The Strangest Things

Insomnia.  It strikes us all at some point.  Laying in bed late Friday evening / early Saturday morning. As my son graduated high school less than a week ago, I, too, have been nostalgic from my high school days.  Recollections of a friend. 

That friend introduced me to the song  Straight to Hell by Drivin' N' Cryin' circa 1990.  So I look up the song on YouTube.  Listen to it. Look for covers, not expecting anything, but I'm always up for a good cover of a song.  And what do I find?

Darius Rucker of all people not only covered this song, but also  made a video. Say all you want about some of the performers he chose to do the video with. The cover was excellent. 

And that reminds me of the time I met Darius Rucker, when delivering a rental car to his road manager at Lowe's Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville back in 2005.  He was pleasant to speak with and seemed genuinely impressed that I:
1. Did not nerd-out when meeting him, and
2. Knew him by name and called him "Darius Rucker" instead of "Hootie." (A reference to Hootie and the Blowfish)

Rucker actually stated that so many people didn't realize that was a band name, and not his nickname. 

Man, the places your mind can go at 2:30 am. 

The March That Wasn't

This past weekend, #FakeNews reports that there was a "White Supremacist March on the Capitol." There was a problem - it did not pass any sort of smell test. How, you say?

• There were no Left-Wing counter-protestors. 
• Where was the police presence?
• Why weren't members of this group arrested?
• Where were the fat guys?

So, since it was clearly a setup and at least 90% of the "members" of "Patriot Front" were either Feds or paid actors, here are some memes to celebrate the illusion:

Push Ups In the News

A few days ago, I was scrolling social media for reconnaissance, and an article came to my attention:

Australian father sets world record with more than 3,200 push ups in an hour

Naturally, I was more than a bit curious, as I had witnessed the record set back in 2003 (gosh, has that been 20 years ago now!?!?). Tim Sikes performed 3669 push ups in an hour at Bill Taylor's Bushido School of Karate in Murfreesboro in 2003. I was one of the official counters. Heck, I went to dinner with Tim and his family & friends after the event. The links in this blog's 2009 article are all still active, and even more are available online with Tim's record. 

On the other hand, it was easy to find a Sports Illustrated article about the Australian man, and a few others. 

Make no mistake, what Helmke did was not easy. A definite accomplishment. And even the official Guinness World Records site lists Helmke as the record-holder. However, 3206 in an hour is not as many as 3669 in an hour. Tim Sikes hit 3206 with 7 minutes left to go (give or take). I am not certain why Guinness is not acknowledging Sikes' record. I've seen their signed document (framed) among Sikes' belongings. Interestingly enough, the document they received, certifying the results, is signed by myself, among others (Sikes still has a copy of that, as well). 

Why would someone doubt the Guinness claim? After all, it is their own claim. Well, because in 2003, Guinness themselves said the old record was 3416. Here is an article that quotes that. 

Just in case you think this might be the only such conflicting story:

Former Marine breaks record for push-ups, raises thousands of dollars

This article states Marine Corps veteran, TShane Johnson, unofficially broke the Guinness World Record for the most push-ups in one hour by performing 3050 push ups. 

Florida man, 60, does 3,264 pushups in 1 hour to break world record

This article states Rob Stirling said he decided to take on the Guinness World Record for most pushups in 1 hour (male) after learning that Australian Daniel Scali set the total at 3,182 in April 2022.

Speaking of Scali, here is an article on his accomplishment. 

Here is a YouTube video by what appears to be the Guinness official YouTube channel. The description states: The most push ups in one hour is 2,220 and was achieved by Carlton Williams (UK) in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia, on 25 July 2015. Clearly, the record could have been broken since 2015. But it goes to show that not all things line up. 

And here is why you cannot trust #FakeNews - 

From the Nashville Scene: The Associated Press reports that a 12-year-old in Murfreesboro did 3,669 push-ups in one hour recently, which is probably a new world record. The young man, Tim Sikes, would do 75 push-ups, then rest for 15 seconds, then do 75 more, and so on. The previous record of 3,416 push-ups, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was set 28 years ago.

(emphasis was mine)

No such AP article could be found. However, an article by The Huron Daily Tribune may shed some light on this: "What began as a quest to beat his dad doing push-ups as a 12-year-old ended 28 years later with a likely world record for Tim Sikes."  The Left has minimal reading comprehension skills (the Nashville Scene is a notoriously Left-Wing rag), and this demonstrates it. They claimed Sikes was 12 at the time he broke the record. However, Tim Sikes was 40 when he performed 3669 push ups in one hour. 

Also, several of the articles linked above stated Sikes "did sets of 75 push ups for the hour." That is partially true. Sikes did four sets of 75 to start, then went to 60-pushup sets after that. 

The Industry Standard

In the martial arts world, there was major headline news recently. A jiu-jitsu student was awarded $46 million in damages. In writing and on YouTube, the jiu-jitsu community is apoplectic. Mr. Iturralde, the man who caused the injury, stated that Rener Gracie gave false testimony when serving as an expert witness. As of the publishing of this article, it has not been easy to track down what part of Gracie's testimony was considered false by Iturralde. 

Gracie put out a video, explaining what he testified to, and correct application of the technique in question. 

YouTube personality and MMA coach Ramsey Dewey put out a video in which he decried what he stated were Gracie's claims, and made some other observations, as well. However, the video is chock-full of inaccuracy about Gracie's testimony, claims, and also relies heavily on assumption of things not stated. This is not typical of Dewey. Dewey is usually right on the money and very accurate. Here are the more erroneous claims:

• Dewey claims Gracie called himself the industry standard with regards to banning certain more dangerous techniques. This is patently false. Gracie stated the industry standard is that there are banned techniques - most every training studio bans specific injurious techniques. Gracie urged all studios to adopt this practice, and that is very wise. 
• Dewey claims Gracie called himself the industry standard with regards to having a syllabus of techniques that students need to learn. In so doing, Dewey committed a hasty generalization fallacy, as his claim is patently false. Gracie stated the industry standard is that there is a list of things students need to learn in most studios. Gracie urged all studios to adopt this practice, and that is very wise. 
• Dewey observed that Gracie testified that the studio in question did not separate beginner and advanced classes. Dewey drew the conclusion that this meant Gracie advocates "white belts only spar with white belts." Gracie never testified to that, and it is a completely erroneous statement by Dewey. This was a straw man fallacy to be sure. Dewey goes on to point out (accurately) that white belts are the most dangerous people in the studio. A better interpretation might be that Gracie insinuates that advanced students ought not apply more dangerous techniques to newer students. Also, the industry standard is to separate beginner and advanced classes, for just this reason. 
• Dewey made several snide comments on the Gracie University online learning. This came across as sour grapes. 

Summary

Martial Arts studios should have a syllabus. And most do!

Martial Arts studios should have a written list of banned techniques. Most have banned techniques, but this author would question how many studios actually write down the banned techniques. 

Martial Arts studios should have beginner and advanced classes. Most martial arts studios do. 

Gracie spoke to the industry standard and was correct. One who disagrees so vehemently might do so because they are guilty of not adhering to those minimum standards. 

Misleading Slogans

New Label: "Misleading Slogans"

Some years back, this author read a book, and there was a line in the book that was very poignant. "It is a slogan, and is misleading, as all slogans are." The irony is the statement is, itself, a slogan of sorts. Nevertheless, it is true. 

As an example, this blog has an article from 2013 on whether to cross the feet when applying an arm bar. In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ("BJJ") circles, there exists a slogan, "don't cross the feet!" The article from this blog goes into detail about why that slogan exists, and how it can be faulty. 

As research was being done for future blog articles, it became painfully clear that many "known truths" in our society are deeply flawed. Since so many of these had slogans attached, the need for this new label became evident. 

Some of the misleading slogans being worked on for future blog entries:

• Women communicate better than men. 
• Police / Military have a corner on firearms training. 
• Liberals are more compassionate than conservatives.
• And more... 

Great Change!

This morning, Handgun Carry Permit Safety Schools received this email from the administrative staff of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security:

Good morning,

"As you all are already probably aware, anyone who has reached 18 years of age is now eligible for a handgun carry permit in the state of Tennessee. The state has 90 (ninety) days to implement this update to the current online application system. Until such time as the system has been updated to accept those applications, you will need to do the following for 18-20 year old students:

1) issue a 3-part certificate for them to take to the DMV after June 27th (subject to change to a sooner date if the system updates are completed);
2) complete a paper roster, and
3) submit the completed roster to the handgun unit.

If an 18-20 year old student takes their certificate to the DMV before the system upgrades are completed, they will be turned away. The Handgun Unit will notify all schools that the system upgrades are complete and will allow the electronic entry of 18-20 year old students. If you have any questions, you may contact your inspector or anyone in the handgun permit unit."

When asked if this applied to Carry permits only, or if it also applied to permitless carry, the administrative staff gave this reply:

"This applies to enhanced, concealed, and permit-less carry."

Where should a young person go to take the class for the Enhanced Carry Permit in Tennessee? 

Why, Patriot Training, of course! 

Class Review - Rifle Marksmanship

This post to serve as a more thorough review of the class, Rifle Marksman, by Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant. 

Abstract

My reason for taking this class was twofold. First, as someone who identifies as a Rifleman (who also teaches pistol classes), I wanted to see how a rifle class would look as taught by an expert pistoleer. Brian Hill certainly foots that bill. Second, my rifle classes to this point have either been taught from the tactical perspective, the "precision" perspective, or the competitive marksmanship perspective. I wanted to take one from a "sport shooting" perspective more similar to the so-called "run-and-gun" - and this class certainly foots that bill. 

The Instructor

Brian Hill is a distinguished competitive shooter, former law enforcement, and martial artist. He has been teaching firearms for a long time and is well known in firearms communities as an expert in the art of the pistol. As a person, he came across as kind and friendly. It just so happened that for this class, he was staying at the same hotel as my party. 

The Students

Several people cancelled just prior to class, so we wound up with 4 participants. Two of the others there were good friends of mine, one of whom had taken a Brian Hill pistol class prior. The other gentleman was a multiple class alumnus of TCC. All in all, the four of us were "squared away" with solid zeroes, functional rifles, and a foundational ability to handle the rifles. I did not notice any NDs or safety violations. In fact, I do not recall Brian having to remind anyone even once to take a finger off the trigger or anything of the sort. There was also a lady who shot with us part of Saturday and all day Sunday. She was more of an Assistant Instructor (and Range administrator). 

The Range

Georgia Mountain Shooting Association has a beautiful range. There were multiple bays. The bay we had was 50 yards in length (the 75-yard and 100-yard shooting was done on an adjacent bay that went out to 300 yards) and about 30 yards wide. More than enough for what we were doing. The grounds were clean and well maintained. There was a restroom a mere 15 feet from the shooting lanes. 

The Class

Over half the class was spent at 15 yards or closer. The rationale is that 15 yards is a long hallway shot. Make no mistake, we shot from 25, 50, 75, and 100 as well, but those sections were not the main gist of the class. By and large, the curriculum was designed like this: alternating between marksmanship modules and performance (speed) modules. Topics included proper marksmanship, body positions, gun positions, malfunction remedies, reloading, height over bore, and more. The clear underlying factor was the application of the balance of proper marksmanship principles and performance mode (speed). The "run - and - gun" connection was quite clear (and exactly what I wanted!). 

The Difference

Most classes teach the topics spelled out above. What made this class different was the instructor, his expertise, and coaching. Brian's background in Martial Arts helps him identify opportunities for improvement using his understanding of kinesiology. Brian's attention to detail when demonstrating how the body works best for stability, recoil control, etc. is unmatched. As a result, I took 19 full pages of notes. 

Also, whereas some schools will put drills in designed to humble the shooter and make you think the instructor walks on water, TCC is not like that. Make no mistake, several of the drills were challenging. And some were modified to be more challenging. This was done to make clear what each shooter needed to work on. 

The Result

We went over the round count - but that was primarily because all shooters were squared away and we were able to do more modules and different modules than the ones normally covered. Each of us received a lot of 1-on-1 coaching and suggestions for improvement. A beginner wants to hear how good they are, and an expert wants to hear how to get better - and Brian gave me several suggestions which were immediately put to use, resulting in better performance. It was also good to see my friends get better, as well. 

Summary

Take a class with the Complete Combatant. Definitely worth it. 

It's So Satisfying

On local Social Media Pages, it is not hard to find people that hate my friend and School Board commissioner, Joseph Padilla. Now, it is not hard to find that many of them participated in crossover voting (which is illegal) in an attempt to prevent Padilla from being elected to office. 

Well, one of that gang was so emboldened, presumably due to the difficulty of prosecuting crossover voting, that he broke the law in another way: Voter Fraud. Per WSMV and Tennessee Conservative News, Nicholas Greiner "pleaded guilty to illegal voting, a class D felony." Greiner, who many times on Social Media referred to himself as "more Libertarian" than anything else (with regards to political party), staunchly advocated masks, mask mandates, "the vaxx," "vaxx mandates," and Democrat and "Independent" candidates - certainly not Libertarian at all. Remember, in Wilson County, "I" means Democrat. Greiner's most common online cohorts include "The Gang" (of wine-moms), a notoriously Far-Left group. 

One of the funniest things to see in print is the many Far-Left persons on Social Media say that Greiner hasn't "been found guilty." The DA said Greiner pleaded guilty. True, he hasn't been found guilty, he admitted to the guilt!!! He admitted to a FELONY!  Cannot get more guilty than that. Some of these same persons suggest he owns (or owned) the house in Mt Juliet Zone 4 at the same time as he owned the house in Lebanon. (Remember - he voted in Mt Juliet Zone 4). According to property data:

Greiner bought the Lebanon House on May 2, 2022. He voted in the August election. There is no evidence on the Property Data page that he still owned the Mt Juliet house during any days when one could vote in the August election. So these statements that Greiner owned both are simply false and intentionally misleading or trying to conflate facts. Besides, Greiner pleaded GUILTY!

If you read the article, you know that another person was arrested and also pleaded guilty to the same crime. Kaitlyn Wakefield is her name. But, is she of the Left or of the Right? Well, this one might be slightly more difficult - but not much more. Follow the steps here:

Wakefield's father, Kevin Graves, ran for county commissioner (lost with only 34% of the vote, when the Republican earned 66%) as an "Independent." Of course, Kaitlyn and the family stated many times that claims he was a Democrat or RINO were "hearsay." 

So, is Graves a Republican? Possibly. But evidence from Social Media demonstrates otherwise. Posts touting Unions and work by President Biden:

The key words here, now that we have established that Graves is Liberal (RINO at the very least), are when Wakefield states that the claims are "hear say" (should be "hearsay") - a person would use the term "the claims are false" or similar. They twist words when they want to conflate facts. Remember, Conflation is the merging of two or more sets of information, texts, ideas or opinions into one, often in error. I do not use the word "confuse" as these people are not confused, they know exactly what they are doing! They are trying to confuse. 

Summary

Two leftists plead guilty to felony voter fraud. One of them has been screaming that voter fraud doesn't happen. So, here are the takeaways:

• As usual, ignore what they say. Watch what they do. 
• Psychological projection is real. Leftists use it constantly to live with their own behavior. It is a defensive mechanism, after all. 
• Finally, some justice! 

It's so satisfying!

Reader Poll

 Let's do a reader poll. This author has come across the items to become a YouTube content creator. Would you still like to see stuff in print, or would you prefer a switch to YouTube? 

Clearly, there would be some things better for video, that would not be printed here. Likewise, there would be material posted here that would not be on video. 

So, what say you? YouTube centric or blog centric?

Reason Behind the Reason 2

A while back, I posted about the "reason behind the reason." Someone was terminated from their job at an Allstate affiliate company, and the reasons given did not make sense. I offered possible real reasons. Those explained the situation better than his old bosses. Recently, Allstate announced a $1.4 Billion loss for 2022. 

And these things are linked - it is called "get woke, go broke."