few days back, Ronda Rousey won yet again. Her opponent had not even regained consciousness before the marauders started in about the hypothetical Rousey - Cyborg match. Of course, I'm  of the opinion  that Rousey has no need to move up in weight to make this match happen.


That said, I'll play and give you a hypothetical situation where it would make sense. Here are the specific circumstances needed:
* Rousey retires undefeated as Bantamweight champion. Maybe 15-0? That means she beats Tate again, Holly Holm, and the next victim.
* Rousey starts a strict regimen of steroids, to bulk up to about 170 pounds walking around weight... like Cyborg.
* Rousey goes clean for a few months or a year so she can pass drug tests.
* Rousey is offered $10 million to fight, and another $5 million for a win. Make it worthwhile for Cyborg, too.
* Make the match at a catch-weight of 150 or so.

This would make sense. What do you think?


Oh, and Ronda destroys Cyborg in this match. I predict a KO inside of 60 seconds.


Monday, August 10, 2015

Active Shooter

A few days back, my Facebook and Twitter feeds lit up with the words "active shooter" in Antioch - a part of Nashville not too far from me. As the facts of the situation became known, some things became immediately clear to me.

 PoliceOne.com  has analysis on the situation for review. Their facts are sorely lacking, as is their analysis. This is what most of the rest of the media is reporting.

The assailant was 29 and armed with an air soft pellet gun, pepper spray, and a hatchet. Of those, the hatchet worries me the most, but the air soft gun will likely look real. At this time, police are also saying "he had a backpack strapped to his body," as if it was intended to look like a bomb or something. Unless and until I see video of that, I don't know I buy that. If you are convinced - please look again at all the discrepancies in the PoliceOne.com "report."

Some real takeaways -
It is my opinion that this man wanted to die via "suicide by cop." Only in America is this an option. Cops in other countries do not kill as often, so people have to commit suicide the old fashioned way.

The assailant was 29, yet had been committed four times in the last 10 or so years. That's why I think he wanted to commit suicide.

What's up with the "active shooter" cries? Only one news source even claims the guy shot a round or two, and airsoft guns sound much different than firearms. I think he was simply trying to intimidate people with the fake handgun. It should have been "man with a gun" calls, not "active shooter."

The three immediately responding officers ran away when they saw the pellet gun. Granted, it likely looks real. But spare me any notion of "bravery" or heroism. They did not try to save lives, they ran and hid. They did not advance towards fire, they retreated.

When the SWAT team arrived, they attacked. Make note of that. Maybe this situation might have been justified, but to a hammer, all the world's problems look like nails. Be mindful that hammers are not used when pliers are needed!

The assailant did not critically injure anyone. There are no reports of him firing the pellet gun (he probably didn't want to, as then people would know it was not a real gun). He pepper sprayed a couple of people and bruised one person with the hatchet. Bruised - not chopped. He didn't want to permanently hurt anyone, he wanted to die at the hands of police.

Last but not least...
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET RID OF GUN-FREE ZONES?!?


Friday, August 7, 2015

Do-Nothing Bitch

In a recent interview, Ronda Rousey  was quoted as saying her mother did not raise her to be a "Do-Nothing Bitch." Of course, many eyebrows were raised on this statement.

What I found funny was that both the Red Pill universe and the feminist universe took exception to the comments... albeit for differing reasons. I have a slightly different take on it. Of course, first I watched the interview, then again, before forming an opinion.

Rousey's comments were aimed at women who basically sit around all day and have a man provide for them. And while a certain amount of this is the foundation of human society, we have taken things to an extreme in modern America.  It used to be that the men would go hunt (later, work the farm) and the woman would do the "domestic" chores.

With the advent of modern technology, domestic chores do not require anywhere near as much manual labor. To be fair, most occupations do not require as much labor as hunting or farming, but still: the person must go to a place of employment in most cases and do specified tasks. Someone who is relied on to simply do domestic chores does not have as many tasks to perform, plain and simple.

Enter the dependopotamus. This creature not only depends on a man for support, but does so from a different household, removing her only redeeming quality from the equation: child bearing and rearing. This is the quintessential DNB.

To be completely fair, Rousey does not depend on a man for her sources of income. She is extremely active, as opposed to the typical American woman. Her work provides for society as a whole (entertainment value).

Now, many in the Red Pill world decry her as she does not fulfill her natural role: child bearing and rearing. I offer this rebuttal - at least she is a productive member of society, filling a role that a man cannot, and earns her own way in life. She is certainly not a DNB or a dependopotamus - both of which drain the resources of modern society.


.


The Debate That Wasn't

As many people did, I watched the debate last night. I wish I had my two hours back.

If the purpose of the debate was to depress a libertarian-leaning Republican, then mission accomplished! Similarly, if the purpose was to excite establishment Republicans, then the debate was a success.

Some takeaways:

Could the Fox News panel have been any more anti-Trump?
Only way to contain the man seems to be limiting his comment time.

Could Fox News have been any more pro-Bush?
This may be the only reason the man is polling around 13%.

Huckabee actually looked and sounded the best up there.
And that's scary, because the man is a compromise waiting to happen.

Rubio and Cruz looked pretty darn good.
But it seemed Fox wanted to ignore Cruz.

Christie showed passion.
Now I understand how he got elected in New Jersy. Make no mistake though, he is a raging Socialist Democrat. And that showed, too.

Carson was flat, and ended strong.
For the low to medium IQ, low-information voter. This is the largest voting block, but Carson cannot keep this momentum with this group. He's too intelligent... they will get turned off at something else he says down the road. Mark my words.

Rand Paul. Great ideas. Great passion. No leadership.
I wish we could bottle Rand Paul's convictions and Donald Trump's  charisma and Alpha-male leadership into a single man. This person would win. Rand Paul is too nice, and it showed.

Scott Walker is overwhelmingly average.
This could be to his advantage. If he can stay in the upper part of the middle pack, and watch as the other candidates self-destruct, then he could be last man standing by the time the nomination is up for grabs.

Kasich was in his home court.
The man would not have been on the stage otherwise. Make no mistake, he's as liberal and willing to compromise as Christie, Huckabee, and Bush. Having the home crowd cheer for you can make you sound better than you are, and that happened last night.

Best exchange
Christie vs. Paul on national security. Sadly, Rand seemed to back down, and Christie got fired up... and the thousands in attendance largely cheered the loss of American freedoms under the pretense of security.

Best quip
Tie to Carson and Huckabee.

Huck started on a laundry list that appeared aimed at Trump, and the punch-line was Hillary instead. Brilliant move. I predict Huckabee plays spoiler more than once before next August.

Carson pointed out he was the only man on stage who had removed half a human brain, but from the looks of it, someone in Washington had beat him to it.  Great line.


Note
The "conservative" media is saying Trump lost badly. The liberal media is saying he may have distanced himself even more from the field. Let's see who is more accurate.


Thursday, August 6, 2015

No More Bush!



As if you needed yet another reason to not vote for Jeb Bush:
"Until shortly before announcing his presidential candidacy, former Florida governor Jeb Bush was a director for a charity that gave tens of millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood."

 From this article. 


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Real Pro Life



A few days ago, a friend linked  to this article and I felt it raised some important points.

Of note, the Catholic nun quoted in the article stated:
"I do not believe that just because you're opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don't? Because you don't want any tax money to go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is."

To be sure, from a Democrat point of view, all points here are spot on. Republicans are guilty of these 100%. Democrats are nearly unanimous in their desires to have the government dish out food, education, housing... and abortion.

Of course, any Republican worth his salt will point out in retort that Democrats want all these things paid for by government and that they (Republicans) just don't think the government should provide all these things. Worthy point, but  Republicans still like their big government. in fact, a Republican saying we should limit government is like a fat man suggesting you should limit your food to avoid being fat.



The reality of it all is that government should not pay for your abortions, nor regulate them in any way. It has proven itself much too inept to do so properly.

Government ought not pay for your food, nor regulate it in any way. It has proven itself much too inept to do so properly.

Government has no business paying for your housing, nor regulating it in any way. It has proven itself much too inept to do so properly.

Government really shouldn't pay for any of your education, nor regulate it in any way. It has proven itself much too inept to do so properly.

.


Tuesday, August 4, 2015

12-0

This past weekend, Ronda Rousey improved to 12-0 and successfully defended her championship against Bethe Correia. The fight lasted 34 seconds.

It was my observation that a left knee to the liver sealed the deal, and the follow up punches just showed referee "Big" John McCarthy that Rousey's opponent could no longer defend herself.


Monday, August 3, 2015

Milestone

Today I turn 40.

My father and father-in-law are with us still, but my mother and mother-in-law are not.
I have no living grandparents, my wife has her paternal grandmother still.
I have two children, four nephews, and three neices. The nephews and neices who are old enough to speak all call me "Uncle Bunny."
Been married 17 years.

Last year I made the second most I'd ever made, but we aren't rich. Comfortably middle class.
My home will be paid off in 12 years. I have no other debt.

I train three times a week in martial arts, run at least once a week, walk several other times, and lift weights and do bodyweight exercises.
I'm in the best shape of my adult life by a wide margin.
Oh, and the martial arts classes are going well... there's a good stable of students, and they enjoy classes.

My primary occupation is going very well, I expect another "Leader's Trip" for this year's efforts.
The kids are excelling in school and in their chosen extracurricular activities.


Is my life perfect? Far from it. However, these facts and others make it abundantly clear that God is good and has blessed me beyond measure.