Thanks and Farewell?

I realize to any that follow this blog that posts in the last year have become much more sporadic. I do appreciate that folks are still taking a look and responding, but I have to be honest that this is no longer one of my priorities in life.

We are at a stage, I believe, where it's too late to talk. Even if it wasn't, I don't really have much to add to the conversations that I see taking place around the web that others aren't already adding. Add to that that life is getting more and more interesting, and trying to get things in place to protect my family for what I view as the inevitable collapse of our society, whether financial or political (either way it won't be pretty), and I honestly just have better things to do most of the time, not to mention no home internet access.

I don't believe the elections will change anything but the speed of collapse, and I am not willing to sacrifice my principles to vote for someone (Romney) who will only take his foot off the gas a bit. I know there are some who will poo-poo me for this decision, saying principles are fine but sometimes you have to compromise. Oh well, not the first time I've been derided for being stubborn and "unreasonable". When the choices presented are Satan or a Demon, you select neither and instead petition God for mercy and grace. That's where I stand, anyway.

So, with that, I thank you all for reading. I'm not saying this will be my last post for eternity, but I am saying not to get upset if you don't see anything new here.

Stay safe, get yourselves ready for whatever is coming, and if you want good reading material, check out the blogs in my sidebar. They are often full of good thoughts.

Military Conversations

I have recently met someone who formerly served active duty military, and we have been able to have some interesting, if not frightening, conversations. One thing he told me was somewhat funny, even if a little disheartening. He was working on an airplane, had one of the wings off of it, and the pilot (keep in mind, this means college educated and an officer) climbed into the plane and was starting it up getting ready to fly. The pilot did not notice he was missing a wing. Boy, would that have been a short flight.

The other two things he told me were more disheartening. We had a carrier, one of the newer ones, over in the area of China. Radar and sonar were running, and helos were doing ASW searches. Undetected, a Chinese sub surfaced behind the carrier, then dove again. They got pictures when it surfaced. Does that scare anyone besides me?

Then he told me that there is a Marine who is currently facing an other than honorable discharge for starting a Tea Party Facebook group and posting anti-Obama comments. Now keep in mind, this Marine has done tours overseas, as I understand it, and is at risk of losing all of his military benefits as a result of this. I did a quick search and found several stories. Here are two of them:
WLTX
CBS

Let me share three of the most important paragraphs from the CBS article to highlight the issue.

"He said it was in that context that he said he would refuse to follow orders from the president if those orders included detaining U.S. citizens, disarming them or doing anything else that he believes would violate their constitutional rights.“I’m completely shocked that this is happening,” Stein told the Associated Press. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve only stated what our oath states that I will defend the constitution and that I will not follow unlawful orders. If that’s a crime, what is America coming to?”""Solis said that despite the free speech question, the issue ultimately boils down to preserving the chain of command.“We can’t allow individual soldiers or Marines to be deciding for themselves what orders are constitutional or what national policies are supported by the Constitution,” he said."

Does anyone else see what I see in this? This Marine has simply taken his oath seriously, and now is in trouble for it! And as far as what this Solis guy says, what is the purpose of taking the oath to the Constitution and that oath resting on your conscience if someone else tells you what your conscience should think? I wish every single one of the men and women serving in our military and law enforcement took their oaths as seriously as this Marine. He has convictions and a conscience, and we should stand behind him. These people are trying now to stop any dissent that is starting to form in the ranks, any inkling of duty that the troops have as a result of their oaths. They are doing this for a reason. I no longer think things like this happen by chance or in isolated incidents. I have seen enough the past few years to know that all of this is orchestrated. While we are busy looking at the tactics used by our government, and dissecting them, they are thinking strategy, the end game. Well, their end game is tyranny, via a gradual shift so it's not too obvious. It's like trying to catch an animal - if you just run after it, it knows you are trying to catch it. If you sneak up, one little step at a time, acting as innocuous as possible, you are right next to it before it knows your intent. People, this is another one of their little steps. Let's not waste any more time dissecting these moves to see exactly what their motives are. We know their motives, even if they are trying to conceal them. Let's fight them at every turn so that they cannot get any closer to our liberties through their constant deceit and incremental-ism.

Act Free.

For Grandpa

It's been a rough week. I got a call Sunday morning saying that my grandpa, my last remaining grandparent, and certainly the one I was closest to, was not doing well at all. He'd had cancer, kidney, lung, and heart problems for a good while. He had apparently nose-dived in less than 48 hours. A few hours after the first call, I got another one saying to come home. After packing and a few hours rest, I got in the truck at 1:38 AM Monday morning and made the 600-mile drive. Ten and a half hours later, I arrived to see a man who had always been strong laying in a hospital bed in the living room, barely able to communicate or move, and barely hanging on to life. At 11:40 PM, February 6, 2012, Alden Ray Heichel's soul returned to God.

I sadly am not able to stay for the calling hours or funeral, but that was not nearly as important as getting to see him one last time while there was still breath in his lungs, and tell him that I love him. In my absence, my father is going to read the following at the funeral. I post it here as a memorial to a man that has greatly influenced my life.

Time would fail me to share all the things I learned from Grandpa, and all the memories we shared. Most of the time he was teaching, I don’t even think he realized it. You couldn’t keep him down, even if he was sick. He would go outside and keep working. You would seldom find him sitting down unless it was for a meal or time for coffee, or watching the sun set and the rabbits run around in the twilight. If there was work to be done, we did it. He always told the truth as he knew it. He tried to get along with everyone. For some reason, I never liked my middle name, until I found out it was mine because it was his. I now consider it an honor.

Looking back now and thinking about what I now hold as dear memories, I wouldn’t have believed at the time that these were the things I would remember most. There is the time he tried teaching me how to bush hog for the first time – in the middle of a wooded path. Yes, it ended as poorly as one might imagine. Then there was all the time we spent baling hay and straw, and then selling it. There was also all the time we spent in the corn crib bagging up sacks of corn to sell at the feed mill, which of course meant all the time learning to tie the bag properly. Or you could count the time we spent cutting firewood, me trimming small stuff, him cutting the logs, then me taking the splitting maul to them. He bought that maul just because he knew I liked hand-splitting the wood. Of course there is all the time we spent trying to get those pesky groundhogs, coons, and possums. And getting yelled at about how to properly drive the tractor, or back up trailers. Turns out I got pretty good at both.

I guess we did occasionally do things other than work. We did like to fish, whether it was in his pond, or at Mt. Gilead State Park, or Kokosing Reservoir, though we never had much luck at the latter two. And there is absolutely no way I could forget one of our favorite pastimes – drinking coffee. Let’s see, there would be the cup we would try to sneak in the morning without Grandma catching us; then there was the hot water pot and cups he kept in the shop so that she couldn’t catch us; oh, and the cups we would always stop for anytime we had to go to Tractor Supply or anywhere else in town. In recent years, it amounted to getting out to the house early in the morning, or late in the evening, and sitting on the deck talking over a couple cups.

Living 600 miles away from the person you spent most of your childhood and teenage time with gets you thinking about the things you miss long before you realize you have to miss them for good. Few things can bring me to tears the way that thinking about all the things I’ll never get to do again with grandpa can. Every time I plant my garden, or cut firewood, or patch holes in my shed roof, I’ll think about a man who will be missed by me in a way that I can only hope my grandchildren will miss me.

Every day, I’ll have a reminder of a man who was near deaf, stubborn as a mule, a bit of an impatient teacher, and a man that I sorely wish could share with me one more pot of coffee.

Rest in Peace, Grandpa.

My Take on The Republican Race

Well, let's start off by saying that I'm not excited about anyone. I'll also say that when the primary rolls around here, I'll be voting for Santorum, if he's still in the race. (And please spare me the "elect-ability" crap. The only reason people believe that is because they are being fed it by the media. If people actually voted for who they wanted, instead of who is "elect-able", we would see a much different line-up.)  If not, well, I may not be voting Republican. No, I am not one of those people who is crazy about "their" candidate and refuses to vote for anyone else. I just don't know if I could vote for any of the other three due to principle. Allow me to explain.

Ron Paul: I agree with a lot of what he says, but some things just don't add up. I don't think I'll have to worry about him being the nominee, anyway. Something just doesn't sit right, but I can't quite place it. I'll have to look into it more.

Mitt Romney: Okay, the obvious - Romneycare. Too many inconsistencies in what he has said about it and the reality. Shoot, that goes for about everything he says. I think the comic going around with him having a dozen mouths all over his face is pretty accurate. I don't trust him. Then there is the fact that he is on the record publicly supporting abortion while governor of Massachusetts. Sure, he has since said that he changed his position, but see previous statement. Then there is the firearms issue. He believes that at least half of the guns I own, I shouldn't be able to own. To say that you support the Second Amendment, and then say that you don't believe the public needs to have X-type of weapon, shows that you don't truly understand or support the right to keep and bear arms. The abortion issue alone is enough to kill me voting for him. I will never vote for someone who supports abortion. End of story. Toss in guns, and he's a dead as a candidate in my eyes many times over. As Robin Williams said in Patch Adams, "IDGARA" what he believes I should be allowed to own and for what reason.

Newt Gingrich: Let's start this one off by saying that I don't trust him any more than I trust Romney. Also, hearing him talk on the Glenn Beck Show, I'm pretty sure Glenn is right that Gingrich is a collectivist in conservative clothing. Now I'm going to go into something that many will disagree with me on, but I believe what I believe, so it is an issue to me. Marriage. Adultery. The man made a vow to two different women, and if it is anything like the one I made to my wife, it includes fidelity and "till death do us part". Twice, he broke his vows. Vows made before God. If he doesn't take a vow seriously to remain faithful to a woman until death, how can I trust him to remain faithful in the oath he would take to be President?

Yes, I know, some people would ask me if I'm willing to "allow" Obama to win re-election by not promising to get behind the nominee. No, I'm not. I have a duty to remain true to myself and to God when I press the button in the voting booth. Romans 1:32 says that approving of something or someone that is sinful puts you in the same position as the one practicing it, in God's eyes. I will not bear their guilt.

To be completely honest, I'm not sure the country/world will survive in it's current form until November. Even if it does, the only thing that will change as a result of electing a Republican will likely be the rate of decay. The end will be the same, simply delayed. Call me a cynic or a pessimist, whatever. Truth doesn't lie. That's where the truth points. "Have a little faith. Trust God." I do. I don't trust politicians or governments which has proven themselves corrupt time and again. Sometimes God's plan is destruction to set the stage for rebuilding. So be it. Prepare yourselves, no matter the politics. It will be a bumpy ride.

Keep your powder dry.

Act Free.

Response to "A Declaration"

Recently, I posted "A Declaration". As I said I would, I sent copies of it to all of my "representatives" in Congress. Senator Bob Corker responded to me today. The text follows, and then I will have some more comments.

Thank you for contacting my office regarding provisions related to the disposition of detainees in the FY2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Your input is important to me, and I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts.  Like you, I believe that protecting our constitutional rights is one of the most significant responsibilities of the U.S. Senate.  I understand the concerns presented in your letter, but I think it is important to note that there is a significant amount of misinformation being circulated with regard to the provisions of the  NDAA which recently passed in the Senate.   I want to assure you that there is nothing in this bill that changes current law or practice in any way as it relates to the rights or treatment of U.S. citizens or the military's ability to operate within the United States. In an effort to clear up any misconceptions about the impact of the bill on the rights of citizens, an amendment was adopted by the Senate and was included in the final version of the bill, which reads:  "Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect existing law or authorities, relating to the detention of US citizens, lawful resident aliens of the United States, or any other persons who are captured or arrested in the United States." This amendment passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 99 to 1. The final bill passed by a vote of 86 to 13, and includes authorization for a number of essential programs and benefits to support our troops, including a 1.6% pay raise for all members of the military. Our country's fight against al Qaeda and associated organizations is a struggle that continues to pose significant and diverse challenges for our country. I want you to know that protecting American citizens is a solemn responsibility, and I therefore believe we must have legal methods in place to remove combatants from the battlefield, obtain critical intelligence, and detain those that are a threat to the American people.  However, I understand the important balance that must be met between protecting our nation from future attacks and preserving our civil liberties.  As we work to strike that critical balance, I can assure you I will continue to uphold my oath of office to support and defend the Constitution. Thank you again for your letter. I hope you will continue to share your thoughts with me throughout the course of my term.  

Sincerely, 
Bob CorkerUnited States Senator

Now yes, the amendment that was passed does help - barely. Go take a look at Arctic Patriot's post that fits well as a response to this e-mail. He cites a bill that is in the house and would allow citizenship to be stripped from any deemed to be a "terrorist" or to be aiding them. Keep in mind that we are each just a few keystrokes away from being determined to be "terrorists" by the .gov. Politicians, including everyone in our current presidential administration, have already said they believe Tea Partiers, and of course that means also those of us who are further to the right than the Tea Party, are terrorists. Just for our beliefs. We have a president who is openly defying the Constitution and Congress by making recess appointments while Congress is still in session. Federal agencies are running rampant with treating normal citizens like criminals without just cause. They are even mobile now (VIPR). Go ahead and try to tell me again that this amendment makes you feel safe.

To me, it looks more like theater.

Act Free.

An Easier Way

I'm going to have to ask a Robbish question here:

Wouldn't it be easier to just type it into the address bar?

Someone did a search that linked them here. Here is the referring URL:
http://yandex.ru/yandsearch?text=freedomismandatory.blogspot.com&lr=84

A Declaration

Via this post by AP comes this declaration. I post it here in agreement, and will be sending copies to all of my congress-traitors.

Whereas, on the 14th of December, 2011, the House of Representatives of these United States voted in favor of indefinite military detention, without charges, of any American, anywhere, anytime, without due process of law, at the discretion of the government alone;
Whereas, on the 15th of December, 2011, the Senate of these United States voted in favor of the same bill;
Whereas, the proscription against the use of military force to police the populous has been an essential feature of American civic life and civic liberty since the arrival of our civilization upon this continent;
Whereas, the wanton violation of this proscription was one of the chief causes of the separation of the American peoples from their government in Great Britain;
Whereas, the Constitution so chartering the government of these United States does not grant this power;
Whereas, the Constitution forbids the addition of any power not enumerated to the general government;
Whereas, the use of such draconian measures has been an essential feature of the enforcement of tyranny by totalitarian governments of the 20th century, including, but not limited to, the Nationalist-Socialist government of Germany, the fascist government of Italy, the government of the United Soviet Socialist Republics, and the government of Vietnam;
Whereas, the use of such draconian measures is carefully calculated to quash all political dissent amongst a captive people;
Whereas, the codification of such draconian measures effectively nullifies all civil liberties the people may hope to hold;
Whereas, the codification of such draconian measures are the last act in the quest to hold a people captive to the rapacious will of their government without recourse;
And whereas, the codification of such draconian measures is an act of war against the populous at large;
Therefore, be it declared that a STATE OF WAR formally exists between the Government of these United States and the People of these United States.
We, the People of these United States, declare any and all attempts to enforce the provisions of HR 1540 to be unlawful, void, and of no force.
We, declare ALL WHO voted in favor of HR 1540, and ALL WHO attempt to enforce HR 1540 to be traitors to these United States, punishable under law.
We, SHALL DISOBEY, APPREHEND, OR RESIST WITH DEADLY FORCE, in our discretion, any person who attempts to enforce the provisions of HR 1540.
We, SHALL NOT aggress against any employee of any American government who shall not attempt to enforce or aid and abet the enforcement of HR 1540, they being as trapped as the rest of the populous.
Such STATE OF WAR shall continue until HR 1540 is stricken from the code of law, and all who had hand in HR 1540 are brought to justice under due process of law.
Signed and witnessed by we, the individual citizens of these United States, below:


M.G.




Act Free.

Some Range Time and Poor Man's Ballistics Testing

Yesterday I finally got out to do some much needed shooting. I had a little fun, but also made sure to get some meaningful practice in. Among the meaningful practice was some weak-hand shooting, point-shooting, GOTX, shooting on the move, multiple targets, and working on my draw. A great resource I've found for mindset and training ideas is warriortalknews. It was a good time, and I feel like I have a better readiness for what could happen in a real situation as a result. Now, if only I had the money to feed it and get more prepared. In all, I touched off 180 rounds of .22LR, 20 rounds of .40S&W, and one 12 gauge. The last one was just for fun, as I'll show you here.

What I did for fun was the ballistics testing. :) The testing target, an ~10" pumpkin:

From 25 yards, a .22LR entrance hole:

The exit hole:

10 yards, .40 FMJ 180gr entrance:

And the exit:

And 10 yards, 12ga 2 3/4" cut shell 7 1/2 shot entrance:

And exit:

 Notice the many bb marks on the entrance side. Talk about tearing up the inside of something real bad. Oh, and it did knock the pumpkin off the bucket, but I put it back to get better pics. Now, for those who don't know what a "cut" shell is, it is when you take a knife and cut through the shell, but not the wad, at the compression area of the wad, leaving just enough of the hull to hold it together to chamber it, but not so much as to keep it from breaking off when you fire it. You have pretty much just turned your shotshell into a specialty slug. I was fortunate enough to be able to recover everything after firing (except the bb's), so you can see the results.

 Left to right - the wad, what was left in the chamber after firing, and the part that left the barrel. What is flared out on the latter is what used to be the crimp on the shell. Yes, it did actually fold over on itself all the way around, like turning a sock inside-out. Pretty cool, huh?

Thus concluded my fun day in the back yard. It was followed by electrical wiring and cleaning, so it was the highlight of my day, even though I do like electrical work.

I hope the showing of this mayhem brightened someone's day.


Act Free.

Some Thoughts on Freedom

I recently received a comment on one of the more popular posts, which I decided deserved a response in its own post. If necessary, read the old post first, then come back to the comment and my reply.

I am told, deer almost never travel more than five miles from their birthplaces during their lives. If an enclosure were located outside the normal unimpeded limits of a deer's lifetime wanderings would the deer enclosed be imprisoned? Perhaps, but note that it makes a difference to our intuitions whether someone install that enclosure[..] A jail without a jailer is not a jail. D. Dennett Elbow Room. The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting. Now, it seems to me that the jail V is talking about is too many things at the same time. It's of course the prison created by the authoritative regime on the deviants as on the regular citizens and its employees, but it's also the happy unaware life, it's an existence without principles, it's the life of whom fears the death. But where is the jailer? In this passage V looks to me much more schizophrenic than in the rest of the graphic novel, in the sense that he's obsessed with an idea over any logical limit.

I will first say to the analogy of a deer that yes, the deer is imprisoned. Allow me to illustrate it this way - Does one's perception of a thing change the reality of it? Because you are not able to smell a rose, does it mean that a rose has no scent? The answer is an obvious "no". Therefore, does the deer's perception of being free to go wherever it chooses mean that it is not in a cage, simply because it has not seen the bars? No.Who put up the enclosure? That would be the jailer.

Now, we do find a point of agreement in that one of the jails he is talking about is that which was created by the regime. However, I believe that if you think about it, there is no contradiction or schizophrenia in the places he takes the bigger concept of freedom. Bear in mind, I live with a paranoid schizophrenic, so I have an idea of what I’m talking about.

You start with the idea of the “happy unaware life”. Go back to the analogy of the deer. It has an happy, unaware life in its enclosure, yet it is still enclosed. It goes with the saying that “ignorance is bliss”, however, if you think about some of the people you know who are ignorant by choice, it seldom ends well. I talk to my dad a lot about things that I think are coming down the pipe, whether it be civil unrest, food shortages, a currency collapse, or anything else, always with knowledge to back up my beliefs, and it brings out things he tries not to think about. Some things he tries not to consider or even know. He does not seek out information about the things I tell him. Each time we discuss things, he says that he knows I’m right, but prefers not to think about them because it can be overwhelming in an already hectic life (can I get an Amen?). But consider, if he goes on the path ignoring everything he sees and hears for too long, remaining ignorant and complacent, how overwhelmed will he be if the excrement hits the impeller? Ignorance is temporary bliss. The happy unaware life ends in pain at the confrontation of knowledge willfully ignored.

As a side note, know that I love my dad and we are fairly close. Simply using him as a “case study”, if you will.

“Existence without principles”. Can you think of a world that would be worse to live in than one in which there was no standard to live by? Nothing to live for? Now, I’m a God-fearing, Bible-believing man. In Scripture, examples of lives like that never have a happy ending. In the New Testament, Christ and his apostles spoke to this idea as being in bondage to sin. A slave. The master – Satan. Life without principles and purpose is a life of slavery to an invisible, but real master. Spiritual slavery is still slavery, or prison, if you prefer.

“The life of whom fears the death”. Now this can turn into an interesting philosophical discussion. It is said that babies are only born with two fears – falling and loud noises. All other fears are learned fears. Why does one become afraid of spiders? Either a parent taught them to be, or they had a bad experience. Water? Big dogs? Same thing. The fears are learned either through experience or teaching, rational or irrational. We all know that fear has the potential to be debilitating, to make us feel, shall we say, imprisoned. It limits the places that we allow ourselves to go and the things we allow ourselves to do. Who is responsible for our continued state of fear? Is it not ourselves? If we bear responsibility for our fear, who then keeps us imprisoned by it? Who then is the jailer? Is it not ourselves? “I have met the enemy, and it is me.”

Most people fear death. Why? Is it not the experiences and teachings we have had ingrained in us that death is painful and the end? How do we overcome our fears? By confronting them. In confrontation of fears, most of them irrational, we conquer them and release ourselves of them in the confrontation, proving to ourselves that there was nothing to fear. Death is often more difficult to overcome the fear of. We can’t threaten to kill ourselves and put the gun to our head and start to pull the trigger in order to rid ourselves of the fear of death. The fear of death is much more of a mental and spiritual fear. Spiritually, if you have made yourself right in your relationship with God, and you trust him, you will have no fear of death. Second, you have to rationalize (mental) that death is not the worst thing that can happen to you. If you are prepared, death is a release, another step in life, not the end of it.

I think that the point V was making was not some eclectic form of philosophy, but rather in the exposing of multiple jailers. Government, ignorance, Satan, and ourselves offer resistance to us in differing ways, but the end is the same – imprisonment. This list may not be, and probably isn’t exhaustive, but creates an answer to the questions posed, and perhaps provides a springboard for understanding if other issues of prison/prisoner arise.

Discussion, anyone?

Act Free.

OC Joy

Something I've noticed lately has made me very happy. I've been seeing a lot of people open carrying their sidearms. And not just young folks, either. That was the chord that was struck today - two "old" men were carrying. I mean, old enough to be retired.

Now, I see OC almost every day at work, and am happy whenever I see it. Seeing older folks doing it makes me that much happier. To me, that means it's starting to mainstream in our area.

Freedom may be coming back in style...


Act Free.

We're not voting our way out

Robb takes a swing and hits it out of the park. Take the time to read it all - it's worth it.
http://blog.robballen.com/2011/10/31/p5209-youre-not-voting-your-way-out-of-this-people.post

While not completely convinced, I tend to agree that the fight will be predicated by a total economic collapse. It is coming (both of the above). What are you doing to prepare for it?

Act Free.

I've Been Hearing The "R" Word A Lot

I've noticed a lot in public conversations I've overheard across the past few months that I've heard the "R" word several times. No, not Republican. Or retarded.

The word I've been hearing is "revolution". I work in a very public place, and the conversations that take place there are likewise very public.

That leads me to believe one thing - people are ANGRY. And they know exactly why the Second Amendment was put into place. And they are nigh unto putting it into practice.

May God keep us from that end if there is another way out of this mess. And if not, may he grant us safety, wisdom, good eyesight, an unbreakable resolve, and a steady trigger finger.

Petitions for Restoration of Gun Rights!

Via Robb comes this link to a post suggesting several petitions to sign on the White House web site. As he says, don't worry about getting added to a list. If you aren't already on one, you're not trying hard enough.

And yes, I registered and signed them all.

Also, check out this post from Mike, and act accordingly. This bill would be a great thing for freedom-lovers.

A Chilling Reminder

That militant Muslims abound here in the U.S. Yet they will not be having any visits from DHS. Protect yourself.

Act Free.

Welcome the EPA!

Just looked at stats, and it seems a third .gov agency has checked me out. Surely I have earned my spot on a list now, especially with the conversation I had with an FBI agent a couple weeks back!

An Unexpected Event: Lessons Learned

Almost everyone in my area would be aware of a shooting that took place two days ago at our local Walmart. For those not in my area, and who didn't watch the news, I can provide you with the story fairly well, especially since I was there.

I was down at the gas station, about 100 yards across the parking lot. Little did I know what was about to unfold. A woman and her husband of 20 years had been fighting at home earlier that morning. She left for work (Walmart) and he followed her. After unsuccessfully trying to run her over with his truck as she walked into the building, he stopped his truck, got out, went towards her, fired his shotgun four times at her, then ran back to his truck and took off. Hard to miss that sound, even from 100 yards. Knowing that he had left, and it had already been at least a minute, I grabbed my get-home bag, which included a first-aid kit, and ran to the woman to try to help. I was the first person to get there that wasn't just standing back and whispering. For anyone who has never personally seen someone lying on the ground bleeding because of gunshot wounds, I do not wish that on you. It's one thing to see it on television, another entirely to be right next to the woman on the ground. It's not an image soon forgotten.

It turns out that there was nothing I was able to do for her but keep the sun out of her eyes. The story does get better, then to the lessons of it. Her husband was caught half an hour later and charged with attempted first degree murder, aggravated assault, and felony reckless endangerment. The woman was about as lucky as she could be in such a situation for two reasons:

1. he used birdshot - low penetration, and wasn't very close by the pattern of the wounds

2. he was a bad shot - all he hit was her legs and an arm.

The woman was taken to the hospital and expected to fully recover.

Now the lessons, or perhaps more thoughts, we'll see.

First, don't assume that it can't happen where you are. All of us in the area were just as shocked as the woman who got shot. It even got the attention of one of my co-workers who formerly was entirely against the idea of having a firearm in the kiosk under the counter, and she now wants one there, because in her words, "I never expected anything like this would happen here."

Second, I need to get a good spare mag holder or fix mine up to keep the magazine in it when running. It fell out while I was running to her, which could have been deadly if I was the target.

Third, medical training and a GOOD first aid kit. I didn't have anything to help her besides gauze, which my limited supply and her extensive holes didn't do much good for. Worse than that, I got there and didn't even know what to do to help properly, and I was the only one who even cared enough to try to help for the first 5 minutes until her boss got out there and tried to make me leave. Didn't happen. Police got there soon after, at which point I did leave. They knew much more what they were doing, because they had training. What would I have done if it was my wife or a friend who had gotten shot, and I was there feeling that helpless. I don't want that. I will be seeking out some certification in Emergency Medical training now. Anyone know where to get started on that?

Finally, the question I think anyone who carries a gun would ask - what would I have done if I hadn't been 100 yards away, but 10 yards. This one calls for a lot of self-examination. State the obvious - I had my weapon on me, ready to roll in its holster, just like always. If I was closer, would I have been paying enough attention to my surroundings (aka situational awareness) to know what was happening and to react? How would I have reacted? Would I have seen the shotgun and an angry black man and immediately said he was a threat? Would I have frozen? Would I have been so shaky as to be a threat to others when I drew my weapon? Would I have run at the sight of the shotgun, knowing all I had was a pistol? I like to think not, considering the actions I did take, but again, I was fairly certain the scene was safe when I started running towards it. Then again, I wasn't there right when it happens, so who knows?

As much as I, and many sheepdogs like me, tend to run scenarios through our head to try to train ourselves into a mental and physical response, you still don't know how you will react. When you are that close to a situation, it makes you question a lot of yourself. Now, I know that I still will continue to carry and train with my weapon, and to prepare mentally, there's just a set of feelings that I can't quite put to words. I've been trying to figure out how to put this for two days, and still don't know how. So, I guess I'll stop here. Perhaps someone can help me who has been there. That's all for now.

Be safe out there.

Act Free

Another New Shooter (or two)

Recently some of my wife's family spent a week with us, including three of her younger cousins. The older of them, who is just starting college here locally, 800 miles from home, I taught a few summers ago how to shoot. Well, her 17-year-old sister wanted to learn, too. Never one to turn down an opportunity to shoot, or teach a new shooter, especially female, I jumped on it. Sorry I don't have any pictures, just a video I'm not posting because I haven't transferred it to the computer yet, and to tell the truth, the best part wasn't captured anyway.

To start with, safety. Four rules. Then a going-over of the parts of the .22 rifle I was going to be using to teach her, an old Savage Model 66. My grandpa gave it to me last month after owning it for 66 years. No telling how many thousands of rounds we have put through it over the years. After the initial nervousness, she started enjoying it, just like everyone does. she shot almost a straight line up and down at 12 yards, so I told her to control her breathing, and she got some grouping. Having fun, and ready to try the pistol.

So, we close to about 5 yards, go over pistol parts and proper grip/stance, and boy did she learn fast. She was immediately shooting better groups on the target than any new people I've taken shooting for the first or second time. She though it was bad that she was that close to the target and still rounds were several inches apart in the circle. Then I explained how GOOD she was actually doing, and the fun became exhilaration. The look on her face as she continued shooting was one that I don't think a picture could have done justice if I had tried. She was taught, and empowered, and it was written all over her face. Her grouping even got better as she went. Natural shooter indeed. To make it even better, she then asked her dad for a gun for Christmas. She was turned down, but will soon be 18 and able to take her new love as her own personal responsibility.

The other good part was getting to expose her 11-year-old sister to shooting. It was getting dark by the time that she got to the point of wanting to try, as she had been watching us the whole time. So I went over safety and function again with her, sat her on the porch, and loaded a single round since that's all she wanted to try (yeah, right, they never stop after the first one). True to my expectations, she fired it and asked to fire again. I loaded three more (again, almost dark) and let her fire them. A happy girl, and I think a new convert once I get ahold of her again.

Two minors taught proper gun safety and handling, shooting over 100 rounds total, no injuries, or even near injuries. All rules were followed, and two young ladies found a new love. A night, and ammo well spent.

Brady bunch, chew on that. That, my dear readers, is why us gunnies win.

Act Free.

Rewarding Failure

I understand that the title of "Rewarding Failure" can be applied in many instances in our society today. I am going to apply it to something that I was just told by my wife's 11-year-old cousin this past week.

She was in a small class, and they were split into pairs. They were given a set of ten math problems, adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying fractions. Her pair got the most right in the class, and therefore won Cokes. The catch? She and her partner only got four out of the ten right.

In another circumstance, they were individually working on problems. They were given four problems and promised a piece of candy for each problem they got right. She got the most right in the class, and therefore got her "prize" doubled. She got two out of four correct.

They are rewarding students for failing grades - forty and fifty percent. Is it any wonder our education system is in shambles? Then again, they aren't just applying this principle in our schools either, they are applying it everywhere.

• Fail in business? Get a bailout.
• Fail to plan for retirement? Get a dwindling Social Security check.
• Fail to plan for a family? Get Medicaid and public housing.
• Fail at living morally? Get free room and board with exercise rooms, library, and degree program. Or, just an "attaboy" slap on the wrist with public assistance to help you "recover".
• Fail at work ethic? Just pop out another baby and we'll increase your welfare payment.
• Add your fail here?(or in the comments, rather)

What they are doing is creating a system in which failure to learn from mistakes is being normalized and okay'd. Failure in itself is good, if the only reward for it is knowledge of how to succeed the next time. When we reward failure for being failure, with things other than just knowledge, we have crossed a dangerous line. Where is the impetus for improvement? Why would anyone want to improve themselves if they are being rewarded for being not just average, but below average?

Now, consider what happens to those who learn from failures and pull themselves up to success. In school they are derided to get back in line for the failure handouts. At work they are called ***-kissers. By the government, they are forced to abide by stifling regulations and pay inordinate amounts of taxes.

Now what happens when the successes decide to withdraw consent from the system? The failures no longer have a sugar daddy, because daddy's money ran out. What happens when you tell the bear you just tossed the fish to that that was your last fish, even if he's still hungry? Better yet, what happens when you have twenty bears around you, but only five fish? Doesn't sound pretty, does it? Yet think about our entitlement system, the reward-for-failure system. How many more dependents can it hold until the government runs out of fish, airlifts itself out of the way, and tells the bears its all our fault?

Get ready. You saw the hits our market has taken the past two weeks. Yeah, the hits that weren't supposed to happen if the debt ceiling got raised. When are we going to wake up? The house of cards is about to fall, just needs someone to bump the table. How many warnings will we get?

Don't wait. Get prepared spiritually first, then physically. And you might want to get on that really soon.

Act Free.

Double-take on Guerrilla Warfare

Can't remember where I first saw this, so my apologies. However, this is an excellent examination of two different ways to conduct guerrilla warfare. Think big picture and how it applies to us fighting to restore our republic.

WN 38 IRA VS. AL QAEDA: I WAS WRONG

Afterthoughs

On my way home from a side job yesterday, I was listening to the radio, and it stoked some thoughts.

I realize it was a depressing set of posts I put up on Monday - that's how I felt. But that's not the whole story. Sometimes we need to be reminded of other things.

America is not lost yet. The spirit of America is still alive. Joplin, Missouri should show us that. The floods in North Dakota, also. People still help others, still love others, still fight for what is right.

Yes, the governments are doing all that they can to squelch the spirit - but they have not succeeded yet. There is still hope. We can still restore America, hopefully without bloodshed. Perhaps that is overly optimistic. We must hope for the best, though. Prepare for the worst, yes, but never lose hope.

If people need educated, let's educate them. If they need woken up, let's shake them. Let us do whatever we can to save our country without a bloody fight.

Never give up.

Act Free.