Mr Good Enough is Still Better

 Due to hypergamy, women always marry up. 

There has been an ongoing sentiment for as long as this author can remember that women who do not marry by XX age (usually 28, 30, 35, etc.) have to "settle" for a man so they can get married. There is so much in that statement alone to unpack, but the focus of this post will be how that statement is completely at odds with the concept of hypergamy. So which is true? 

Hypergamy is true, and women settle when they marry - both statements are 100% accurate and correct. 

The reason they can both be correct? Most women do not have an accurate assessment of their "market value." The "settling" comes when the woman realizes that her market value cannot earn a higher level man. She is not settling on the man - she is settling on her market value! 

There is an article out at Medium that dances all around this fact, but won't say it. A few misquotes from the article and some corrections:

As those women age, their dating pool of eligible bachelors gets smaller and smaller as the high-quality men are coupled with less choosy women.

The women who marry early realize all too well their worth, and find a man suitably better, but not too much better. These successful women either knew their worth, or hoodwinked someone, or got lucky. 

But these women do not lower their standards. Mostly because they are used to calling the shots and might be blissfully unaware that their dating clout is diminishing. The bloom may be coming off the rose, but the rose still doesn’t want to grow with weeds.

These women were weeds all along - which is why no man wanted to put a ring on it. They are just now realizing that their "rose bloom is coming off." Soon, they will realize they are not the rose they pictured themselves to be. Or they will die as a miserable cat-lady. 

[Speaking about "Mr. Right] He is out there. And perhaps he doesn’t have the fancy education. But he also won’t give me anything to write about.

And when you realize that you will not give him anything to "write about," either, you will find him. 

Spotted in the Wild

There have been a couple of blog posts here about ending military elitism. And although there is no drive to document every instance of it on this blog, there was one recently of note. YouTuber "Frogman Tactical," herein called "the complainer," recently made a "call out" video of T-Rex Arms. This was problematic for several reasons. 

First - why make a "call-out" video of someone on "our side" when there is plenty of material from the other side? It's not like Lucas of T-Rex Arms was doing something dangerous. 

Also - the critique smacked of YoU'rE dOiNg It WrOnG!!! when the actual instruction and coaching given was simply not what the complainer would have done, or maybe even a technique the complainer was not familiar with. 

A quick trip to the comments section confirmed that the complainer heard Lucas incorrectly and ran with the incorrect word. Not a good look - to formulate a "YoU'rE dOiNg It WrOnG!!!" based off of a word or phrase that was not actually used. 

There is an air in the video of outright military elitism. If you don't get that feeling, you were probably former military and sympathized a bit with the complainer. 

There was a followup video by the complainer to further clarify, based on getting Lucas' verbiage incorrect as observed by dozens of commenters. It didn't help. 

The complainer challenges Lucas to a duel. There are so many issues with this on so many levels, it is not funny. Ultimately, this caused me to unsub.

It sounded as if the complainer was upset because Lucas has a more successful 2A business. If the complainer would put as much effort and energy into marketing and making a good website and good videos, then he wouldn't have to be jealous. He would be too busy teaching - which he clearly isn't. 

Of note, a channel I follow - Modern Tactical Shooting - made a comment in favor of the complainer. The comment quickly got smacked down by other commenters. To his credit, MTS did not engage in any more dialog, as defending the position taken could easily have turned into military elitism. This is how it is done - when you make an error, own up to it and keep your mouth shut on it. 

The Number 1 Cause

In a typical gun class, we introduce ourselves at the beginning. The exercise is to tell your name, where you are from, what do you do, and why are you here. Students are asked to keep answers to 30 seconds or less. It's a quick ice-breaker that starts building camaraderie. And, from time to time, this segment provides for some blog fodder. This is one of those times. 

One participant gives the name, skips where they are from and what they do for a job, and says "I know how to shoot, just want to test a new gun." 

Folks - this is the excuse writing itself prior to being used. And it will be used. You can bet your bottom dollar. 

We get out on the line, and are performing some lesson modules using DEA dots at 3 yards (10 feet). This does not require a tremendous amount of skill, and sets the student up for success later when a 6-inch vital zone is used. And starts the student toward skills needed to make hits on the 3-inch ocular cranial cavity area. 

Usually, at this time, if a student misses a shot, it is only out by an inch or two. Usually low-left (trigger jerking). They are coached on how to fix it, and most do. 

This student was missing low and low-left by six inches or more! 

"I know how to shoot!" 

Yeah. 

Right. 

Of course, positive coaching was given. And the inevitable happened. 

"I think my sights are off!" was the complaint. 

This author asked permission to shoot the gun thrice. 

Three clover-leafed shots in the middle of DEA dot #2. 

"Your sights are on the money." was this author's reply. 

"Then why are all my shots down there?"

"Because you were jerking the hell out of the trigger. Start going easy like you've been told 15 times, and you'll be in the dot. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze." 

Next shot was low-left again. Jerked the hell out of it. This author asked the student to put their finger on the trigger, but the author would put his finger on top of the student's finger, and apply the pressure. Slow & steady pressure was applied, and the shot went into the middle of the #1. 

Astonishment. 

Next 15 shots hit in the appropriate dots. 

iFails 3

This is a documentation of iPhone failures. 

As I near my upper 40's,  my arms are "getting shorter." Admittedly, I have had to increase the size of the font on my phone so as to be able to read texts, etc. 

On a recent business trip, I was having great difficulty adjusting the size of the font on the company iPhone. A well-meaning coworker grabbed the phone and fumbled around for a few moments, eventually making the font larger. 

It was too large - and I didn't know how to make the adjustment myself, so I went to work, figuring it out. The coworker gave a few simple directions, and left a lot of the rest to be desired. Through a combination that cannot be recalled, the font became so large that I could only see a part of the screen at any given time. A few moments of fumbling on my part and the coworker again grabbed the phone. This time, the coworker couldn't get it to decrease in size, either! 

The main problem was that since only part of the normal screen could be seen, tracking to the other side was ineffective, because the option to select was in the middle, and could not be activated. 

Eventually, the phone had to be reset. 

It would be unwise to select a phone that can even do something like this. A total lack of testing and quality control and assurance. 

The Price and the Value

Because the internet is forever®.
And because this has been posted about before. 

Let's review this passive-aggressive post and evaluate for accuracy. 

• Since 2016, Patriot Training has had over 1000 paying students walk through the doors. 
• In 2022, just over half of all paying attendees have been Alumni (had a live fire class with Patriot Training)
• Over 200 paying students have taken life-saving medical classes. 
• Prices for classes have been increased every year. 
• Attendance has increased every year, with the exception of 2022 (unknown, as the year is not yet complete - but trending to be slightly less than 2021). 
• Over 70 military veterans have attended classes. All but one has attended again. 
• Over 50 current or former LEO have attended classes. All but three have attended again. 
• 46 Facebook reviews - 45 of which are 5-star reviews. The lone negative review is from an individual who has never and will never attend a Patriot Training class. 
• 22 Google reviews. All 22 are 5-star reviews. 
• 19 Students have taken the Patriot Training Instructor Class. All but six have helped with a class. 
• Patriot Training Alumni are undefeated in life threatening situations. 
• "This material is more difficult, but also better explained and therefore more achievable and repeatable than a comparable class I took six weeks ago from a Military vet and SWAT team veteran." - A participant who took a long-range class with Patriot Training. 

Does Patriot Training provide value? 

Most assuredly, and you do not have to take the owner's word on that. 

So why have this post? Why address the hater? 

Because having haters is proof that Patriot Training is doing the right things!

And...

Dave Ramsey Wants You To Quiet Quit

 

A recent YouTube video by Dave Ramsey had an interesting dichotomy.

 
3:35 - 6:25 - Ramsey and his cohost level set with the caller and tell her to avoid doing everyone else's job. This is "quiet quitting!" This is acting your wage!

6:30 - Ramsey fires a verbal shot at "quiet quitters"

7:15 - 7:35 - Ramsey states "just show up to work and do the work and you are a rockstar!" This is his dichotomy. He just defined and advocated for acting your wage. 

All in all, the advice they gave the caller was 100% accurate. 

To be fair, Ramsey's debt snowball, and "Baby Steps" are also completely accurate and effective, so long as you do not invest using the methods Ramsey suggests. 

Ripple Effect

Influence can be direct, and indirect. Both direct and indirect influence can have great effect. This post is about that. Both men listed have had great effect - direct and indirect. 

DIRECT EFFECT

Jeff Mayhew is an instructor with Patriot Training. Jeff brings family. Jeff brings friends. Jeff helps set up and take down. Jeff attends classes with the author at other schools. Jeff asks pertinent questions, and always conducts himself as a professional. He understands that the only "glamor" in being a firearms instructor is a blue-collar type of glamor. 

Having Jeff on board with Patriot Training has significantly improved classes and morale. Morale on the part of the participants, as well as the owner. 

For this reason, Jeff is hereby awarded the title of "Rifleman Emeritus" and will henceforth attend any Patriot Training class he wishes, completely on the house. 

INDIRECT EFFECT

Aaron Shipp owns Victory Martial Arts in Elizabethtown, KY. Make no mistake, Aaron has had plenty of positive direct effect for Patriot Training. However, Aaron has the distinction of having had by far the largest positive indirect effect on Patriot Training. 

Like Jeff, Aaron brings family and friends to Patriot Training classes. He helps set up, and he helps take down. He brings the martial arts fortitude to class every time he attends. But that is the direct effect. 

The indirect effect Aaron has had is significant. And this story was told this past weekend at Urban Rifleman. What Aaron may or may not know is that he single-handedly saved Patriot Training. For this reason, Aaron is awarded the title of "Rifleman Emeritus" and will henceforth attend any Patriot Training class he wishes, completely on the house. 

THE STORY

Setting was August 2018. The private land where Patriot Training classes was being held was no longer going to be able to host. With an event scheduled for August, the author had to scramble to find a place. Thanks to Nick Parker and OK Corral for working with us. That was an excellent stand in. But a more permanent location was needed. Soon enough, Mountain Top Gun & Archery partnered with Patriot Training. That pressure was lifted, but other pressures intensified. 

In September 2018, a pistol class was held wherein two people stole from Patriot Training. At that time, classes were held based on clicking "going" on Facebook.  The author would limit such a pistol class to 20 participants, and the morning of, usually 1/3 or more would message, saying they were not going to make it. It didn't matter to them, they did not pay until class time. They had no skin in the game. 

To make matters worse, a long-range class was taught in October, which Aaron attended, and only 5 people showed up. This was not enough to cover expenses. Money had been lost on the pistol class the month prior, because of the theft. The author was *this close* (squeezes fingers close together) to shutting the whole thing down. 

Aaron Shipp asked the question: "why don't you have more here?"

Through conversation, he asked hard questions and the author decided to change the way things were done. Since then, Patriot Training has grown by leaps and bound every year. Facebook advertising has been fantastic - thanks to Aaron. Only 1 class in 2022 will have lost money - and one of the participants in that one has attended again, meaning the investment was well worth it. 

This past weekend, Urban Rifleman had 10 participants and an assistant who was assisting in that particular class for the 7th time. Each participant and the assistant all found Patriot Training through Facebook - either directly or indirectly. The ripple effect (sometimes also called the butterfly effect) from Aaron's coaching made that happen. Also of note - in that class was the 1000th unique individual to have participated in a Patriot Training class. 

Of note, with all that growth, Jeff has played the role of grunt for the gruntwork very well. Never complaining once. Working hard every time. 

Without these two men, Patriot Training could not have grown to the size that it has, and this author is forever thankful. 

Act Your Wage

 

Some time ago, this author worked for a company that outlined an employee's performance by using the above scale - "threshold, target, and outstanding." Threshold was less than 95%. Target was between 95% and 105%. Outstanding was 105% and above. 

Recently, this video was made on YouTube about "Quiet Quitting." As Joshua Fluke pointed out, then name "quiet quitting" is a bit of a misnomer. This author prefers "Act Your Wage." Also sometimes written as #ActYourWage. 

In the video, Fluke refutes claims by people who hate the idea of quiet quitting. The one underlying theme in these haters is they think quiet quitters don't do anything at work. They presume the quiet quitter is in the "threshold" category above. This is patently false. 

THE QUIET QUITTER IS CONSISTENTLY AT TARGET - they do exactly what is expected of the position. 100%. 

And this is why it is preferred to say these people are simply acting their wage. The idea that giving 110% will get you ahead is so patently false, it is laughable. All you will get by consistently performing at "Outstanding" is more work! Expectations will change, and you will be required to do 110% just to break even. You won't get paid much extra, if any. You won't get promoted. You'll have to leave the company to make more money or get a better or higher ranking position. 

No Amnesty

By now, you've surely heard of the "olive branch" that has been extended for "Pandemic Amnesty." Make no mistake, the only reason the Left wants "amnesty" is because they have been proven wrong in every aspect of the "pandemic."

The death rate was no different than a severe flu. 

The "vaccine" didn't prevent you from catching it. 

The "vaccine" didn't lessen the severity of it. 

The "vaccine" didn't prevent you from passing it on. 

The "vaccine" didn't reduce your likelihood of death. 

The "vaccine" had all of the negative side effects warned by the "conspiracy theorists" and worse. 

The lockdowns didn't work. 

Social Distancing didn't work. 

Masks sure as Hell didn't work. 

They closed your church and schools.

They took your job. 

They made you cancel family gatherings, funerals, and even visiting loved ones in hospitals. 

Now, they simply don't want to be held accountable for all of these failures. 

Below is a series of quotes from the article and a short remark:

There is an emerging (if not universal) consensus that schools in the U.S. were closed for too long. 

Yes -and we told you that in 2020!

When the vaccines came out, we lacked definitive data on the relative efficacies of the Johnson & Johnson shot versus the mRNA options from Pfizer and Moderna. ... This misstep wasn’t nefarious. It was the result of uncertainty.

None of them worked... at all! Stop pretending any of them did anything other than hurt people! 

Misinformation was, and remains, a huge problem. But most errors were made by people who were working in earnest for the good of society.

NO! Fauci and the "scientists" were following the money!

Given the amount of uncertainty, almost every position was taken on every topic. And on every topic, someone was eventually proved right, and someone else was proved wrong. In some instances, the right people were right for the wrong reasons. In other instances, they had a prescient understanding of the available information.

We weren't "right for the wrong reasons," nor did we have "a prescient understanding of the available information" - we have critical thinking skills... and we tried warning you! 

The people who got it right, for whatever reason, may want to gloat. Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts. All of this gloating and defensiveness continues to gobble up a lot of social energy and to drive the culture wars, especially on the internet. These discussions are heated, unpleasant and, ultimately, unproductive.

When your side loses, which is often, they don't know how to handle it. Hell, they don't know how to handle much of reality. 

The standard saying is that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. But dwelling on the mistakes of history can lead to a repetitive doom loop as well. Let’s acknowledge that we made complicated choices in the face of deep uncertainty, and then try to work together to build back and move forward.

Let's acknowledge that freedom is the only effective choice. 

iFails 2

This is a documentation of iPhone failures. 

The afore-mentioned company iPhone has normal iPhone issues. This time, it is with the Calendar. My boss recently shared her calendar with me. Nothing out of the normal. Except my iPhone calendar now shows me all of her updates, as well as my own! 

As usual, off to Google to look up that make of iPhone and possible fixes. The results are spectacularly predictable - a plethora of suggestions, and NONE OF THEM WORK. (they never do!)

Oh, well, I can just completely ignore my company phone calendar. One more item that is useless on that device. And I did actually use that one a little. 

Election Results and Theft Results

 

Because this meme is true, this meme became true:

But I would propose this is true:

What it is, and what it is not:

It is not about Republican turnout!

It is not about "Independent" voters or Lolbertarians!

It is not about Early Voting!

It sure as Hell is not Trump's doing!

It is about Voter ID!

It is about banning mail-in ballots!

It is about ballot harvesting - see DeSantis' election police force!

Your Critique

 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." 

- Theodore Roosevelt 

This is why this blog posts the ridiculous statements of gun culture yahoos.  Particularly and especially those former military who insist YoU'rE dOiNg It WrOnG!!!

To that idea, 

From John Hearne,

"If you're going to critique someone, it takes more than 'he's wrong' for your critique to matter.  The detail of your critique is directly proportional to the respect I give it."

If you truly believe something is wrong, detail what is wrong and why; and offer another a positive alternative. Even if you were a combat MOS with multiple deployments and engagements, that is nearly irrelevant with regard to your ability to teach and coach the material.  I want to know what certifications you have, what civilian classes (continuing education) you've had, and what you have taught.  Credentials do not make you a teacher, teaching makes you a teacher.  

And if you really do know your stuff, and you see something "wrong" in a picture, then you must also be aware that camera angles conceal facts.  Ask yourself - do you know 100% of what was going on in this picture or video? If not, then your observation of YoU'rE dOiNg It WrOnG!!! is completely invalid.  You are simply demonstrating how foolish you are.  

Yahoos Gonna Yahoo

 

Some time ago, this blog had a post designed to expose some of the idiocy in and around the gun community - particularly online.  One presumably well-intended reader commented "Gee. What made you think that you were exempt from the general BS?" And then he went on to suggest I was somehow whining about something.  Of course, anyone who read the article as a whole understands the purpose was to categorize the types of "yahoos" one might encounter online. 

To that point, more recently, Mike Glover of Fieldcraft Survival had one such yahoo make some of those irregular statements.  And Glover documented it on his Instagram page. 

Nope, nobody is exempt.  Nobody should pretend they should be.  The point is, internet yahoos will do what they do, which is to find fault where one does not exist.  Mainly because they do not get out there and train, they type from cheetos-dusted keyboards in mommy's basement. 

Do Women Need a Degree

 A reader asks:

"Would you suggest a woman get a degree or get married, assuming the two were mutually exclusive?"

Great question. And there are several layers to unpack. 

First - most college degrees are somewhat useless. 

Second - the primary argument given by feminists as to why a woman needs a degree is for a backup plan in case their man leaves them. This is a very problematic argument - arguing to the extreme as opposed to the norm. This blog has established that 80% of divorces are initiated by women, and another 16% are initiated by men whose wives displayed infidelity. 

It would be wiser for women to focus on staying married to their husbands and not cheating on them. Then there is only a 4% chance of divorce! 

Summary

This blog cannot, in good conscience, suggest anyone get a college degree without a distinct and proven plan to use it. Think doctor, nurse, accountant, lawyer, engineer, and not much else. 

Given that, and given the unlikely nature of a "man leaving them," this blog would urge women to find a husband with similar life goals, and focus on how to be a godly wife. A very small percentage will experience hardship if they follow this course. However, a great majority of women who deny this course will experience great hardship. The choice is yours! 

iFails

New blog category - iFails. This is a documentation of iPhone failures. 

In 2012, my company issued me an iPhone. I lamented on FB that I didn't like it because it was an inferior platform than the Blackberry I'd had for so long. Of course, many well-meaning friends who cannot read came along to assure me I'd like it "once I learned how to use it." Problem was - I already knew how to use it, hence the reason I did not want one! 

Fortunately, they did away with the iPhone mandate a couple of years after. They realized their errors in using an iPhone only app and went to a different service that supported Android, as well. I switched and have never looked back. 

Fast forward - I got a new job back in June, and they issued me an iPhone. 

Let the games begin again. 

First installment - pictures. 

My boss wanted to see pictures of folks Halloween adventures. This past weekend, my son turned 18 and we took him and several of his friends to Lake Winnie. My brother and sister joined us. My sister's husband and several inlaws were there. My brother's son was also there. Many pictures were taken. I had them sent to me. 

I texted the pictures to my company iPhone to share on Slack as others had done. Of course, the iPhone was unable to load a single picture to Slack, much less many. A quick Google search showed some possible fixes for that iPhone variant. None of which worked, of course. So I went to email the pictures to myself. 

ONLY TO FIND THAT THE iPhone EMAIL APPS CANNOT ATTACH MORE THAN ONE PICTURE AT A TIME. And if you try to send an email first, and make an attachment later, forget it! Again Googled fixes. Again complete and total failure. 

Solution - I went to my Samsung Galaxy A51, quickly opened a new email, attached about 10 photos, and sent them to my work email. Making the upload to Slack painless from my company issued computer. The whole process took less than 60 seconds. 

Somewhat Problematic

 

Found on social media, this meme provides some opportunity to logically evaluate some critical thinking errors. 

"I will never sit with my back to the door."

Show me one mass shooter incident where the first victim targeted was facing away. 

"I will never leave home without my weapon."

Even thinking of a gun as a weapon is problematic. I am the weapon, the gun is simply one of my tools. 

"I will never quit watching out for you..." 

This is the most common misconception in law enforcement - that they do what they do to protect. Nothing could be further from the truth, and police have no duty to protect. 

"I am always watching, scanning, making sure, that everyone, everywhere I go, is safe."

See previous. The scanning is to look for possible problems. Not safety. There is a difference. 

"I am always ready to act on your behalf, whether I know you or not." 

One word: Uvalade.

"I might be retired, but my oath has no expiration date." 

Why didn't you uphold your oath when you were active? 

"I will always back any good law enforcement officer in any way I can."

This is literally frightening... you think they are all good. And there simply is no proof of that assertion. 

"It was never just a job - it was a calling." 

Well, that is the icing... those are the words of a cultist. Please see the dangers. 

Thoughts?

More On Barrel Deflection

Over eight years ago, this blog featured this article on barrel deflection. Recently, it was discovered that this article was linked to post on Reddit. Here is a link to that post. From that post, here are the questions:

"Where are some good resources in avoiding barrel deflection in non free floated systems in order to get consistent groups?
Looking to shoot 300m with my mp15. Would using a grip pod or bipod on my non free floated RIS mess that up?"

These are very pertinent questions!

Since there are two questions, lets deal with them one at a time:

Where are some good resources in avoiding barrel deflection in non free floated systems in order to get consistent groups?

Short answer - there are not going to be many resources for avoiding barrel deflection in a non-free floated system. The problem is that there are a great many difficulties in applying the exact same amount of pressure to the barrel each and every time. And even if one figures a way out to apply consistent pressure, then it is not likely able to be duplicated in a field situation. 

Looking to shoot 300m with my mp15. Would using a grip pod or bipod on my non free floated RIS mess that up?"

Short answer - Yes. The grip pod or bipod will make things difficult. It will be very hard to apply steady amounts of pressure. This was demonstrated in the previous article on this blog. 

A better solution is to rest the rifle on the magazine and shoot from that position, instead. With no (or minimal) external pressure on the barrel, the deflection would be minimal or none. When there are shooters in this author's classes who have AR15 rifles that are not free floated, this is how the issue is addressed. None of these shooters has ever had a great issue in making hits at 300 yards. Shooters of non free floated rifles all make hits out to 300 in these classes using magazine rested positions - with scopes, red dots, and iron sights.