RECCE ROOM

So what's been going on in Ferguson, MO? There are a lot of opinions out there... some based in fact, some based in emotion, and some based on what the media is allowing to come out. Just as long as you realize that those three categories are not at all the same thing, you will be all right. So here's my take on it: A cop shot a man.  There's a good chance it was unwarranted. At this point we will never know the truth. Cops shoot too many people.  Not just "cops shoot too many black people." Cops shoot too many people, period. Cops shoot too many dogs, too. Some people are just idiots.  I can understand riots. Might well have been needed. However, looting was not needed. Militarizing the police is a bad idea.  Statism needs this to happen. Freedom is lost when this happens. Any questions? This is why we need guns.  This is why we need "assault rifles." This is why we need whatever the police have. This is why we need whatever the Army ha...

At the seminar I attended earlier this month, it was a surprise and a privilege to be elevated in rank to 7th Dan by Mr. Jackson, my long time friend and mentor. February of 2006 was when I had been promoted to 6th Dan... making it 8.5 years between 6th and 7th. .

On Friday & Saturday, August 15 & 16, I attended the annual Martial Arts USA clinic in Athens, GA. A good time was had by all. We learned head lock escapes, kata bunkai , knife defenses, gun defenses, and how to use the kubotan . I had the honor to bring my son with me, as well as his friend, Austin. Here is a picture of the group: .

Judge Tom Gray in Gallatin, TN ruled that a man could not run for office because he was not a Republican nor a Democrat. More liberty lost at the penstroke of Tom Gray - the man who likes to fall asleep during proceedings. Good thing he is out after this year. .

So, the other day on Facebook, I saw where a friend had shared the following picture: Below it, one of his friends made the comment: Communism? Who is a communist in the Democratic party? Who lined up to vote against work laws for veterans ? Murderers and rapists? Who has repeatedly struck down death penalty laws? Who repeatedly votes against women's rights ? Who has been exposed fo r hiring illegals for personal work? What party has billionaires that own or bought electronic voting machines around the country? Like you always say [name redacted] give us FACTS NOT words. Your post wreaks of propaganda.  Thank you for asking! Lets take it one part at a time... Communism? Who is a communist in the Democratic party?  To be fair, nobody in the current Democrat party is also part of the Communist Party USA . However, that does not mean that the two do not share the same political ideals and values.  Here's a short list - Barrack Obama Barbara Boxer Di...

Some time back, the news headline was that Jesse Ventura won a defamation lawsuit against the estate of Chris Kyle. Kyle's book American Sniper detailed an "altercation" that supposedly happened some time ago between Kyle and "Scruff Face." Later, Kyle identified "Scruff Face" as being Ventura. Ventura sued Kyle for defamation. I've seen a lot of vitriol on one side of this case, and wanted to lay out some facts here. (And, for the record, I have read the book - it was entertaining ) It was determined by the court that Ventura was nowhere near the location at the date and time of the supposed altercation.  It was determined by the court that the altercation never took place.  It was determined by the court that Ventura had never publicly made the comments Kyle alleged.  Those who testified on behalf of Kyle did not have corroborating stories. If anything, their testimony damaged one another's.  Ventura did not sue Kyle's widow.  ...

Mike Huckabee doesn't want you to use the term "RINO." That's probably because he is getting tired of being called one... and that because he IS ONE. To be fair, I've urged the discontinuance of the term in recent years myself, but for different reasons. Huck doesn't like the word, because he feels it promotes disunity among Republicans. I don't prefer the term because it operates on the assumption that Republicans are conservative, when they surely aren't. .

Title says it all... Tennessee is not at all a "Red State." Some will challenge that statement, saying that Tennessee has voted for Republican Senators and Presidential Candidates (except Bill Clinton) since 1990.  Some will challenge that statement and claim that many Tennesseans will vote for "the best candidate." Some will challenge that statement and claim that Tennessee has gone from 5 Democrats & 4 Republicans in Congress to 7 Republicans and 2 Democrats. All of these statements are true... but look at who has won each race. Not a single conservative in the bunch. Tennessee is a Blue-Dog Democrat state.  .

Republican Despite my vote, as well as votes from everyone I know who claims the "Republican Party," "Conservative" or "Tea Party" status, Lamar! Alexander won the primary for a third try at his US Senate seat. I actually do not know a single "Republican" friend who voted for Lamar!. I do know a few Democrat friends who did, though... Funny... Lamar! once said : "Serve two terms and get out." Hmmm... I wish he had kept that promise.  Democrat On the other side of the ticket this fall will be Democrat nominee Gordon Ball , a millionaire Knoxville attorney. A quick view of Ball's campaign website shows that he actually holds to principles that I value. Aside from wanting to "fix" Obamacare instead of replace it, and aside from wanting "big business" to "pay its fair share of taxes," Ball actually resonates on many levels.  Too bad that those tax and health care policies WILL turn int...

As expected, Bill Haslam won the Republican primary for Governor here in Tennessee. The Democratic nominee will be Charlie Brown... no, I'm not kidding. The only web presence for Brown is a half-@$$ed Facebook page that doesn't even spell his name correctly. As for a redeeming feature : Brown said he would like to strap Haslam to an electric chair at "half-jolt." Had Mark Clayton not been denied a spot on the Democrat ballot, he would probably have won. I voted for Clayton for senate a couple of years ago over Corker... due mainly to the fact that Clayton is better described as a Libertarian than a Democrat. It would have made me happy to cast a vote for Clayton for governor this fall. Alas, the Democrat party blocked that possibility. So I went out and looked for a good candidate. Remember, I had encouraged others to vote for "Coonrippy" in the primaries. I did, as did all voting members of my immediate family. Coonrippy came in second (yay!), but Has...

Never seen a belt promotion like this before... I thought that was a neat way to promote the young man! .

From a reader: So, in short, what is your take now on Appleseed? Good, Bad, Ugly? Good The Appleseed folks adhere to strict safety rules. They do teach high power shooting. This is a dying art. It's a good start. Bad They don't really teach rack-grade iron-sight shooting at 500 yards, like they claim. The Army Qualification Test is not currently used by the Army, nor has it ever been. People in the Revolutionary War did NOT learn to shoot using a sling. 2-8 was originally concocted for M1 training. It needed to be dropped in 1959 with the adoption of the M14 and 20-round mags.   Ugly You'd be better served to rest the gun and get a known zero. As with any group - they can be a bit high on themselves. They virtually never mint a rifleman of a student who is new to firearms.  As often happens, the program has some contradictory nuances (e.g. - scopes OK for high power shooting, but rests aren't). I've got a lot more on Appleseed. Check out the...

A while back, I wrote an article about a man, Eric Garner, who was choked to death by the NYPD. Well, in a surprising (not really) turn of events, the man who filmed the event, Ramsey Orta, was arrested by police on a weapons charge. Ironically (not), this happened just days after Garner's death was ruled a homicide. This couldn't be a setup in retaliation, could it? Of course, the NYPD is out of control right now. In another, unrelated incident, the NYPD falsely accused a teen of a crime. In an attempt to get a confession from the teen, they withheld the diabetic teen's insulin.  .

Does anybody else's Facebook randomly delete friends? .

A man ingested 10 pounds of bacon rectally ... not surprisingly, he died. What a waste of bacon! .

Great blog post by Lefty this morning got me thinking. Got me thinking a lot. So much, I might even make a couple of posts on this. On the ballot this November: four amendments to the state Constitution. 1. Inserts constitutional language empowering the legislature to enact, amend or repeal statues regarding abortion. I am in favor of this. Vote YES on one. 2. Empowers the governor to appoint judges subject to confirmation by the general assembly. Those in power should be elected, never appointed. I am adamantly against this. Vote NO on two. 3. Prohibits the legislature from levying or permitting any tax upon payroll or earned personal income. No income tax. Not now. Not ever. Vote YES on three. 4. Empowers the legislature to permit lotteries for events that benefit 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) organizations. Normally, I'd not endorse a lottery. Voted against making it legal last time around. However, since it is already legal - specifically for 501 (c)(3) organization...

If you are a vegetarian, you are trying to live contrary to nature. Humans evolved to eat meat . this was God's plan all along. If you try to "buck the system" by going against Divine design and 2 million years of evolution, then you are sure to suffer in life. Indeed, the suffering will likely take many forms: Vegetarians suffer more often from mental health issues.  I'm not alone in this. Though some suggest that the cause-effect relationship may be difficult to prove, nobody denies the fact that there is a direct correlation between vegetarianism and mental health issues. Vegetarians are typically in poorer health than their carnivorous counterparts. There's plenty of science to back this one up. There are many ways to defeat the results of a grain-based (vegetarian) diet: Atkins, Paleo, Primal, HFLC, etc. All these diet plans see fantastic success. Vegetarians are typically liberal. Conservatives and Libertarians are typically not as likely to self-...

"A Rose By Any Other Name" "Charles" "David Key" All use the same (crappy) proxy hiding service. All go back to the same original ISP address. All comment about the same time of day. All use the same syntax. It would seem the guy who has a #mancrush on me is tired of me ignoring him on Twitter. Comments will stay up for now, but will be gone by the weekend. .

If you write with any regularity, you are familiar with writer's block. With this blog, it happens from time to time. However, I have been blessed. There are several sources of inspiration: Several readers write me often. Frequently, AR15.com will have news or other stories relevant to this blog's interests. I have a couple of twitterstalkers who are always good for some humor/insanity/etc. Facebook is a great source of inspiration. .

Recently, a Federal Judge ruled that Washington DC's ban on carrying guns is unconstitutional. There is some concern over whether it will be permitted to actually have ammo , but at least it's a step in the right direction. .

The internet legend goes like this: At a celebrity charity event, MMA star Bas Rutten (6'1" - 214 lbs.) accidentally stepped on the foot of NFL All-Pro Linebacker Brian Urlacher (6'4" - 258 lbs.). Rutten apologized, and offered Urlacher a beer. Urlacher, however, elevated the situation... eventually asking Rutten: "Do you want to take this outside?" Rutten had a one-word reply: "Yes." Security then interjected themselves, and informed Urlacher about his would-be opponent. Later, in a show of great wisdom, Urlacher apologized to Rutten. Dang. I'd have paid to see that fight. It would have been VERY lopsided. .

When teaching a session to folks of varying ranks, it is normal sometimes for some students to go a bit past the drills at hand in an effort to increase knowledge and skill. A wise instructor pays these no mind, as they can be quite helpful in the right circumstances. Then there are the jerks that try to establish a second ongoing class at the exact same time as the main class.  A few weeks ago, just such a thing happened. I was teaching in Rocklege, FL on my vacation, as I often do. One student, who had managed to remain a white belt in BJJ for four years, provided just such a situation, and it led to hilarious results. Just so you know, this individual had been "leading" a groundwork class at the dojo. However, his ego had prevailed and he had injured a couple of students. These students never returned. Hence, he was asked to leave the dojo. On Tuesday night, while I was teaching at the request of the head instructor, he kept going off topic. EVERY. SINGLE. T...

Looks like I might have switched to Old Earth models a bit too soon . Not really, but I am curious what the reason for relatively recent soft tissue on dino bones is all about...