RECCE ROOM

From a reader: "What is something that nobody outside your job would know is part of your job?" This is such a good question, that it will have a 5-part answer - one for each day this week.  First Part - From the perspective of Church Safety / Security: Many people - particularly on social media - speak of being "sheepdogs" or the "baddest man in the room." They generally have no clue. As the best-trained man in the room, here is a snippet of how it works: Everyone can be beaten.  - Most just straight out - even if they were to pick the type of combat and rule set (if any). This includes 99.9% of the folks who have a carry permit and think their gun is a magic talisman.  - A very few (1 in 100,000 or fewer) will require that I have the odds in my favor. This mean my type of fight instead of your type. Being well-trained means I train in what you do to the extent that I can survive long enough to figure out if I'm in over my head and to be able to disen...

  Do speed cameras  make us safer? This author has worked in auto insurance since 2006, a total of 3 companies. Each of them has a surcharge for ZIP codes where traffic cameras exist. Usually a 25% - 35% surcharge.  Why the increased premiums? Simple - the companies KNOW that the cameras actually cause more accidents than they prevent.  People seeing a yellow light in a place that they know has a camera will instinctually slam on the brakes. To prevent getting the ticket.  Well, that may not have been the safest course of action.  Person behinds them collides and damage is done.  Insurance companies know that there are more collisions in places with cameras.  The severity of the crashes is usually low. "Fender benders." Also, in the linked video, Steve Lehto asks why the camera companies are overseas and not US companies.  This author would suggest that the companies know they would bear liability for the greater chance of fender bende...

This past weekend was a big football game. There are a number of folks who point out it is a time of human trafficking. For years, this author has also pointed out that it is the most rigged sporting event to watch. For those that confuse the two terms, fixing and rigging are similar, but are not the same. Fixing means making certain of a certain outcome. Pro Wrestling is fixed as the winners of the matches are pre-determined. Major sports championships are rigged, which means efforts are made to favor one over the other.  Make no mistake, all major sporting championships are affected by rigging. In the Atlanta Braves recent World Series win, independent Umpire Auditors showed that of the Braves 16 postseason games, 13 were called in favor of Braves opponents, one was called fair, and two were in favor of the Braves. Also, over 70% of missed calls went in favor of the Braves' opponents. If this doesn't spell rigging to you, then the following phrase applies: "I can only...

As Canada moves into martial law via their "Emergencies Act," this post was found on social media.  There are a few takeaways here: 1. It is surprising that a conservative actually has the gumption to point this out.  Most are mindlessly bootlicking.  2. Most police have already made up their mind.  They will follow orders.  They are specifically selected for their tendencies to do so regardless of what is right.  At least, this is how US Police are.  The presumption this author makes is that Canadian Police are selected in a substantially similar way.  Thoughts?

This gem on social media. Clearly, there are still people out there that believe most divorces are because men cheat.  It has been said before, and it is worth saying again: 80% of divorces  are initiated by the woman. Of the remaining 20%, 80% of those are initiated by a man who was cheated on. That's 96% of the time, the divorce is either instigated by, or the fault of, the wife. Of the top 9 reasons  women list for filing for divorce, a cheating husband is one of the reasons listed. Most sources put cheating husband at less than 10% of divorces.  Add in abuse, and the total that are the man's fault are about 12% - 15% of all divorces . To correct the meme above, one might correctly say that a farm wife just doesn't have the time to imagine a reason to go to an attorney and get a divorce. 

Being a clinician is NOT the same as being a scientist.  Or even scientifically sound, for that matter. A reader of this blog directed me to a post online.  The post was made by a person who is an RN in a major metropolitan area.  Other posts by this person show she is definitely a left leaning individual.  The OP detailed her sorrow at the admission of a COVID patient to the part of the hospital she worked in.  The patient was described as being 30, "in great shape," and a father and husband.  The accompanying picture was of a man in his early 30's and weighing an estimated 400+ pounds.  The OP detailed that the patient's condition worsened rapidly. They put him on a ventilator and administered Remdesivir. She detailed that he had a problem with a blood clot in his heart that kept forming and re-forming. Eventually, the decision was made to mov him to another hospital. In the process of removing his one ventilator and putting him on a mobile venti...

From a reader: "Did you see Mas Ayoob's recent video about a 5 point checklist when speaking with the police after a self defense shooting? What do you think about that?" Given the fact that I am answering on this blog, and have linked the video to the question above, the answer to the first questions is "yes, I saw it." The answer to the second question is more in-depth.  Caveat Mas Ayoob is one of the great expert witnesses of our time when it comes to use of force. His credentials when it comes to that are unparalleled. With all due respect, Mas giving legal advice for what to say to police would be akin to a self-defense firearms instructor teaching someone how to throw a punch for self defense, presuming said firearms instructor is not an instructor of unarmed self defense. While it is close, it is not his area of expertise.  I will listen to what a criminal defense attorney says about the topic.  For the record, Reid Henrichs of Valor Ridge taught a finge...

Over the years, a number of people have reached out to me and asked what kind of comms I suggest. Of course, the unwritten part of the request is "should SHTF." Most are shocked when I advocate for a decent pair of walkie-talkies from the local sporting goods stores. Many are even more shocked when I tell them it really isn't a financial decision, either. To be sure, a pair of handheld walkie talkies is not going to break the bank (most pairs sell for $50 - $75 these days).  People ask: "but why do you not suggest (more) or (different)?" Simple. More Expensive Units Fail, Too. I have been a part of a church security and safety team where we had $300+ units. They fail every bit as often as the $75 pairs do. And for the same reason. And they really do not offer any better earpieces or mics. And they have to be programmed. And while you can find someone who claims to be able to program them, actually getting that person to program them is... problematic. One time, ...

Found online: Person applying to jobs. Recruiter reaches out to the person.  Conversation ensues. During conversation, person points out they have applied to 9 positions over two months.  Recruiter becomes enraged and "advises" the person that they should not apply to more than 2 or 3 positions per month.  Total insanity.  The last 3 times I lost my job, I had 150 applications in by the end of the week.  Each time.  Thoughts?

Saw this posted some time back.  The irony is thick. Everyone in the house except the child mentioned is jabbed to the max. Yet they got COVID. The OP is jabbed and has had his booster and is still afraid he will get COVID. Therefore he stays in a hotel instead of at home. He proves that the vaxx and the booster do not prevent you from getting COVID, yet he still (intensely) urges you to get the jabb. These people do not have the intellectual capacity to understand that the vaxx doesn't work.  That is why they do not see the irony in their statements.

Well, well, well... Seems that now there are now reports that wearing a mask is linked to a higher incidence of getting COVID. The researchers claim that it is because mask wearers are more likely to feel comfortable interacting with others. Not sure if they have seen the mask wearers where I live, because that certainly is not the case.  Masks do not and did not work.  Lockdowns do not and did not work.  The death toll is as high as it is in the US because proper treatments were denied to patients.  Remdesivir has killed more patients than COVID.  You go ahead and put your faith in an ineffective jab, and I'll stick with the "horse paste." " Moderate-certainty evidence finds that large reductions in COVID-19 deaths are possible using ivermectin. Using ivermectin early in the clinical course may reduce numbers progressing to severe disease. The apparent safety and low cost suggest that ivermectin is likely to have a significant impact on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic...

Recently came across two videos detailing "stupid stuff in hiring practices" as the YouTuber says.  I agree with his assessment. Here they are:   VIDEO 1     VIDEO 2   Here is the list of stupid things and commentary.  1. Outdated applicant tracking system. You should just upload a resume. No more.  These systems should have died 15 years ago. 2. Systems that require you to make an account. I will not apply to these.  I'll find a person at the company to send an email to first.  That's only if I really would like the job. 3. Requiring a cover letter.  I've sent like 4 or 5 all time.  Never do this. They don't even read them.  4. Require specific industry experience. This means they cannot teach you what they do.  Do you really want to work for an employer that doesn't know what they do? 5. Asking previous salary data. In many places this is illegal. But I suggest you go with the flow.  But make sure to gi...

 A reader wrote in with a series of questions, the answers to which would make for interesting blog fodder. Apparently, the reader came across these questions by viewing Facebook and YouTube short videos, wherein a narrator reads these questions and the answers as posted on Reddit. Reddit can certainly be entertaining.  Q - What was your best "you are speaking to the manager" moment? For this entry, a moment from some time back. I was a manager for Hertz, Local Edition. On a particular day, I came to work in a t-shirt and blue jeans. We had a large number of vehicles returned, and although we would rent them over the next few days, they needed cleaning first. I was going to clean them and have the Management Trainees rent them.  At one point, in the afternoon, I had cleaned all of the cars, and was resting inside the branch. A customer came in, and, as luck would have it, I was the only employee available. I apologized for my appearance, and went to work assisting her wit...