Dangerous Liberty

Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, TN, has decided to stay open and conduct church services during the pandemic. Here are some pictures from last Sunday's service. The hate and vitriol online has been more than usual, unfortunately.

Of the comments spewing the hate, the ones that are most ironic come in a few flavors. A number of people encourage Pastor Locke to do services online. A number of others say he should "obey the law of the land" - and they often quote scriptures to that effect. And a number of others say everyone should just stay home - and many of these suggest it is a crime to meet. Let's break these down.

Online Service.
The folks that say he should move his services online have absolutely no clue. Global Vision Bible Church has a YUGE online following every week. Thousands of people, from all over the globe, tune in to Facebook at every single service. Clearly, the people that suggest Pastor Locke move the services to online are clueless.

Obey The Law.
The people who say that GVBC should just obey the law are overlooking one small detail:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment 1

US Constitution

Emphasis mine. 

This from the Supreme Law of the Land. The Constitution does not allow for exceptions to our God-given rights during "times of crisis." When the founders wrote this, they may well have intentionally left out exceptions because they knew tyrants would always play the "exception card."

Just Stay Home

This is the funniest group. They want YOU to stay home, so that THEY can continue to do whatever they want. Those who suggest that going out is a crime need to see the 1st Amendment.

Fear
To me, all of this craziness stems from fear. This virus is not any more deadly than the latest flu strains. It is not more widespread. It is not more infectious. It is being put on a pedestal by #FakeNews . To all of that fear, I say:
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7

As For Me and My House
I prefer dangerous liberty over peaceful slavery. 

Que Your Sources

When there is a difference of opinion, and you wish to add evidence to support your thoughts (or feels), here is a free tidbit.

Don't include a link to Snopes, PolitiFact, Fact Checker, CNN, or MSNBC. That will immediately discredit the point you were trying to make. 

There are at least a dozen others, but these stand out the most. 

Exception - when engaging a #LibTard and the CNN (or whatever) article is in direct, clear contrast to what they are saying.  This doesn't mean the CNN (or whatever) article is accurate - it just means they won't be able to say your source is suspect.

Corona Secrets

Corona Virus - COVID-19 - what aren't they telling you?

Mortality Rate
According to the CDC as of the morning of this article, fewer that 5% of reported cases result in death. 

What they aren't telling you is that a vast majority of those confirmed cases are people who are already sick - sometimes very sick.

This means the true mortality rate is much less than 5%. Perhaps (probably) a fraction of 1%.


Severity of Symptoms
The people you see on TV or the newspaper are always saying how devastating this virus is.  And for them, it probably feels that way. 

A good number of these people- dare I say a majority - already have a compromised immune system. Asthma, infection, diabetes, smokers, etc. Naturally a respiratory virus is going to hit them harder. 

A good number of these hit hard are just sissies.  There, I said it.  Fight me. 

What they aren't telling you is that according to reasonable estimates by multiple doctors, a majority of people who contract the virus show low-grade symptoms or no symptoms at all. 80% - 85% do NOT show severe symptoms.


The Spread
As the Chinese Virus is just that, a virus - it is spread like the common cold. A recent cruise ship had nearly 700 people test positive. Over half showed no symptoms.

Many states have ordered the closing of "nonessential" businesses, or "alternative business models." This gives many a false sense of hope.  And certainly, there are a lot of hand-wringers on social media calling for a complete lockdown. 

Let's be serious - there's no way a society that just had a frenzy run on toilet paper can survive two weeks without going out. 

And those who are self-quarantined are largely just fooling themselves. If they go out to get groceries, they are potentially exposed. If they have stuff delivered, they are potentially exposed. If they take ridiculous steps to "sanitize" - they are still potentially exposed. 

What they aren't telling you is that absent an absolute lockdown of at least 14-21 days, most will be exposed. 


Summary
All of this information leads to the question - why all the fuss? Well, preliminary data suggests that you are more likely to die of Corona virus than the flu or other infectious disease. 

According to official numbers (as of this morning) about 12.9% of hospitalizations for COVID-19 result in death.  By comparison, about 14% of hospitalizations for flu result in death.  In the world of mathematics,  that difference is generally regarded as statistical insignificance. 

But the news and the CDC aren't telling you these things.  You have to dig a bit. 

To be fair, there seems to be a slightly higher mortality rate with COVID-19 among those over age 60 as compared to the flu. Like the overall numbers, it is often a difference of only 1% - 3%.

Comments Up

It seems I owe readers of this blog a huge apology!

It has been a while since I had received a notification of a comment on a post. I just figured I pissed off all the wrong folks. Well, I searched the SPAM box tonight and lo and behold - nearly two years of comments (and SPAM).

Only one or two trolls or folks who cannot or did not read. Most of the good comments were, in fact good. I have replies up, as well now.

Carry on.

I Am Qualified

NRA Rifle Instructor certified.

Pistol coming next...

Who Is Qualified To Teach?

Because the firearms instruction industry does not have national standards (thank God!), a common question is "who is qualified to teach and who is not?"

Many people have many opinions on who is and who is not qualified to teach. Indeed, there are many qualifications - formal and informal. But how do you sort it out? Furthermore, what experience and training makes a good teacher?

“Qualifications” that are NOT qualifications to teach firearms:
· Military service. EVEN Combat related and experience.
· Police background.
· Whether the person has been shot at.
· Whether the person has had to shoot someone.

Qualifications that are recognized:
· NRA Certifications
· USCCA Certifications
· Here are some individual schools of good reputation, that issue teaching certifications (including, but not limited to):
* Rangemaster USA
* Gunsite
* Mas Ayoob
* Ken Hackathorn

Understand that even the recognized qualifications will have detractors - sometimes many of them! Often, those who demand to know qualifications are not prospective buyers of classes. 

Wall Of Shame

Another entry to the wall of shame. 

Some notes -
* Not a Boomer.  Older GenX.
* Former Army.

Training Certification

The State of Tennessee only certifies two firearms training classes: the Handgun Carry Permit and the Armed Guard License. While there are many HCP classes, most firearms classes outside of that are simply not "certified" or "licensed" classes.

It must also be mentioned that law enforcement agencies often have Police Officer Standards in Training - POST - classes. Typically, these are not open to the public. However, the skills taught in their course material are no different than you might learn at a typical tactical class. The POST evaluations are often substantially similar. This author enjoys shooting different POST evaluations from different LEO agencies.

Outside of State certification, there are few ways that firearm instruction is codified. Certainly, one can become an NRA Certified Instructor. The USCCA also has an instructor program. Certification in either would be a worthy credential.

As much as anyone might have issue with the NRA, the fact is that their standardization is universally recognized. This author has had training classes with former military, former LEO, and NRA instructors. To be sure, a low-quality class can be put on by anybody, but it has happened less with the NRA certified instructors. And any former military or LEO instructor worth his salt would be well advised to pick up the NRA Instructor certification.

It is entirely possible to pick up NRA Instructor certification, and not teach NRA classes. Indeed, most instructors will tell you there is a lack of demand for NRA style classes, and tremendous demand for "tactical" classes.

Primaries

It has been really interesting watching the Democratic primaries in 2020. After yesterday's polling results, Twitter had two hashtags trending - #ByeByeBiden and #ByeByeBernie .

The party that claims to hate the rich old white men, is about to nominate a rich old white man. 1 who has heart trouble, and the other who has brain trouble. Both men are in their late 70s, have worked in Washington for over 40 years, and have never done anything productive in the private sector.

The ire and angst that has been directed at Trump for the past four years, is now being shifted inward to the other candidate. Bernie fans hate fighting, and Biden fans hate Bernie.

Make no mistake, neither man can beat Trump.

Also, regardless of which rich old white man wins, he gets destroyed by Trump in the debates, as well. As it is right now, Trump is trolling the Democrat side very heavily. His barbs are sharp, and his wit is even sharper. But it doesn't stop there, Donald Trump Jr. is even more merciless.

The conspiracy theorists are saying the Biden will probably pick either Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama as his VP running mate. As the theory goes, they would remove Biden shortly into the presidency because he is mentally unfit, and then the VP would slide right into place. The only problem with this line of thinking, is that Biden must win first.

That's not gonna happen.

It Is A Commitment

In the early days of my venture into professional gun instruction, I would make a Facebook event and invite people to come. I would not require prepayment - we used the "honor system."

As an example, we would have 20 people select "going" on the event. Come the day of, 14 would show. Several messages that morning of "having to go in to work," or other excuse. Often, it was the same folks. After "John Smith" says "going" and fails to show six straight times, you no longer believe John Smith is going - even when he marks that he is. Even when he tells you he most certainly will be there.

Believe it or not, that makes things difficult for an instructor. Making sure there are supplies and  targets for 20 people, then to have those go unused gets expensive. Not a good way to keep prices down.

So, like other major training academies, I was forced to start requiring prepayment. Being in the marketing field made setting it up a breeze. "Class is $150, but is only $120 if you prepay by xxx date. No refunds." Although the uninitiated would think this would lead to lower attendance, it actually increased attendance.

In recent times, the "excuses" come in different flavors:
"I wish the class wouldn't have sold out, I wanted to wait until Friday the 27th (class on Saturday the 28th) to see what the weather would be like."
Well, that's exactly why we advertise and offer prepay discounts, is to prevent 15 people like you from monopolizing the tickets, only to back out if you have a bad hair day due to slightly higher humidity.

"I wish the class hadn't sold out - I don;t know what my work schedule will be that weekend."
Tell your boss you cannot work that weekend, Scooter. 

Personally, I have taken 10 days worth of training classes in the past 16 months. Each time I made sure my schedule was open in advance - or I intentionally opened my schedule. It rained on me a couple of times - and that made it more fun. On work days or possible work days, I took time off so that there would not be a conflict.

The underlying problems are just two:
People don't want to commit.
People don't want perceived inconvenience.

Continuing Education

In most universities, it takes 128 hours of classroom time to earn a Bachelor's degree. If one was to do something for 8 hours a day (like a full time job), then 128 hours breaks down to 16 full days. A major usually requires 40 - 45 hours: or about five full days.

The head firearms coach / instructor at Patriot Training has had 10 full days of firearms training for personal development and enjoyment in just the past two years... and has more planned.

All good firearms instructors continue their own personal education by taking classes with others.
All good firearms instructors suggest that participants take multiple classes.
All good firearms instructors suggest that participants take classes with other schools / instructors.

Protect the Protectors

Any reader of this blog knows that it is most certainly a 2nd Amendment blog. This author is a firearms enthusiast and professional firearms instructor. As classes and attendance have been on the rise, and as Patriot Training has gained a steady foothold in the training market, last year a decision was made to offer students and participants more value.

This author is, by day, a licensed Property & Casualty insurance agent and has worked in P&C Insurance since 2006. So, one might say that the research put into this decision was more thorough than most. Additionally, the author has a more in-depth understanding of the nuances, given his employment. This research and the accompanying decision took several months.

If a person has to fire a gun in self defense,  there may well be a lawyer attached to every bullet. 

Patriot Training has formally partnered with the United States Concealed Carry Association for the purposes of providing participants and friends with financial protection. This decision was an easy one once all the facts were determined, and the policies and protection plans were reviewed.

The reasons were simple. All insurance policies and financial protection plans have exclusions: things they don't cover. USCCA's protection plan simply has fewer exclusions. On top of that, the things covered are more than most competing plans. Here are a few of the features that mean a lot to this author and his training students and participants:

• Up to $2 Million in civil defense protection. 
• Bail bond & attorney retainer money - up to $250 K. 
• Your choice of attorney.
• Protection in use of all legal weapons (gun, knife, taser, baseball bat, well placed fists, etc.)
• Firearm reimbursement (your handgun will likely be taken from you for evidence).
• Online resources that are unmatched. 

So, as you make your decision to protect yourself financially, you would do well to pick the USCCA. When you do, send me a message, and I'll get you a discount code! 

Tennessee Tornado

At about 1 am Monday morning, a tornado carved through Tennessee.  Roughly speaking, it started in Carroll county, and worked east to Morgan county.  At the time this post goes live, there are a confirmed 19 dead and 50+ missing.  Most of the dead and missing are near Cookeville, TN - Putnam County. 

Much of East Nashville, Hermitage, Mt. Juliet, and Lebanom were struck hard.  The Middle school my son attended and my daughter currently attends was destroyed. So was the Elementary school they attended. 

My home has been without power  for 30 hours or more.  It's the second longest I've been without power (went a week without in the Blizzard of '93).

More importantly, many people in the community have lost a lot.  A dear friend from church has lost everything, and was seriously injured, as was his daughter.  I am thankful that no children were in the schools when the storm hit - it might have been very, very bad. 

But now we wait.  Wait for the surgeons to fix my friend and his daughter.  Wait for the power company to restore electricity. Wait for the schools to decide what to do for the rest of the year.  And we will help those we can help. 

Who Can Teach Firearms?

This question was seen on social media. Below is the answer I gave.

Question:
When it comes to firearm training, would you chose someone with combat experience or someone that knows it but never been there?

Answer: 
The traits that make a good infantryman and the traits that make a good teacher are not mutually exclusive, but are rarely possessed by the same individual.

Beware the individual who has been in a single gunfight, as they often try to want to win *that* fight, rather than the most common situations.

Basics win fights. An individual who doesn't teach the basics is to be avoided.

Even in the military, combat skills instructors do not always have combat experience.

Just because the military does something a certain way does not make that method the most effective.

Because of these facts, combat experience is toward the bottom of the list of things I would like to see in a teacher. Not irrelevant, but certainly not necessary.


And for the record - those who state that "the teacher must have combat experience," have little or no training experience as a rule. Those who haven't trained and who also lack logical deduction cannot possibly give good advice about training instructors.

That's Just Tacky

Boomer?
Check. 

Competing school?
Check.

Trying to hijack an ad?
Check.

Tacky. 

Bad Moms 3

We had been living in the Nashville area for a while. Eventually, we let my mom come over. This started the "fun."

A couple of years after she bought her house in Gallatin, she had some misfortune. Her AC unit went out. My dad, my brother, and I all received the same email, titled: "RETAIN AN ATTORNEY!" She accused one of us of sabotaging her AC unit. For years afterwards, she would refer to the time that "your daddy destroyed my air-conditioner." The funny thing was he'd had outpatient surgery on the day she accused him of sabotage.

Not long after that, perhaps six months or so, she sent an email asking to "trade houses." I would pay the mortgage on the Mount Juliet House, but live in the Gallatin House. She would pay the mortgage on the Gallatin House, but live in my Mount Juliet House. Naturally, I declined.

Some time later - perhaps a year or so - more "fun" happened. I was out of town at work. My wife calls me in a panic. My mom had come over and asked for me. My then-3-year-old son had just opened the door to her (my wife would not have) - and any normal child should feel free to open the door to a grandparent. And we hadn't taught my son different... there hadn't been a reason in quite some time.

She asked for me. I was out of town, and would be for a couple more days. She said that was OK, she would wait!!! After a while, my wife needed to run an errand, so my mom went and waited in her car in the driveway. My wife stayed away with the two kids '(my daughter a baby at the time) and called me in the panic to explain what happened.

I called my mom and tried to reason with her. That did not work. I then called the Mount Juliet police and convinced them to go by and ask her to leave.

5 Styles

Martial Arts styles. 

Many strikers who hear the word "styles," might think karate, or kung-fu, or taekwondo. Many grapplers might think "Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ)," or Sambo, or wrestling.

But let's go a different direction. How does a person fight - using their chosen art or arts? Based on some of the styles of boxing, let's break down different fighting styles. 

Pressure
In boxing, this is sometimes called the "swarmer." The concept is to constantly apply technical combinations and press them into making a mistake.  This is a blend of a brawler and a technician.  

Brawler
The concept here is to rely on strength and toughness.  Get into a scrap and trust that you are tough enough, strong enough, and have just enough offensive and defensive technique to bring it together. 

Distance Control
Sometimes in boxing, this is called an "out-boxer." In jiu-jitsu, this is called distance control or distance management. This person stays out of range until the time is right, then strikes (or grapples). Usually, this is the fighter who does not have massive strength, so they must rely on good setups, timing, angles, and opportunities - and they must control the distance at all times.  

Counter
In boxing, this can be called the counter-punncher.  The concept is to wait for the opponent to make a mistake, then capitalize. Sometimes, a pre-emptive attack can be made based on the opponent's "tells."

Technician
This is someone who specializes in technical knowledge and execution.   They may adopt any of the above styles, depending on what will work.  This blended approach is difficult, but is very effective when properly applied.

Sad Old Man

Can't put this one under "humor." It's too sad. 

Not only can this Boomer not read... he also tries to hijack someone else's ad. Not cool. 

Bad Moms 2

Picking up from last week - where my mom had moved into a Farm House to prevent me from moving there.

I had instructed my dad to not tell her where I lived. I knew she would show up unannounced and try to force us out of that location, as well. She was strange like that. Well, Pops respected that wish for several months. Then he let it slip. We had been at that apartment 3-4 months when there was a knock at the door.

My mom was there, and had brought my grandmother. We let her in and tried to be cordial... but it soon got tense. She wanted to "trade" residences. "Let" me live at the farm house, and pay rent on the apartment where she would live. I told her the landlord would not allow subleasing - but she persisted. I persisted more and she finally left in a huff.

As she was driving off, I met her in the parking lot. She rolled down the window of her car and I told her "do yourself a favor and don't do that again." She played dumb, but I stood my ground.

She showed up a couple more times, but we did not answer the door.

When the 6-month lease was up, we moved. I kept the same home phone number, but did not tell my dad or other family members. We had signed a 1-year lease and we couldn't afford to break it if she found out. My discussion with Pops later was very emotional on both sides. I told him straight up that I could not tell him where I lived because he would just tell her. That understandably hurt his feelings tremendously.

It was a terrible request to have to make of a father.

Fortunately, she would change her target of her insanity. She did that frequently. After the year was up, we moved to Memphis with my job. So we were now too far away for her to just drop by. A year and a half later, my then-job moved us to Nashville, so we were much too far away for her to drop in on. And we thought the problem was solved. A year later, in 2002, we bought our house.

Less than two years later, she bought a house in the Nashville area. More to come on this...

Gun Class Mistaken Identity

People often have mistaken ideas about what good gun training is. Some think it involves a "safety class." Others believe it is all about the handgun carry permit. And still others think it is about how to shoot at the most fundamentally mundane level ever.

One thing people will say, when they hear you teach firearms classes, is something along the lines of "like a handgun safety class." Look, there's a reason that virtually nobody takes the NRA safety classes. 8 hours - 6 of it in a classroom, then only two hours and 50 rounds fired??? Not my idea of fun. Not to mention that the NRA shoots itself in the foot each time they help Negotiate our Rights Away. Every class I teach has a heavy emphasis on safety - but there is also (safe) fun, as well!

Possibly the most common reply people make when they find out I teach gun classes is something along the lines of needing to take the carry permit class. I agree with them that they should, and add that they should then call me to teach them how to fight with the handgun. The look is amazement - how can there possibly be a class after the permit class??? Then a summary of the permit class, and a quick overview of mine, and they are astonished. Things that have not yet been though race through their minds.

The final major mistaken idea is that I teach something so fundamental and mundane. "Oh, I know how to shoot." Is the reply. Of course you know how to point the gun and pull a trigger. This is about consistently hitting what you aim at. This is about practical applications of marksmanship. This is about fixing the stoppage in your gun before the bad guy stops you. This is about proper use of cover and concealment. This goes a bit beyond point and shoot at a can in the back yard, Skippy.

Good Guys Win

Couple wins $115K verdict against TBI agents for home invasion.

From the article -
West Tennessee couple has won a rare $115,000 verdict against two Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agents whom they had accused of illegally barging into their Lake County home without a search warrant.

Summary -
Two TBI agents forced their way into the couple's house without a warrant, after the homeowner, Fred Wortman, told them to leave.  The agents (criminals?) were attempting to collect evidence in a case against Wortman's son. 

Opinion -
Glad the family won this case. 
Neither of these agents should be permitted to work in law enforcement ever again. 
Both agents should also be prosecuted (and found guilty) of breaking and entering and attempted murder.
Wortman should have shot them both dead and cleared under Castle Doctrine.
The fine should have been much larger. 

When we hear these stories, some Boot Lickers always say it was just one (or two) "bad cops." But we keep getting these incidents. In every precinct, every day. By new and different cops. And the "good cops" do nothing. 

Competing Gun Schools

The only thing worse than a Boomer who cannot read, is a Boomer who cannot read and who also operates a competing gun training school.

Dear Boomers,
Want a free tip?
Click the link.  It won't hurt you. 
Read. It's all spelled out for you. 
Don't sh!tpost competing schools - it doesn't look good on yours. 

Would you really want to take a class from someone who does this?

More Bisexuality

Yet another bisexual bathroom. 

Bad Moms

Donovan Sharpe details a situation where his mother made some poor decisions and essentially price gouged him. In summary, he was needing to live with her until he got back on his feet. She started by charging him $300 per month in rent. As he got raises due to exceptional performance at work, she forced him to pay more - eventually raising the rent to over $1000 per month!

This reminds me of a situation I once found myself in. After graduating college and getting married, my plan was to move to my dad's farm near Jackson, TN. Nobody was living in the house at the time. My mom had lived in that house at one point, but had moved back to Chattanooga after my sister graduated High School. My dad and I had reached an arrangement for rent.

Over the weeks leading up to the wedding, I made a couple of trips to the farm house and moved some extra belongings into the house. There was some preliminary drama - and that should have been my red flag! She goes over to the farm house, and calls me to tell me she is going to discard some stuff in the attic area. Since most of it was my belongings, I told her not to discard any of it - I would clean it out when I moved in.

She insisted and acted like she didn't know what was what - which was a legit excuse with her as she paid absolutely ZERO attention to any detail. I made an extra trip to go over and retrieve my things. Had to use a truck and pay extra in gas, and I was very upset about that.

As Donovan Sharpe said in the video - my mom made incredibly selfish decisions at the most critical points in our lives.

After I move my things out, she leaves the house again. I plan to change locks when I move in after the wedding and the honeymoon. That plan went up in flames. We get back to Chattanooga from the honeymoon, and my mom is not there. She is in West Tennessee at the farm house. I confirm with my dad that he hasn't given her permission to be there, and I do have permission as I'll be paying rent.

The plan changes - now I plan to be at the farm house only a few months while we save for a rent deposit.

We go to West Tennessee with our most basic things. She is there. It was late in the day and we had little choice - we stayed there as did she. The next day, we were out looking for jobs. The market there was much better than was the job market in Chattanooga in 1998. Within three days, we had both found gainful employment. For those days, we stayed in a cheap motel.

We rented an apartment before the week's end. I instructed my dad and family not to tell her where we were - I knew she would try to show up there and "force us out." She was very strange like that. More on this next week...

The Truth

Finally, 2 years later, one of the formerly #FakeNews blogs has learned the truth from Global Vision Bible Church pastor Greg Locke. In a turn of real honest decency, the author apologized for the errors and half-truths.

No, it wasn't  PP - don't expect them to recant or apologize.

Of course, I had blogged about all of this back then.  Greg is a personal friend as well as my pastor and I had a pretty good idea of exactly what was going on and when. Interestingly, I'll be making no recants nor issuing any apologies in this one... my material was and is 100% factual and hasn't changed since Day-1.

Boomer Can't Read

Another entry in the Wall of Shame, when it comes to stupid comments you find on gun class advertisements. The last installment was so well-received, that I have decided to post as many of these as possible.

It always amazes me how many people will not read the description... particularly on a text based platform.

This Boomer writes:
"Six hundred rounds a minute you dont have to be a marksman, JUST POINT IT AT THE STATE THEY LIVE IN."

But the joke is on him, because it is only a 200 round day. In fact, the entire morning portion is dedicated purely to Marksmanship. Participants shoot out to 300 yards.

Clearly he did not read the description.

You Know, Biology

Interesting study at this link.

Average male punches 162% harder than the average female. Even the weakest male punches harder than the strongest female.

I'm sure an exception could be found. And that exception would prove the rule. 

Bisexuality

Came across another "bisexual" bathroom recently. 

More Winning

Tuesday evening, President Trump delivered the finest ever State of the Union address.  Wednesday afternoon, the US Senate acquitted him of the (false) impeachment articles. 

Lefty says,
The Democrats just lost the 2016 election for the umpteenth time. #ImpeachmentTrial

Romney was the line senator to "break ranks" and "vote with the other side."

I disagree with the characterization of "breaking rank." Mittens has never been conservative, nor will he ever be conservative. Simply having a letter R next to his name means nothing - he is a socialist through and through. He always has been. 

SOTU 2020

President Trump gave the State of the Union address last night. Many pundits and the like will be doing their analysis today.  Here's mine. 

Summary
- Trump doesn't shake Pelosi's hand
- Trump gives out a scholarship
- Melania puts a medal on Rush Limbaugh
- Trump calls for abortion ban.
- Trump calls to protect prayer in schools.
- A soldier is reunited with his family
- Pelosi rips up the speech

The White House on Pelosi's petulance:
Speaker Pelosi just ripped up the story of a Tuskegee Airman.
A child receiving the opportunity to go to the school of her choice.
The survival of a child born at 21 weeks.
The mourning families of Rocky Jones and Kayla Mueller.
A service member's reunion with his family.
That's her legacy.


A friend mentioned on social media after the speech:
Go scroll through your Facebook feed... that's how divided we are.  It hurts me on a level that I can't explain.

Well, let's put it this way -
If the Right stopped fighting today, there would be no country left.
If the Left stopped fighting today, there would be no fighting. 

Only one side can be held truly responsible for the division. 

He Didn't Mean To Say That

When you run ads for gun training classes, you will find that you get some really interesting replies from time to time.

This reply "too pricey for me."

This on a $120 one-day carbine class. For those who do not know, big name schools in this state charge $500 to $600 for a two-day class. Smaller schools charge $100 to $150 per day.

This is where the law of unintended consequences kicks in.

What he thought he said.
"This class is too expensive for what it is."

What he really said.
1. I cannot manage my finances.
2. I have never been to any sort of training class.
3. I did not read the class description.

Make no mistake, he did not say one of those three things... he said all three things.

Personally, I do not like to admit to so many faults on social media. However, I will not tell another grown man how to live his life. Do yourself a favor, don't be like this guy.

What Style?

Stock image of "Master Ken" to illustrate a self-created "style."

Many years ago, when people would call about martial arts, they would often ask if what I taught was like "abc" style (insert style you've never heard of).

If my wife answered the phone, this would confuse her.  She would say "I dont know, you're gonna have to ask the instructor."

Needless to say, that usually went over like a pile of bricks. I never once closed a sale calling back on one where she said that. 

So what I did was give her a list of all the major styles.  Then, when people did ask that question, she would look it up - and when that style wasn't on the list, she would turn it around using a script I gave her - "there are likely a few similarities, but what we teach is the self defense application of Judo - the most practiced style in the world. So when your instructor or whomever created that style, they did probably copy some of our tried & true material."

I only once failed to close a sale on a call back on one of those.

Announcement

It is with great humility and gratitude that I announce my retirement from the active teaching of martial arts. It's been a great ride.

What You Can Do

Women -
You have to be at least 6 feet tall, be ripped, make a 6 figure salary and be charming, raise my 3 children, and work to get with this.


Remember guys, women aren't capable of living you for who you are.  Women love you for what you can do. 

Cite Sources

On this blog, and on social media, I occasionally make a statement to which some gamma will inevitably ask me to cite my sources. I have long since given up on falling victim to the Trap. In fact, for the past three or four years, if I even give a reply (which is rare) I will say, "if you are suggesting to the contrary then you will need to cite your sources."

And, yes, it is my firm opinion that only gammas demand someone to cite their sources.

Vox Day  writes about his experience, and also that of Mike Cernovich on Twitter. This quote was perfect -
Only gammas assume that a lack of citation is equivalent to an absence of sourcing. This is because they project their own tendency to simply invent "facts" out of thin air.

So, if you write in to demand I cite sources, then you may rest assured your comment never gets published. 

Wise Investment?

If you own a martial arts school, should you invest in one of those companies that helps you with marketing?

Short answer - possibly.

If you own a martial arts school, and you list that as your employer on Facebook, you will see ads daily from different companies that offer help with marketing strategies. Can they help you?
Possibly.

These companies usually will have a few pre-screening questions that you must answer in order to get information. They will promise to give you a free case study, or some of the document. That document will either be worthless, or will never come.

It's very important to take note of the screening questions. This is true in every other endeavor in life, as well. People who ask a question, are giving away their intent within the question.

Most of these companies will ask you if you have your own place, or if you sublease. This is very critical. If you do not have your own martial arts studio in a prominent location - that people pass by on a daily basis during regular activities - then they really cannot help you. Most people who buy martial arts do so out of a degree of impulse.

Some in the industry refer to this as the two hit system. The consumer sees the martial arts studio during their regular daily life. Then they targeted social media or Google ad will get their attention. This is the second hit - the ad. Seeing the physical location, remembering it, and seeing the ad build the degree of rapport. The consumer will buy from someone they trust, and that rapport is critical.

But you cannot have one without the other.

A visible commercial place, with no social media advertising, is doomed to certain failure. Similarly, a great social media presence, coupled with an out-of-the-way location, is also doomed to certain failure. Heck, even if you have a great commercial facility, and wonderful social media advertising, the studio will likely still fail.

That's the dirty secret of martial arts - a 95% failure rate among martial arts studios. While I would never discourage someone from opening up a martial arts studio, no intelligent businessman would ever invest money into a business model that has a 95% failure rate. And while there are most certainly exception to this rule; as always, the exception proves the rule.

The days of the club martial arts studio are waning. Examples of a good Studio that has between 20 and 50 participants and gets enough new blood to keep the numbers up are becoming scarce.  The Paradigm has shifted in the United States, and martial arts are viewed at completely differently these days. But this is how all things should be.

Sentence Served

 Hitman receives clemency.

I knew Jeremy - we were in the same graduating class. My high school will tell you he didn't graduate.  Yet he walked the aisle right behind me. Yes, he finished up coursework over the summer. 

During high school I went to his place several times.  We played Sega Genesis. I still have that same device.  There was a party at his place after graduation - I was there. 

I hope former Governor Haslam got this one right. 

Dojo Storm

From this YouTube video.

A man issues a challenge at an MMA gym.  It goes about as expected. 

Several key points that tell you this guy is not a significantly skilled martial artist -
- He states more than 4 or 5 arts that he has trained in.
- He claims "death arts."
- He doesn't want to wear protective gear.  
- Out of shape. 
- Terrible footwork and movement. 
- Never trained jiu-jitsu, but had "done some ground stuff."

More On Honesty In Sales

A while back, someone from  Yelp called me in an attempt to sell me advertising. This wasn't the first time they'd called me.  It was the first time I had spoken with them long enough to catch them in a lie. 

Well, it would appear that  I am not alone. do read the article.  It details several instances of Yelp selling ads to businesses that were not helped at all. Also detailed are several unscrupulous actions taken by the company. 

Makes it simple for me - I won't do business with them.