What should a free man do?

All proceeds go to charity

Alrightythen, that's enough. 

Get busy reading, knuckleheads.

Are you with me? Okay, let's get back on task. 

Some weeks back I was reading here that flight attendants want "combat training" in order to better defend themselves and their passengers against attacks on an airplane. These RyanAir cupcakes don't look very motivated, to me. 

Speaking to flight crews now; the truth is that you're at greater risk of assault in the Safeway parking lot or condo stairwell than in a plane. And so are the rest of us.  Please, don't get me wrong. I appreciate all you brave men and women who climb into airplanes every day knowing that that very day on that very flight there might be as many as 15-20 terrorists who will try to take over the plane, not with the purpose of flying to Cuba and negotiating for the release of some of the brothers at Gitmo, but with the zealous intent to kill everyone on board and as many on the ground as they can who are unlucky enough to be under their brand new shiny exploding plane.

I get it. You want to live. So what's the price you're willing to pay for it? Is it worth 6 months of tanning salon/spa treatments? Is it worth not spending money to go to Vegas or Cabo or Fiji or Tuscany? It should be.  Is it a better investment of time and money for you to hit the most lush golf course around every time you get  a day or two off? Or, to wander shopping malls and flea markets? Haven't you tasted enough wine? Don't you have enough shoes?

If you want to survive the battles that will surely come on aircraft, you need to take matters into your own hands. Literally. Now.  You need to stop begging or demanding training be paid for by corporate weenies and seek it out and pay for it yourselves. If corporate were to pay for training, which they will not, the training will not be combat speed, as we used to say back in the day. It will be minimal, vague, with lots of warnings given as to what will happen to you if you use it. 

 For you FA types and anyone else who wants to survive the next aircraft take-over coming down the pike, then look at the basics I've written about  here,  here, and here.

I was there at all the all-day meetings when the representatives of the FAA, the major airlines, Boeing, Airbus, the APA and AFA got together at the order of President Bush.

An imperfect but good, honorable man, respected and loved by all true American warriors.

They were all there to find ways to secure cockpit doors to prevent more aircraft from being commandeered and crashed. And there was real fear in that room. Suggestions were made at that time that flight attendants be trained in various self- and cabin-defense tactics and a certain company was preparing to make an offer to provide this training.  For a number of reasons, into which I won't go here, that offer was never made.  But, whatever those reasons are, the truth is each one ~ flight crew and passenger ~ is responsible for his or her own level of preparedness and willingness to act.

I know a bartender who had a baby not long ago who goes to Krav Maga class. The bartender, not the baby. She pays for the training with her own money, minimum wage plus tips for which she works hard and diligently... and she's a scintillating conversationalist.  She's sore every now and then when I see her at work but I admire her for her spunk, for taking responsibility for her own protection and that of her baby.

So what's your excuse?

You have none.

First things first: you need to get tough ~ not in shape  ~ tough. If your goal is to get in shape, you'll quit when you get sweat in your eyes or when your favorite show is on the tube.  Your workout needs to break you into a sweat, leaving you exhausted as you lean on the shower wall when you're done.  None of this sissy shit; sashaying into the gym, water bottle in hand, freshly washed and wearing height-of-fashion workout clothes with your freakin' cell phone in your pocket so you don't miss any calls. If you won't dedicate yourself to at least 45 minutes of gut-wrenching toil, then you ~ flight attendant or not ~ deserve to get your ass beat. Why? Because you don't deserve to be trained or protected, you only deserve that for which you're willing to pay.  And since you won't pay the price, you'll get exactly what you deserve.

So, let's get you geared up.

This is okay; a regular sweat suit, nothing' fancy.

This is not okay. In fact, if I see you in this queer gear, you have to be my slave forever.

 
This is just fine, ladies.

  
 Not this. Please. I'm beggin ya.

Anyway, wherever you go for PT, do this:

• Push hard hard hard through your workout
• Train like you'll fight, no partner to slow you down, no breaks 
• No toting a water bottle like you're going to die of thirst, you can chug some of this when you're done
• No sitting on a machine between sets, you're moving all the time
• No iPod or other such distractions ~ the only thing you need to hear in your head is you telling yourself again and again, I will not submit, I will not submit, I will not submit
• If someone's on a machine you need to use in your routine, then adapt and overcome: use another machine that works similarly to the busy one, or just do push-ups or sit-ups till the machine is free

Part of your workout needs to be you hitting something, as in the video below:

What you're seeing in the video is, for the most part, something called a Straight Blast, or chain-punching.  You can call it whatever you'd like, it's just a ton of fast and furious fist strikes by which you render your opponent unable to hit you, because you're all over him like a hobo on a muffin.

Martial arts a/o boxing punches take too long to set up and deliver and so are more easily defended against, while straight blasts strike with overwhelming force and speed.  The straight blast can be used while on your back, knees or standing up. When you straight blast, punch for the groin if you're on your knees; aim for the face, throat and chest when facing the bad-guy on your feet; and for the neck and base of the skull when you're flanking or behind him or her. 

Behind? Yes. It's okay to hit someone from behind.

Her? Yes, you might be fighting a girl.

If you're on your back or knees, don't stay in that position. Try to get up and punch from a position of balance and power.

Now, there are all sorts of tactics to deploy or use in a fight and you can come up with a lot of what might turn out to be useless advice if you buy into one method or tactic. But fighting principles never change. Here are some of them:

• You must be on the attack until threat stops.
• Don't fall for feigning fighters, pretending to be hurt so you'll back off. Beat them until they are certainly unable to fight back.
• If you stop because you hurt the bad-guy and you feel sorry for him or her, he or she might kill you.
• If you stop to take care of a boo-boo, he or she will kill you.
• It's okay to hit girls and people who wear glasses.
• It's okay to hit someone from behind.
• The longer the fight goes on, the more likely you'll get hurt or killed so you need to subdue the terrorist as quickly as possible.
• Always be looking for the second man or woman, the ones who will stab you in the back... literally.
• When chain-punching, try to keep your weight on your front foot. You want to step into a terrorist, not be backing away and when you keep your weight on your front foot it allows you to practically leap into an attackers face.
• The best defense against chain-punching is for you to take the puncher to the floor and choke him out. Believe me, I know.
• If someone is fighting a terrorist, do all you can to help, don't assume the good-guy will win just because he has a momentary advantage.

 
Except for this guy: he's on his own.

The elements of a successful attack are: surprise, speed, audacity and violent force.

• Striking him before he hits you permits you to end the fight before it begins
• Speedy movements don't allow for adequate defense or counterattack from the terrorist
• Audacity or fearlessness lets you act with focus and resolve, increasing your chances of victory
• Violent, brutal force ~ as opposed to a timid shove or poke ~ is required because the longer the fight goes on, the greater chance you have of losing it.

In a cabin fight, you must first recognize that you must fight or die.  Die? Yes. because in such a fight, you have nowhere to run. Once you fully accept that fact, your fight or flight impulse will be on fight and you can then proceed to kick some ass.  It's best to have your fight impulse switch set to fight in advance, your decision already made.

Once you as a reasonable man or woman accept the fact that you are in a life or death situation and choose the fight impulse, you need to override your fear. Fear?  Yes, your fear of getting hurt or hurting the bad-guy.  I had to wrestle with that fear early in my career but once I saw that a little of my own blood flowing and some passing pain didn't mean I was going to die and that I was fully capable of putting some asshole down for the count, that fear never came back.  So, focus on what you will do to the bad-guy or girl.  Don't think of a terrorist as a person or rationalize by deciding you won't attack because the terrorist is a girl. A female terrorist is more likely to cut your throat or shoot you without provocation than her male counterpart because she might feel she has something to prove to the brothers.  You should see any terrorist as an object, no more than body parts which you will kick, strike, throw, break, choke, bite, etc. until he or she is defeated.

For maximum advantage, you need to attack first and not wait to see if a/o how hard a terrorist will hit you, like it's some macho pub contest and if you lose it will only cost you a beer.  You must hit first hard and fast and continue your attack until he's no longer a threat. In this situation, the best offense is not a good defense.  I looked for some training video on how to punch a very bad someone in the throat, but couldn't find anything but this movie clip above.  Don't go around trying this on slow clerks at the post office or the baby-sitter who had her boyfriend over while you were out on date night. A version of this tactic is used by professional bodyguards, which I imagine you are not.  So, if the situation dictates and you make the decision to go for the throat, understand that what you're doing will at least have the bad-guy fighting for breath for a few minutes, during which time you can restrain him ~ or, you will collapse his trachea and he will die.

Any and all of these tactics are completely your choice. I'm not telling you do do or not do any of these at any time to any person.

I'm merely putting some options on the table, which you may or may not choose to use in defense of your life.

 

There is nowhere to run away up there, is there? So you gotta restrain the bad-guys and keep them outta the way until the Captain can get the plane on the ground. Use available items to tie them up and do it tightly. Don't be worried about cutting of the circulation to their arms with your bonds. Rule of thumb: slide your finger under any restraint as you're putting it on the subdued bad-guy ~ that's enough space for him to not lose circulation in his hands.

In closing, I'll tell you that I recently took a trip back east. Here are some observations from those flights:

Though the flight attendants told us it's not permissible for us to use cell phones during certain parts of the flight, there was no specific declaration that it's okay for passengers to report someone who is seen to be using his or her cell phone during flight.  This needs to change.

One particular airline writes:You may use your cell phone on-board until the flight attendant advises that it must be switched off. During the flight, cell phones may be activated only in the airplane/flight mode, with the cellular transmitting function switched off.  If you plan to use your phone after landing, keep it available, as FAA regulations require passengers to remain seated all carry-on baggage to remain stored until the seat-belt sign has been switched off.

My questions:

• Do flight attendants check to see if phones are in airplane/flight mode? Nope.
• If it's okay to have your cell phone available ~ which presumably can mean it's in your hands ~ when a plane is on final approach over a city ~ the most likely detonation point ~ what countermeasures do flight attendants deploy to detect phones that are not in airplane/flight mode and can be used to detonate a bomb? Nothing that I could see. 

Some planes now have built-in cell phone detectors but on the ones which don't have that nifty accessory, the cell phone detector here, and another depicted below, might be an option. From the front or rear of the passenger cabin, or while walking up and down the aisle checking for fastened seat-belts, flight crews can scan for cell phones in operational mode and then demand the phone from anyone found with one in operational mode. Any shitty little dirt-bag found using his or her phone at the wrong time can pick it up at the door, from the local police.

And, finally; if it can't be made a law, then individual airlines should make it a policy: If you use your cell phone when you're not supposed to on any of our planes, you won't be permitted to fly on our planes again.  

Okay, I'm done for now. Get busy.

Here's mine. Where's yours?

One grenade...

I guess you're all aware by now that four police officers were ambushed and killed on Sunday, 29 November '09, by an evil man in the Tacoma suburb of Lakewood, Washington.

Their memorial service was conducted on Tuesday, 8 December '09 at the Tacoma Dome and can be seen in part here:

 

 There were around 22, 000 police officers, fire-fighters and emergency medical personnel in attendance, along with the families and many friends of the slain officers, LPD photos depicted below.

  
SERGEANT MARK RENNINGER

 

OFFICER TINA GRISWOLD

 
 OFFICER RONNIE OWENS

 
 OFFICER GREG RICHARDS
 
Initial report here, and here is an interim report, offered before the murderer was himself killed by Seattle Police Officer Benjamin J Kelly, reported here. I predict Officer Kelly will be voted SPD officer of the year for '09. And rightly so.

Full update with video here.

Look here to see that Clemmons intended to kill school-children and as many people as he could at whatever curb suited his twisted fancy.

Personally, I believe the horror would not have happened but for the subtle arrogance of Mike Huckabee, his gross over-estimation of his own "spiritual discernment." Here is an observation about Huck and his clemency tendencies:

"Maurice Clemmons received a 35-year sentence in the early 1990s for armed robbery and theft. His sentence was commuted in May 2000, and he was let out three months later. The following March, Clemmons committed two armed robberies and other crimes and was sentenced to 10 years. You'd think they'd keep him locked up after that, but no: He was paroled last March and is now wanted for aggravated robbery.

If Huckabee decides to set these criminals free, Jegley says, at least "he ought to give an accounting. I can't imagine why in the world they'd want them released from jail. There's a good reason we're afraid of them. The sad truth is that a significant number of people re-offend."

The victims' families, Jegley says, "deserve an explanation. I look into people's eyes who've suffered the unspeakable. I believe they deserve justice." 

Full cite here.  When a prosecutor objected politely here to Huck's clemency MO, Huck laughed at him, seen here.  Huck is like a lot of pastors who think they have some extra special closeness to God just because they graduated from a seminary somewhere and were permitted to pastor a church. The same goes for way too many elders and lay "leaders" who believe they alone know the mind of God and the mind of every man or woman who stands before them.  Believing they are the manifestation of the mercy of God, they offer forgiveness when it is not asked for, and therefore not deserved.

If Huck had any humility he would have taken ~ at least listened to ~ the advice of the people criticizing his parole proclivities. But he scoffed at them and now four fine police officers are dead and nine children have had their father or mother snatched from them forever.

Huck laughed. I hope his political career dies because of this... as if his pussy attitude toward Muslim terrorists isn't reason enough. Update here on how Huck's hubris killed four good cops.

Permit me some observations viz the conduct of the several occupants of the Forza Coffee Shop on that bloody Sunday morning.  The four officers were just getting ready for their shift.  Why there and not at their department offices, I don't know.  Were they in Condition White or Condition Yellow ~ both described here? I don't know.

Over a period of about two years, in the late 90's, I remember seeing local cops ~ 8-10 of them at a time with at least one sergeant tagging along ~ sitting together for almost two hours in the open food court of a small shopping center here in town. It was almost predictable that, on at least three nights a week, the same group of officers would saunter in and spend the next two or so hours smokin' and jokin'. The police union had negotiated a clause in their contract that allowed them to take their meal and smoke breaks all at one time.  So they did. All the time. In the same place or at another restaurant up the hill. 

I hope this Lakewood multiple murder breaks all police officers of that bad habit.

The owner of the Lakewood Forza shop, Brad Carpenter, is a former police officer. Here we can see that he had his staff meet with a grief counselor after the shooting.  One wonders what training he gave his folks before the ambush. Was it just to prepare the drinks, collect money and give change and to ask the Forza version of What can I get started for you today? Initial reports were that one of the barristas saw that Clemmons had a gun and so she scampered out the back door without a word of warning.  Did she see the gun concealed or had he brandished it?  Maybe she thought the cops would also see the weapon and disarm a/o arrest him. I don't know.  But I do know for sure that workers in these scenarios need to be trained to not go cuh-ray-zee when they see a gun on someone. Here are some suggestions:

• A clerk sees what is obviously a gun under the shirt or jacket of a customer or visitor. Since the person might be legally carrying it a/o might be a police officer, there is no reason for panic and no reason to call the police at that point. However, it would be a good idea to have a verbal code to alert other workers in the area that there is a person at the counter with a concealed weapon. Perhaps the procedure could be that the first barrista who sees the weapon says loudly to the other workers: When are the clarinets supposed to get here? The clarinet reference is out of place for a coffee shop and the workers should ~ if properly trained ~ react internally: Clarinet? We don't sell clari... oh, yea, take a look at the guy at the counter.  A quick but casual look at the person at the counter just to be aware of the situation. 
• If a person enters a business such as a coffee shop ~ or a grocery store, for that matter ~ through the front door with a weapon drawn or draws one upon entry, then everyone needs to act quickly. In that case, the first one to see the gun yells Gun Front. That gives everyone a heads-up that it's time to get out the nearest exit, not the front door. Should someone with a gun come in a side or rear door, then whoever sees that first needs to shout Gun Rear so everyone gets a chance to bail out the front door.
• Washington is an Open Carry state ~ it is legal for a person to carry a loaded handgun holstered and not concealed. And you thought it was just Montana and Arizona, huh?  The Revised Code of Washington 9.41.270, shown here, says that it is unlawful for a person to carry, exhibit, display or draw any firearm in a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that either manifests intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons. In general, merely walking around in public with the gun properly secured in an exposed holster does not constitute a violation. But it seems rational to me that an innocent barrista might wonder aloud about inbound clarinets if he saw someone saunter into the shop in OC mode. Of course, if someone in OC mode takes his or her gun out of the holster, the first one who sees this needs to yell Gun Front or Rear.

More and more police are being attacked and killed by people with guns. In fact, the number is up by 24% from just last year, shown here. Does that mean we need to take more guns off the street, including taking them from law-abiding citizens? Of course not. Given the fact that bad-guys will always have guns no matter what the laws say, the answer is for cops to ramp up their awareness and training to a level appropriate for the growing threat.

Awareness can be taught but once it is, its upkeep becomes a conscious personal decision. Once it's learned, there is no cost to the individual officer: he or she can either keep his or her alertness in the appropriate condition... or not. As for training, that's a department obligation but it also becomes an individual obligation depending on circumstances at different departments. For example, if the nature of your patrol area makes it advisable that you become better at unarmed self-defense but your department can't afford it this or any quarter, then you need to find a local Krav Maga course and stop spending money on bowling or basketball or waiting for the blonde chick to get her big butt off the bench press machine at the Y. Or, at least find free KM training clips like the ones available here and work on the moves on your own instead of staying up late so you can be sure you know which college basketball team on the other side of the freakin' country beat some other team you never heard of in your entire life.

The re-opening of the Forza coffee shop is depicted here.  The story reminds me:  Don't use the drive-thru lane if you're a cop on duty. You can get blocked in and shot to hell in that version of the Fatal Funnel.  Get out of your air-conditioned comfort and walk in. Every time.

At the memorial service, the Lakewood Chief of Police spoke last and said, quoting roughly here:
 
We've been overwhelmed with expressions of kindness over the last several days and people asking us what they can do to help. There's a phrase drummed into each police officer from day one of the academy: Show me your hands. There are more than 20 thousand of you here today and I want you all to stand and on the count of three, shout Show me your hands. (All officers stood and on three shouted as directed.) People want to know how they can help, my answer is this: next time a police officer tells you Show me your hands, just do what you're told.

Exactly. Shut up and do what you're told.

To close: In the military, especially the combat arms specialties you'll often hear sergeants warning their troops both humorously and seriously:

Spread out. One grenade'll kill you all.

That sagacious advice needs to be remembered by every warrior, whether uniformed in BDUs, police blue or sheriff green.

Anybody you see or contact on the job can be that one grenade.

Maurice Clemmons, corpse pictured below, was one grenade.

 

 

 

As if the Clemmons grenade is not enough, here is the story of another police shooting in Pierce County, Washington: two deputies responding to a domestic disturbance call, they knew the suspect from previous contact and so let him go upstairs to get "something" before they took him from the house. Washington state law requires that one of the parties in a DD complaint spend the night in jail. 

  
DEPUTY SERGEANT NICK HAUSNER

 
DEPUTY KENT MUNDELL  

Deputy Hausner will recover from his wounds. Deputy Mundell was not so lucky, story here. 

You out there on the thin blue line, or the thin green line; never let anyone ~ especially in a DD call, whether man or woman ~ out of your sight so he or she can go get "something". And if for some crazy reason that person just can't be accompanied by you or your partner, put yourself in a position where you can see him or her coming back from where-the-hell-ever he or she had to go before he or she can see you. Don't let him or her ambush you a/o your partner but be in a good position where you can take affirmative, pre-emptive action on them if they come back as a threat and not a shuffling, compliant knucklehead.

Remember this, the tag on my emails, taken from something General George Patton may have said:

L'audace, l'audace, toujours l'audace.

Audacity, audacity, always audacity.

 

Patty-cake, patty-cake

Take a look at this article to get an idea as to how sublimely ignorant and naive are those among us who often claim to be  the most discerning.  Christians are supposed to be light to the world, helping the lost see in the darkness.  They are to speak the truth.  Ergo, they are obligated to search for truth and to speak and act against that which is false. Since Islam is so demonstrably false, there is no excuse whatsoever for any Christian to take part in any Muslim celebration or rite.

Let's see if the precious, sensitive Christian souls who decided a Ramadan fast was just the thing to do also want to participate, condone and thereby enable the lovely Muslim religious rite called Ashoura.  The observance of Ashoura is one of the most senseless, bloody events in Islam.  Ashoura marks the anniversary of the death of Husayn, grandson of the so-called prophet...

 
Mohammad (Pestilence Be Upon Him)...

in what is now Kerbala, Iraq. The death of Husayn was the beginning of the Sunni/Shia split, which persists in Islam to this day.  And you thought evangelical denominational splits were ugly.

 

This loving father cut his son's head and smeared blood all over his face, to honor the dead kin of his supposed prophet (pus be upon him). Is there anything to feel warm and fuzzy about in this custom, or this "religion"?

In the past, Shia men have demonstrated their galacticly stupid devotion to Husayn by letting their blood flow freely from self-inflicted wounds. Can you possibly imagine Christians beating and bleeding themselves to prove their loyalty to Calvin or Arminius?  Not likely, eh?  Today, many governments have tried to ban the barbaric, crazed rite of Ashoura, with varying degrees of success. In Lebanon, the practice is permitted, and a bloody commemoration of Ashoura takes place in Nabatieh every year.

 

If there is a chance they will kill themselves off as they bleed to death in the gutter, maybe we should encourage these events to be put on weekly.

Most participants make a small cut on their head, and then beat the wound with their palm--or in this case a sword--to keep the wound open and bleeding.

 
  
This Asian yoot probably runs with scissors too. 

Participants then march in groups around the town, yelling chants to express their devotion to Husayn and the so-called prophet

 

I need this guy to trim my hedges.

Think that stuff only happens in the Middle East? Think again.

Queens, New York. USA. Ashoura 2008.  Not sure what to think about the chubby fella in the background, in the black trousers.

Queens, New York. USA. Ashoura 2008. I think this guy's got a Vegas act... off the strip but still worth the trip.

Any person, Christian or otherwise, who celebrates Ramadan with Muslims is a fool.

In this video we can see what the attitude of even so-called Westernized Muslims is toward our laws and our Constitution. Even a distinguished-looking gentleman like the one in the video has barbaric, savage beliefs about human life. What do you think a hard-core terrorist will look like? Will the color and content of his or her heart be any different than that of this smug cretin?

They will never reciprocate, never allow a sliver of Judaism or Christianity to "pollute" the "purity" of their so-called religion. Never. There is no reason at all, in the bloody centuries of Islamic history ~ or the slippery, slimy, deceptive, passive-aggressive current-day context ~ to believe they will do so.  Read it for yourself: it's Islam all over the world forever... or you die.

You.

I'd like to recommend that you read this book, The Suicide of Reason. In it is described a tribe of people who fall so in love with their own rules that they can't see how another tribe with no rules at all doesn't want to have rules at all.  So the tribe with all the rules believes that the tribe with no rules will surely see that following rules is best, and so it's just a matter of time until the unruly tribe gives themselves over, heart and soul, to the tribe with the rules ~ one of which is to treat everybody nice ~ just because those who have rules believe that's how things are supposed to go... by rule.

And so the nice tribe goes around being nice to a tribe which has no rules ~ except to slaughter everyone in the tribe with rules ~ hoping that the savages will one day be nice and follow their rational rules.

Ain't gonna happen. Read the book.

Too many people are too nice. 

Some time back I was driving down a major street in my town when, in the middle of the block, about equa-distant from the intersections in before and behind me, the white Dodge in front of me suddenly comes to a dead stop.  No sirens wailing in the distance, heading our way.  No stop light or sign within a hundred freakin' yards.  I jammed on my brakes as did the other drivers in the flow of traffic behind the now-stopped Dodge.  Why?  Looking to my left I see some shuffling schmuck in the CD lane and he doesn't appear to be willing to stop ~ he just decided he was going to stroll across the street in the middle of the block and to hell with any traffic that had the nerve to get in his way.

So the pussy Dodge driver made pussies of us all, almost causing a couple rear-enders, as he let the jay-walker break the law.  Stopping the smooth and legal flow of street traffic so some FUBU punk can cross in the middle of the block isn't being tolerant and nice. It's enabling and encouraging a lazy, inconsiderate smart-ass who doesn't care about rules, no matter why they're in place. I'm not suggesting anyone should have hit the guy in the street, but he certainly could have been stopped in the CD lane by all the cars whizzing legally by him.

Here is an article about how the Obama Rules Of Engagement are inhibiting the ability of our soldiers to kill the enemy and thereby win the just war in which we are now engaged in Afghanistan. 

Here's a video telling us more about how the new ROE are endangering our brave warriors, making this war un-winnable. Notice how at the end, the news-reader counsels us that it's best this way so we don't piss off the locals. Oops; dead link. Vlad tells me the viodeo's not at YouTube anymore. I'll repost it if I can find it.

Below I've posted a picture of me and my guys. Tact Squad, 2d MP Company, 2d Infantry Division, Camp Casey, ROK ~ in the summer of '80. There were three or four other MP's in other parts of the village of TDC when that picture was taken but on just about any normal night, that's all there was between the innocents and those who might hurt them. Nobody in the picture is heavily muscled, although Jerry, not shown, had some huge guns. We were all just regular guys. We wore baseball caps while other MPs in the AO wore riot helmets as they stood at gates, checking passes. Each of us on Tact Squad carried a 1911-model .45 cal pistol, 20 rounds of hardball in three mags, a wooden baton, one set of cuffs and a radio. And maybe a Mag- or B-light. Some of you know what those are.  Me? Because I was the patrol supervisor, I carried two sets of cuffs, three flex-cuffs tucked inside my gun-belt, a three-cell B-light and a fiberglass stick, not a GI wooden stick. So, which one am I in the picture?

What you don't see is OC spray or tazers.  You don't see suspenders or cool chest pouches. Why? Because we did a whole hell of a lot of fighting and the more straps we had hanging off us, the more handles for bad-guys to grab onto and suh-wing us around. 

Guard-mount was at 1900 each night and we started shutting down all the clubs about 2330 so everyone could get back on Camp Casey by curfew at 2400. The strip we patrolled had about 100 bars and clubs of various sizes, an unknown number of small whore-houses, about 1200 Koreans doing various things to earn money, and a similar number of GI's in different stages of intoxication strolling and stumbling around, more than willing to give it to them.

I love the Infantry guys. I learned to respect them deeply. And they just loved to fight MPs. Some of them had an axe to grind, some just liked to rumble. Some of them were misbehavin' and needed to have their asses kicked. And if they needed it kicked, we kicked it for 'em. If they were acting up in public, then that's where we kicked their asses ~ right there in front of God and everybody so everybody could see, This is what happens when you violate Army regulations and then try to fuck with us when we arrest you. You go to jail, and maybe the hospital too.

You want to know why violent crime against cops doesn't go down as police use of "technology" goes up? Because when some bad-ass gets hosed with OC, or his toes twinkled with a Tazer, or the sense knocked out of him with some "less-lethal" bullshit, he's thinking the cop did not defeat him, technology did.

And guess what. He still wants to kick that cop's ass because he hasn't proved he can do it man-to-man.

I know there are many many many police officers who train and work out hard hard hard and have all the strength and stamina and technique and tactics to trash any bozo on any street any time of the day or night. For sure. But if a bad-guy gets arrested after getting a dose of OC up his nose, I'm tellin' ya he's still thinking' he's got something to prove.

But if he knew that if he pulled a knife he'd be dead from multiple Center of Mass hits from at least one police service weapon, then he might not even carry a knife, lest he be mistaken for some miscreant. If a fella knew that a sure way to get his lights punched out would be to put a hand on a cop, then maybe that fella would just keep his hands where and how they couldn't possibly be seen as a threat to anybody, most importantly that fine police officer asking him for a freakin' driver's license.

Christians who kiss the asses of blood-thirsty Muslims, drivers who bend over for jay-walkers and almost cause traffic accidents, a commander-in-chief who won't let his soldiers win a just and necessary war ~ so, where am I going with all this?

We're in a war against more savages than most of us care to know. Whether you're a police officer or Joe or Jodi on the street, there is more danger threatening our lives and our American way of life than ever before. And if we just keep on petting it, keep treating it as though it's some simple misunderstanding on the part of our attackers that we can explain away and then eeeeeeverything will be swell, then their tricks and lies will work and life as we know it will go away. Perhaps forever.

For Joe and Jodi; you need to man up and stay ahead of the soothing tone of the false assertions that Islam is the religion of peace.  Stay ahead of the lies by studying here. You need to read this entire blog and follow the links and get serious and trained and in shape and hard hard hard and armed and dangerous to the degree your conscience and local laws will permit. Because you are the first responder to your little shit-storm. The cops might not make it in time, try as they will.

Having done my time on mean streets, I feel like I am permitted to offer this to law enforcement officers: You know your beat, the people you greet and confront every time you load up. So, you know what alley tussle you can end with a glance and which little fuck-stick is about to need a trip to ER.  Stay brave. Be braver, if you struggle with that sometimes.

But jump with me to what I see as the worst case scenario, other than a nuke about to go off at the county fair: shooters in a school with many juvenile hostages, just like Beslan. I don't believe any PD teaches its officers, other than snipers, to shoot a terrorist who has his or her arm around the neck of a hostage or who is carrying a small hostage in his or her arms. For fear of the outrage that would come if a hostage is killed by a cop, many departments have a no-shoot policy, cops must back up and try to negotiate.

But when Beslan hits America and you, a rock of a police officer, are heading down a school hallway looking for shooters, it's my belief that you're going to have to place the life of the other hostages ~ however many there may be ~ above the life of any single hostage... including the one who may be right in front of you who reminds you of your daughter.

A bad-guy in the hallway with a child in his arms is doing one of two things: taking the child from a room in the building where he probably raped a/o sodomized the girl/boy to the place where the other bad-guys and hostages are, OR taking the child from the place where the other bad-guys and hostages are to a room where he will rape a/o sodomize his package. And you won't know for sure where he is between A and B or B and A. You won't know.

But there is one thing you must know before you ever see him or her: that dirtbag isn't going to take one more step in either direction with that child.

If it's me in that hallway, I'm gonna do this: because I probably won't have a COM shot at the terrorist and I don't want him escaping to rejoin his "brothers" or to hurt the hostage, I'll put a three-round burst into his knees. In doing so, I will probably hit the hostage as well. As soon as I pull the trigger on his knees, I'll advance quickly and put a burst into his head, even if I have to force my weapon under the screaming, bleeding  hostage to get the shots off.

Can I get from where I shot him in the legs to where I'm putting three in his melon fast enough to prevent him from shooting the hostage? Yes. Somehow I will pull this off.  That motherfucker is not going to hurt any more people than what the scenario I'm describing suggests is possible.  And that needs to be your attitide, your mental state, belief, conviction and intent because anything less lets the terrorist get away and leave you wondering for the rest of your life why you ever put on a badge in the first place.

Two days ago I was reminded, as all of should have been, that we truly are at war with enemies who are inside the walls, not just howling and clawing at the gates.  You're all aware, I imagine, of the terrorist attack at Fort Hood which occured on 5 Nov 09 so I won't go into detail or bitch about this or that or even link to the many stories about the attack.  But I will close this post by saying that we all need to be as brave and determined as this woman:

DoD Police Sergeant Kim Munley ~ Call-sign: Mighty Mouse.

We'll know more when she tells her own story but here is at least a preliminary report of the courage and perseverance Sgt Munley displayed in the face of danger and death.

Sooner or later a similar attack will take place here in CONUS ~ no doubt. This jihadi thug has enflamed the ragged, riotous, retarded rabble that calls itself Islam. They are encouraged and pumped and some will try copy-cat attacks, seeing how easy this one was. They will do all the damage they can but will try to kill more than their new hero, whose name I won't list here.

Then, what will you do?

Will you be unprepared and just lay there weeping and whimpering, waiting for somebody else to be Mighty Mouse?

Will you be prepared in your heart and soul ~ as well as in training, tactics and equipment ~ to attack attack attack and defeat whatever the savages may be doing to destroy you and those you love with as much brutality as they can muster?

Muslims in general have earned the trust deficit they now suffer and about which they whine. Don't give them the benefit of the doubt. Treat them as human beings, but do not be fooled by any of them no matter how friendly they may appear.

It is not bigotry or racism to recognize behavior that suggests a Muslim may be bent on jihad. And it is not wrong to speak against it, to bring it to the attention of the appropriate authorities until they take action, or to defend yourself and others.

So, I ask again: what are you gonna do, unerschrocken? Keep playin' patty-cake or do the honorable, right thing?

Protection

I was recently asked to send "security" advice to someone who's been threatened by some Muslims. Edited here is basically what I wrote in the emails I sent.

First of all, security is when you lock the door behind you.  Protection is when there's a threat of you being injured or killed by someone else and you decide to do something about it.  That's how I define it, anyway.

This all assumes you live in the city. Start at the curb, going in:

• If you have security at the door and think they're inadequate or incompetent, contact the company and complain until you get the guards you want.
• If you're approaching the door to your place, whether on foot or in a cab, and you don't see the usual guard or doorman, look to see if there is someone else in his or her place. When he sees you, does he give some sort of hand or head signal to someone watching out of your sight, does he look over his shoulder and nod or make a cell phone call as you're approaching?  If so, don't go in.  Call to see if the family inside the house are okay.
• You have to plan and rehearse all potential scenarios with your family, if you have one.  If you're a target, don't be an easy one.  
• If there is a guard or doorman you trust, you might consider setting up visual duress signals so he can let you know of danger close, before it gets too close. Consider whether it would be wise to give this guard your cell phone number as a second method of communication. You should have the phone numbers for the security desk and cell phone numbers so you can call before you arrive to see if everything's okay. Guard should have verbal duress codes to use to alert you of danger, such as: Your car is ready for pick-up.  
• If you live in an apartment or condo, depending upon the floor you live on, you shouldn't take either the stairs or the elevator all the time. Alternate stairs/elevator every day and mix it up.  For example: one day walk up to the 3rd floor and then get on the elevator going up to 12, then walk up to 15 and then catch the elevator down to your floor on 7. Or whatever.  Next day, take the elevator to 6 and then walk up to 9, ride down to 7. Don't be predictable. 
• If you're catching a lift in the lobby and there's someone already in the elevator when the doors open and he/she doesn't get out, don't get in that car. Step away from the door and move to the side.
• If you're in an elevator and some suspicious person steps in, push all the floor buttons, that way the car will be stopping every 5-10 seconds giving you a chance to step off or for help to get on.
• Ideally, you should be living between the 4th and 7th floors ~ too high for bad-guys to jump to, but low enough for fire ladders and SWAT teams.
• Use all available exit/entry doors.  Don't be predictable.
• Be looking for unusual things/people near your front door, something close enough blow you up when you stop to unlock your door or someone close enough to rush you when you open it. If you see that, keep walking by as though you don't live there.  If your family is inside, call and make sure they're okay. Consider duress codes you can use in case they're being listened to. Call the police and ask them to help you, in this case, or security if they're competent.
• Buy and install the best deadbolt locks you can afford for the exterior doors. Chain-locks don't help. Check out these products here.
• Once inside, announce to everyone that you're home and make it SOP that they respond to you verbally when you call to them.  You're taking a head-count, getting them to tell you they're okay.
• I'll talk about handguns later but immediately consider buying a shotgun, if you don't have one already. 

Just remember this; for now: if anyone approaches or attacks you in the city streets and seems to be trying to take you from that spot, fight them then and there. You'll have a much better chance of getting help there at that spot than at the spot they're trying to take you... and kill you. When you fight, don't shout Help! Nobody will come.  Shout FIRE!
 
Inside the house, some thoughts:

• You need to have a plan for what you will do if this happens or that happens, whatever bad thing that might come through the door or be waiting for you on the other side of one. The plan(s) has to be simple, easy to remember and practice and needs to be rehearsed once a month at least.
• The plan(s) needs to take into account your current self-protection profile: armed or un. But if you get a shotgun or pistol, redo the plan to take the weapons into account, but keep the unarmed plan too.
• An armed response plan needs to take into consideration where you might be shooting from ~ is it cover and will stop a bullet or just concealment that will hide you ~ and where you'll be shooting to ~ is the wall over there thick enough to stop a 12 ga shotgun round or a 9mm pistol round. Etc.
• Can you set up a safe-room in the house? Needs good lock, reinforced door and frame, comms such as a charged extra cell phone, first aid, some sort of weapon; if no gun, then a sword. Yea, a sword.
• Such as the one shown below, which is definitely sharpened for combat.

 

• Or this one below, which might be sharpened for combat, I can't tell for sure. If this one isn't sharpened, I'd still buy at least two, maybe one for each room, and get then sharpened to combat quality.

 

• One of my favorites is here, shown below.  Very simple.  Um, you might have to click on a couple links to find this one, once you get to this knife's site.

 

• Another good one is right here.    

 

• A good thing about these is they're easy to find and buy, and can be sharpened very easily. Too, you can cut a broom handle or something to the same length of the sword and have a great practice tool.
• If you buy one/some of these, have them sharpened so that they cut meat easily. Depending on the threat at your place, don't have them in their sheaths. Have them hanging unsheathed at about knee level so you can grab it as you run by it or reach it from the floor. The hooks should be strong enough to hold the weapon but not so strong that you can't pull the whole thing out of the wall if you need to do so. The backs of doors is often a good spot.
• Of course, these mounting suggestions have to take into consideration house guests and the general decor of your place.
• As for knives you can carry on your person, go to an outdoor gear store and handle knives, don't buy online. You want one with a stud/bolt on both sides of the blade so you can open it one-handed with either hand, which is something you will practice faithfully, right?  Studs/bolts are different size/locations on the blade, some don't have a stud/bolt but a large hole. Find what feels best in your hands, which one opens easiest for you. But at least two. You can get good ones for around $20.  You don't need the super-priced ones. Get them sharpened up real good.  One goes in your coat pocket dedicated to just that knife.  There's no business cards or gum or anything in that easily-reached/opened pocket but that knife.  Oh, yea, it should have a belt clip on it too.  

Knife attacks 

• Here is a very good practice video for Krav Maga, defense against knife attack. 
• Here is one on taking a gun from someone about to shoot you in the head. 
• As for when you might have to use a knife as a defensive weapon, remember your best defense will be a good offense. When shooting, the best place to aim is the Center of Mass (CM) of your attacker, usually in the chest area, because this is the easiest to hit and there are vital organs there.
• CM for you in a knife attack, when it's you with the knife, is the neck and throat area, especially the side and front. This includes the shoulders, sloping down from the neck.
• In the center/front of the neck is the trachea.  If you plunge a knife in there, it will disrupt his breathing, he'll sputter on some blood but still be able to fight you for a while. So, if you have to stab him in the throat from the front, you need to jerk the knife to the left and right so that you can sever the trachea and possibly get to a carotid artery.
• The carotid arteries on both sides of the neck are not far under the skin. Then can be lacerated with a cutting motion or punctured with a stabbing motion.
• Directly under the collarbone on both sides of the neck is the sub-clavian artery. That can be cut with a downward stab to either shoulder, from the front, but you must hit this one hard as the clavicle might need breaking for you to get to the artery below. 
• You might need to twist the knife in the wound to do maximum damage.  That's true of any wounds you inflict with a knife.
• You must strike with as much force as you can when defending yourself this way. In doing so, you just might cut yourself.  Remember that in any fight, if you are hurt and you stop to tend your wounds, you will lose the fight and probably die. You must fight on despite the wound and get treatment, or treat yourself, ASAP after the attacker is stopped.
• The longer any type of fight goes on, the more likely that you'll be hurt. So, you need to fight fast and furious. You need to train this way as well.  Upper body, arms, legs, hands must all be worked in quick reps and sets to get an aerobic effect. You need to work up a good sweat and be breathing heavy at every workout in order to train your body for a fight.
• Item last: the best place to win a fight is on the ground, grappling, not dancin' around like some martial arts princess.  Look at the cage matches. Most are won when somebody gets taken to the floor. So, take a good look at the Krav Maga training videos on that subject and practice, practice, practice.

Let' s make sure we all understand fully that I'm not telling anyone to do any of this. But if a bad situation develops and you're faced with defending yourself with a knife, it won't be at all like the little playground "sword" fights you had with twigs when you were a kid.

From the front step to the street:

• When you're preparing to leave a building, slow down to take a look for suspicious situations/people. Look out the windows if you can, obviously, but also take time to look across the street at windows there to see if they reflect a suspicious someone or something out of view on your side of the street. Report your suspicions to security if they're there, or the cops.
• While you're walking in the city, remember to look to the side and behind you from time to time to see if you're being followed. Use windows on the opposite side of the street to see who slows down when you do. Every now and then just turn on a dime and see if anyone does the same thing. Anyone who does is probably following you.
• Your choices then are to loudly confront them: Hey, why the hell are you following me? This might scare them off. Try taking a picture of them with your cell-phone, if you can. That creates a record of what you saw. Save the pics on your computer. Or you can lead them to the nearest cop. Whatever you do, don't go into a secluded spot when you think you're being followed and never go home; maybe they don't know where you live yet.
• The most likely abduction/attack location will be close to somewhere you often/usually go. Most likely abduction scenario on the street: you're walking along and ahead of you is a man close to the buildings ~ loitering, leaning, pretending to be busy. Opposite him across the sidewalk is a van with the door open and someone in the driver's seat. The van is parked strangely: sticking out in traffic a bit, too much room between it and the car parked in front of it, driver taking a look back over his shoulder at the loiterer or at you ~ he's set-up for a quick get-away. As soon as you get between the loiterer and the van door, the loiterer will force you into the van. This is where you start fighting, kicking, biting, punching, Glasgow-kissing', screaming. Someone inside the rear compartment of the van will shut the door as the driver speeds away. If a car is used, the rear door will be open and there will be someone sitting behind the driver to pull you to the floor when the loiterer shoves you in and then jumps on you. If you spot this in advance, turn back, do not continue forward into the "danger zone".
• If they want to just kill you, they'll do it there and not drag you into the vehicle. If they try to get you into a vehicle, it's an abduction and they're still gonna kill you, they're just going to take their time in doing it. So you have to run like hell or fight like hell. Right there. Don't let them take you.
• If you had a bodyguard, he would be responsible for doing the advance work on your moves.  But you have to be your own bodyguard. You might consider introducing yourself to people who work in buildings opposite or next to buildings to which you often go.  Get their phone numbers on speed-dial and call them about 5 minutes before you arrive to find out if they see something suspicious being set-up before you arrive there. Maybe set up a duress signal with those people as a secondary signal: if there's trouble, they stand at the curb and scratch their head.
• No matter where you are/going, know the way to the nearest hospitals, police station, safe places. And safe restrooms.
• If you're driving or in a cab, get out if someone you don't know gets in.  Don't ask questions or bitch about it ~ get out immediately.
• Never say yes if someone asks to share a fare. Too many bad scenarios spin from that.
• If you're driving and a vehicle blocks your way, slow down to about 10MPH to look like you're stopping. Depending on where the most get-away room is to the front or rear of the blocking vehicle, accelerate to about 15-20MPH and hit the blocking car in the front or rear wheel and then keep up the acceleration to drive through the blockade. If there are two, slow down again and then punch it to 15-20MPH pointing the center of your cart to where the two blocking cars meet and then accelerate through them and away. Do not stop. Unless you drive a "smart car, the impact won't damage your vehicle to the point that it's not drivable. But expect an air bag to deploy.
• If people are out of vehicles or blocking you in some other way and you determine to a reasonable certainty that they mean to harm you and/or those with you, run them over.  Lean toward the center of the car to duck any incoming bullets, but keep an eye up so you can drive straight. Aim for the bad guy(s) and run them over. And then keep on going. My guess is that the cops would like to know what happened and it's usually the first story told that gets believed the longest, so you might want to report the "accident."
• Whether it's in a school, theater, restaurant, hospital, synagogue; the best thing to do when a terrorist attack begins, like at Beslan, is to run to get out of the building. Hiding is the second best option. Staying inside, surrendering to the terrorists is not an option.  This goes for you and those with you, whether you're at a crowded venue or at a private affair.

A shotgun... is not a bowling ball.

• Keep it available, not in a bag under the bed. I'd lean it, muzzle down, in the corner of the closet so it can be reached easily by the grip. Or in the corner of your bedroom/next to the bed farthest away from the door. Keep a round in the chamber, and use the safety. The sound of you racking a round is cool, but it's not good tactically. You need to understand what a powerful weapon you have. And you need to not fear it.
• For use in a dwelling, #4 Buckshot is recommended over the famous #00 Buckshot
• Here's some good #4 buckshot at a good price.
• You need to shoot several different brands (Federal/Winchester/Remington) from your gun to find out which shot shoots best from your gun, which has the tightest pattern of pellets at about 25'.
• This is the only slug really recommended for dwellings: Brenneke Home Defense Slugs.
• Know your state ammo purchase laws.

Forgot to mention earlier: When you're out walking, stay at least an arms length away from walls and doorways.  Too easy to grab you if you're that close.
 
Below you'll find some items I suggest you put on your shotgun. I looked for all the items at one place so, if you order them, you can make just one order.  CheaperThanDirt is the lowest price you can find on the www for these items. These accessories are for a Remington 870 12 ga pump shotgun. All the accessories are also available at CTD for most other self-defense shotguns.

• I'm not sure of your size and upper-body strength but you want to be able to shoot the your gun comfortably and to handle it well, so you might need a collapsing stock.
• Because you'll be using this at home, maybe, and you don't walk around with ammo pouches in your pants, you need to have as much ammo in and on the gun as you can get. This handy shotshell holder is part of the collapsing stock.
• This shotshell holder affixes to the left side of the  receiver. 
• In order to quickly, fully, and comfortably actuate the pump action, you might need a little help.  Failure to fully pump/cycle the action is the main cause of shotgun misfires, so you might need this pistol-grip forend.
• The little tiny bead sight on the some shotguns is inadequate for the type of shooting you might need to do. Buy one with installed ghost-ring sights or have a local gunsmith install a good strongt set.
• Remember what I said about having as many rounds in and on the gun as you can get? You might try a 7  or 8 round magazine extension.
• You need to go to a range and shoot the heck out of that gun, to get familiar with it and to see how devastating it can be. But you also need to practice dry-firing at home.  These snap-caps help you practice without killing anyone or blowing holes in closet doors.  They come two in a pack, buy six packs so you can practice firing and reloading.
• Light for your gun? That's a personal decision.  Yes, light helps you see bad-guys in the dark.  But it also lets them see exactly where you are. It may be best to arrange ambient light to your tactical advantage and use furniture/accessories to guide bad-guys into your subtly lit field of fire.

Now that we have all that paraphernalia out of the way, you need to think about some tactics.  I don't know the lay of your home, you do. As stated earlier, you need to have a plan for what you're going to do based on how the house is laid out and what and whom is where and when. You might want to move some things around to get things to your tactical advantage. But, while it's true that you can set up your place to your tactical advantage, circumstances as they develop in front of you might require a change in tactics. 
 
Some possible scenarios and some suggestions, totally your choice:

Scenario 1: Someone breaks in the house and the bad-guy is still down the hall way, not yet to the bedrooms.  

• Take up a position with your shotgun that covers the hallway.
• If he's taking the TV, let him have the freakin' TV.
• If he starts coming down the hall toward the bedrooms, give him one verbal warning, if you want: Get the hell out of here now or I'll shoot you where you stand.  Be very loud. You are not required to give a warning of any kind.
• Not a good idea to fire a warning shot.  Hopefully, he'll leave when he hears he might get shot if he hangs around. 
• Once he leaves, then call the cops.
• If he doesn't turn around and leave after your warning, maintain your position of cover and if he continues down the hall toward you, shoot him in the CM, Center of Mass, his chest.  Twice might be good.
• Don't let him get closer than 20' from any room in which there are people. That's enough space for him to get in the room before you can shoot.
• If you shoot him, immediately rack another round into your gun and stay covered. 
• Listen.  Is he making noise that indicates he's alive? Wounded? Just pissed off?
• Can someone in the house call the cops now? Tell them to do so. 
• Keep the guy, whether dead or not, covered with your shotgun until the cops arrive. 
• If the bad-guy gets up and moves to leave, I guess you should let him go. Don't go near him.
• Get a good description of him for the arriving cops: Uh, yea, and I think his left arm has suddenly gone missing... that might be it over there on the floor. Can I have his watch? 
• If he gets up and continues to be a threat to you and your guests, shoot him more carefully this time to stop his action. 
• Remember this: never say, I don't want to shoot you, or Don't make me shoot you. This tells the bad-guy you're probably afraid and will hesitate if he makes an aggressive move toward you, which will give him an extra second or two to take your gun.
• Also, don't say: If you move, I'll kill you. You're not trying to kill him, you're trying to stop his aggressive, illegal actions and if he dies because you shoot him, it's his fault for being there in the first place. Also, if he lives, the first question from his atty in the civil case he'll bring against you will be: Why did you want to kill my client?   

Scenario 2: A guest/family member screams from a bedroom. 

• Without going into the room, yell, Are you okay?
• If no answer or another scream, call 911 on a land-line and get an open channel to the cops but don't spend any time chatting with the operator, let her figure it out. Use the land-line if possible because your location shows up on their dispatch screens.
• Since there might be bad-guys close to/holding your guest, I'd shoot a slug if I have to shoot, not buckshot.
• Carefully, come around the corner into the room with shotgun at high-ready ~ prepared to shoot, just looking down the barrel for your target.
• Target might not be too big, he might be holding your loved-one or guest around the neck and the head-shot you want isn't available.
• If you don't do something, he might kill the guest and then come after you.  Or try to leave with the guest  Neither of those are options I'd permit and neither would you, I imagine. 
• So, this is what I'd do, if I can get a shot off.  Remember the scene from Speed with Keanu Reeves where he shoots his partner in the leg so he can get a clear shot at Dennis Hopper? Don't do that unless it's the absolute only option. I'd shoot the bad-guy in the feet. The steel pellets pounding into many sensitive feet bones will cause a ton of pain and he'll react to that by dropping to the floor, if he's standing.  While he's falling, I'd rack another round and go straight to his head, maybe moving a bit closer as I fire, to be sure, and I'd put one in his head. If you're shooting buckshot, you're probably going to hit your guest with some of the pellets. You can train your family to drop/pull away from the bad-guy as soon as you take your first shot, because you're looking for a second shot and you don't want them in the way. Your guests won't have this training so you'll have to tell them what to do. Tell them. Clearly. Don't ask. If you're shooting slugs, you'll have to aim a little better for his feet/leg and for his head, but the chances of hitting your family member/guest is lessened. No matter where you shoot this guy, you must know he might react with what's called a sympathetic reaction in his gun hand ~ when his muscles tense up in pain after you shoot him, his trigger finger muscles might tighten too. If he's got the safety on, the gun probably won't go boom.  Safety off... I don't know.  Holding a knife?  If your family members watches the Krav Maga video, they can know how to escape that blade.  This is a worst-case scenario and you'll have to pre-plan your response and rehearse it. Yea, really. Bed-guys are gonna rehearse. Why not you?

Variation of Scenario 2: Bad-guy says: Put down the gun or the girl get it (he's got a gun or knife) 

• Watch the movie Taken.  Scene where Liam Neeson has the sheikh at gunpoint in the boat bedroom. 
• He's acquired his target but remains silent.
• The sheikh begins to speak: We can nego... and then Neeson shoots him in the head.  Whoever did the advising on that movie knew his stuff. 
• If the situation develops where there's a stand-off, you don't have to talk. 
• Acquire your target.
• When he starts to talk, he'll do it thinking, Oh, he hasn't shot me yet and he's not screaming at me... maybe I can talk my way out of this. 
• If he's talking, he can't be planning to pull his trigger at the same time. 
• So shoot him in the head while he is talking. 
• That's what I'd do. 

Not a high-ready position, but kinda swanky.

Scenario 3: Bad-guy(s) come in shooting/slashing. 

• Yell to your kin/guests: "Stay down, call the cops..."
• Return fire using #4.
• Don't shoot unless you see them, no blind firing.
• Between shots, ask if the guests/family members are okay.

Item last: Handgun

It's up to you totally. If you decide to buy a handgun, I'd recommend the Glock in 9mm. I carry a full-size Browning Hi-Power myself so I can't be a cheer-leader for Glocks, but they're fine guns.  If you fire the right 9mm bullets, it will do the job without bouncing around in your hand like larger calibers.  Plus, you can buy cool 30-round magazines for it. Go to a pistol range and fire one if you can.  That's all I have to say about that.

All of these Protection emails I've written are offered as general advice and no matter how you heed it or practice it, the situation may develop where you're thinking, Oh, what do I do now? You're busy so you probably can't fit in a few months of intense combat training, so you have to have a combat mindset available, if you don't stay in that mental zone.  You have to be able to switch from loving father/mother/sister/brother to thoat-cutting warrior in less than a second because if it happens, that's how fast it'll happen. 

No matter what, never stop fighting. If you're hurt, keep fighting or you will die.

Remember, no matter what occurs, never lie to the cops. Never, even if you think you were wrong in some aspect of what you did or didn't do. If you lie, they will discover it and you'll be in serious trouble.

Honey, have you seen my sunglasses?

As if we couldn't figure this out ourselves... U.S. officials believe the most likely nuclear attack would involve an established nuclear power providing either a nuclear device or components to a terrorist group. Finding out which nuclear power provided these items to the terrorists would be key in crafting an appropriate U.S. response. You can read the whole thing here.

And if that's not enough for you... An independent commission has concluded that terrorists will most likely carry out an attack with biological, nuclear or other unconventional weapons somewhere in the world in the next five years unless the United States and its allies act urgently to prevent that.  Read it all.

So, anyway; inasmuch as these experts have gone to all the trouble of telling us we need to know people are interested in trying to nuke us into dust and that it probably will be attempted soon, perhaps it would do us some good to know what to do when the sky lights up with the bright light of a nuke going off near you.
 
Editorial note: if you'll be at Ground Zero that day, please feel free to browse our lovely selection of parting gifts.  Or don't be there.
 
Below is the slightly revised immediate action steps the United Sates Marine Corps would follow if they were reacting to a nuclear attack that occured without any warning.

• Upon seeing a brilliant flash of light, an exceptionally loud explosion, or when the alarm is sounded, immediate action must be taken.

• Never hesitate in taking immediate action. 

• When possible, look for protective cover.

• Your weapon should be placed under your body whenever possible.

• Always wear your standard issue battle equipment while in combat, especially you helmet and body armor.

If you don't have helmet and body armor, wear this.

React without weapon.

• Immediately drop face down, if possible, with feet toward blast. 
• If cover is available, use it.
• Close your eyes.
• Protect or cover exposed skin by putting hands and arms under or near the body and keeping your helmet on.  
• Keep your head down.  

React with weapon. This assumes you'll be toting some sort of automatic weapon ~ very cool but improbable for must of us, eh?  So, pretend you're not carrying a greased M-4 or an M-203 and read on anyway.

• Immediately drop face down. 
• If cover is available, use it.
• Close your eyes.
• Protect or cover exposed skin by putting hands and arms under or near the body and keeping your helmet on.  Or your swell Packer cheese-head.
• Ensure that your weapon is placed under your body or beside you with the strap/sling wrapped tightly around your arm.
• Keep your head down.
• Remain face down for 90 seconds or until all debris has stopped falling.
• Whenever possible, use any protection available, such as fighting holes.  Fighting holes provide excellent protection against nuclear weapon effects.  When your kids screw up, set 'em to diggin' some fighting holes.
• Other examples of hasty protection may include: ditches, culverts, hills, large rocks, or armored vehicles. 
• Simply, put anything between yourself and the nuclear weapons blast.  That is anything that's not glass, and which is well attached to the ground.

Actions During an Attack:

• Immediately drop face down. 
• Don't wait for the sound of an explosion: close your eyes immediately.  
• Protect exposed skin.
• Wait until blast wave passes and debris stops falling.  
• Stay calm, check for injury.
• Check weapons and equipment.
• Prepare to continue the mission. This does not mean continuing your jaunt to the mall.

Actions After an Attack:

• Begin continuous monitoring.  This means you check yourself for injuries and the onset of radiation sickness.
• Organize survivors.
• Secure and organize equipment.
• Cover mouth with handkerchief. Your mouth. You don't want to inhale dust contaminated with radioactive fallout.
• Assist casualties.
• Send NBC 1 report.  Disregard this... the cops will already know.
• Improve protection against possible fallout.  This is if you can't move from where you are.
• Conduct damage assessment and restoration of combat power.  For civilains, you should probably see if you can make it home, checking for injuries on the way.  If you're hurt, go to a hospital right away.

Excellent, full instructions at the link below.  Sorry, I couldn't get the link to load so I have to slip it in this way: http://www.ki4u.com/survive/index.htm

But I do know 1 and 1 is 2...

In case you were wonderin' when I'd get to it, here's a story on the biological and chemical threat. I will cover the nuke angle in a few days. 

But, for now, and this may come as a complete surprise to you, terrorists can acquire Biological Agents in a number of ways: by stealing them from a legitimate existing facility, by buying them from a black market source or from legitimate sources; or receiving them from a "friendly" foreign nation. Chemical Agents can be acquired by a terrorist group by manufacturing agents on their own; making direct use of commercially available poisons; stealing chemical munitions or receiving ready-made agents from a state sponsor.

Anyway, read carefully, unerschrocken; there may be a test, a pop quiz, on this material.

Indicators of the Manufacturing of B/C Agents
You may come across information that could indicate that a group has or is interested in establishing a B/C manufacturing capability. The following is a list of resources that a terrorist may have in place or attempt to acquire in order to make and deploy B/C weapons:

• Subject related text books
• University trained persons in the areas of
  • biology and chemistry (in particular, organic chemistry, microbiology, aero biology, pathology and genetics)
• Raw materials
• Bacteria seed cultures
• Typical lab equipment
  • beakers
  • reflux apparatus
  • centrifuge
  • petri dishes with culture medium such as powdered baby formula
  • stirring apparatus
  • fume hoods
  • etc
• Improvised synthesis/culture equipment
  • home brewing equipment
  • egg incubators
  • yogurt makers
  • etc
• Test animals for determination of agent toxicity
• Personal safety equipment
  • rubber gloves
  • gas masks
  • protective coveralls
  • self-contained breathing apparatus
  • syringes w/antidotes
  • etc
• Spray devices, improvised device components to disperse B/C agents.

B/C Agent Detection: Chemical agents are primarily detected by the senses:

• Irritation of eyes, nose, throat, skin
• Headache, dizziness, nausea
• Difficulty with or increased rate of breathing
• A feeling of choking or tightness in the throat or chest
• Strange or unusual odors
• Strange flavors in food or water

Biological agents include both living microorganisms (bacteria, protozoa, viruses and fungi), and toxins produced by organisms, plants or animals. These agents may be lethal or cause illness in varying degrees when persons are exposed to very small quantities; the onset of symptoms may be delayed for days or even weeks.

Characteristics of Biological Incidents or Attacks

• Unusual Number of Sick or Dying People
  • Any number of symptoms may occur.
  • Hospitals and doctors would more likely become aware of these indicators than the average citizen.
  • It would be the responsibility of the hospital or doctor to inform the proper authorities.  
• Abandoned Spray Devices
  • To carry out a large-scale B/C attack, terrorists may use aerosol dispersal devices normally used in the pest control industry.
  • Such devices are required to be secured in a particular way. They cannot be left in an alley, next to a tree at the park or any other unsecured place. If you see any such device that appears to be abandoned, don’t touch it. Try to keep others away from it and upwind of it and report it ASAP.  
• Aircraft dropping unidentified material or spraying unidentified substances
  • Especially suspicious if done at night and/or over a populated area.  
• Unusual bombs or explosions,
  • Particularly those with little or no blast and that seem to have no immediate casualty effect 
  • They pop, as opposed to going boom. This is the easiest and most likely dispersal method. It pops because it is deliberately underpowered: too much explosive fire can destroy biological agents in the detonation and the blast wave from a large explosion can cause too broad a dispersal pattern for both biological and chemical agents for either to have maximum deadly effect.
• Smoke from an unknown source or of an unknown nature.
• An increase in sick or dead animals.
  • Not just road-kill, but many animals including pets.  
  • Imagine a whole line of birds on a wire dropping dead to the ground all at one time
• Unusual or unexplained increase in the number of insects.
  • Bugs tend to be hardier than humans when it comes to reacting to chemicals. Often they are driven from an area where insecticide has been applied, rather than being killed by it.
  • A large number of insects moving away from an area may indicate that a chemical was applied to the area they were once in.
  • From another perspective, if you are aware of a certain insect activity on your property or around you and it suddenly ceases, all of the insects die, that could also be an indicator of chemical agents having been dispersed.  
• Suspicious liquids or solids on the ground or on vegetation.
• Strange taste in the water.
• Suspicious odors.

Immediate Action for Biological Aerosols or Sprays
If shelter is near: Sound an alarm to let other people in the immediate area know what is happening. Stop breathing; you don't want to be inhaling any of this stuff. Move away from the material.  If possible, get inside a building, a vehicle or under some cover ASAP.  Once inside, close all windows, shut down all AC and ventilation. Seal doors and windows with duct tape if possible. Yea, I know there was a lot of ridicule about the duct tape thing for while after 9-11, but you know something?  Those who suggested it were and are right.  What kills in a B/C attack is the toxicity and the persistence of the agent being used.  Toxicity and persistence depend on things you can't control: heat, rain, humidity, time of day or night, wind direction, proximity to point of release.  Since the object of the attack would be to kill as many people as possible, will terrorists let you know in advance so you can veto their plan because weather conditions would be optimum for their murderous purposes?  No.  You'll feel a twinge in your nose one day and suddenly nothing will be the same.  So, here's the deal: since you don't know anything about an attack other than that people are trying to kill you, when you get into your home or vehicle as part of fleeing a B/C attack, try to seal the windows.  On your home, you don't have to seal them all.  Pick one safe room and seal that one. And the door.  At your office, there should be a Shelter In Place program in place to protect you.  If your work place or business doesn't have an SIP plan, you should.  I'll cover that here soon, just in case.  Anyway, once sheltered as best you can be, remain calm and in place until EMS directs otherwise. Be alert for symptoms of exposure and seek medical care if symptoms develop.

If you can’t get inside: If you have a protective mask, put it on. You won't have one of those so use some cloth to make a gas mask. Wet it if possible. Cover yourself with plastic or non-permeable material. ASAP, move away, upwind of the movement of the aerosol mist or cloud. Generally, move upwind and uphill of any suspected dispersal area. When you’re sure you’re away from danger, check for symptoms of exposure and get medical treatment if necessary.

If the aerosol is inside with you: Use some cloth to make a protective mask. Wet it if possible. Get out of the enclosed area ASAP. If there appears to be no exit, keep looking or try to make one by breaking out windows and doors. When you get out, strip naked in order to get the contaminated clothing off of you and those around. Wash, decontaminate and get medical evaluation and treatment ASAP.

Chemical agents are man made substances that may cause death or injury to exposed persons. The onset of symptoms is normally very fast (seconds to minutes from exposure), but there are few agents that cause injuries that are not apparent for a couple of hours. There are a number of chemicals that may be used by terrorists including those designed for warfare purposes or for industrial and commercial use.

Characteristics of Chemical Incidents or Attacks

• Dead Animals/Birds/Fish
  • Not just an occasional road kill, but numerous animals both wild and domestic, birds and fish in the same area.  
• Lack of Insect Life
  • If normal insect activity (ground, air or water) is missing, check the ground or bodies of water nearby.
• Blisters/Rashes 
  • Numerous individuals experiencing unexplained water-like blisters, weals (like bee stings) and/or rashes.   
• Mass Casualties
  • Health problems including nausea, disorientation, difficulty in breathing, convulsions and death.  
• Patterns of Casualties
  • Casualties will likely be distributed downwind, or if indoor, by the air ventilation system.  
• Unusual Liquid Droplets
  • A number of surfaces exhibit oily droplets/film; water surfaces may have an oily film on the surface.
• Dead/Withered Vegetation
  • Not just a patch of dead weeds, but trees, shrubs, bushes, food crops and/or lawns that are dead, discolored or withered, without drought conditions.   
• Unexplained Odors
  •  Smells may range from fruity to flowery, sharp/pungent, garlic/ horseradish like bitter almonds, or new mown hay - all smells will be completely out of character for the surroundings.  
• Low-lying Clouds
  • Low-lying cloud and fog-like condition.
• Unusual Debris
  • The presence of liquid on various recovered components of an improvised dispersal device that may include metal from an explosive device, batteries and/or wire.  

Immediate Action for Chemical Gases or Vapors
If shelter is near: Sound an alarm. Let other people know what is happening. Stop breathing. Move away from the material, which may be in the form of a cloud. Take cover if a liquid is falling on you, or use clothing to protect your skin from contact with the liquid. Get inside a building or vehicle ASAP. Once inside, close all windows, shut down all AC and ventilation. Seal doors and windows with duct tape if possible.  Remember what I said above about duct tape: do it if you're able to get inside.  Better to do it unnecessarily than to not do it and die from your stubborness.  Remain calm and in place until EMS directs otherwise. Be alert for symptoms of exposure and call 911 if symptoms develop.

If you are in a vehicle: roll up the windows, close all roof openings, and close the ventilation system so external air does not enter, and turn the ventilation system "off". Also, cover your nose and mouth with a folded cloth and breathe through the cloth as you drive away from the gas. Try to seal widows and AC vents with duct tape.

If you can’t get inside: If you are outside, cover your nose and mouth with a folded cloth, breathe through the cloth, and continue to move away from the gas. If you don’t have a protective mask, and you won'tuse some cloth to make a gas mask. Wet it if possible. ASAP, move upwind from the movement of the gaseous vapor, if it’s visible. Generally, move upwind and uphill of any suspected dispersal area. When you’re sure you’re away from danger, check for symptoms of exposure and get medical treatment if necessary.

If the gas is inside with you: Use some cloth to make a protective mask. Wet it if possible. Get out of the enclosed area ASAP. If there appears to be no exit, keep looking or try to make one by breaking out windows and doors. When you get out, strip naked in order to get the contaminated clothing off of you. Wash and decontaminate.

If you get some of the liquid on you: once you are no longer in contact with the source of the liquid, take your clothing off and immediately wash with soap and cool water. First, wash body parts which were not covered with clothing, and then wash your entire body. If soap is not available wash with cool water.

Moving Through a Contaminated Area

• Avoid contaminated areas and pass by/through as rapidly as possible.
• Use all available protective equipment to prevent agents from entering your body.
• When possible, use vehicles and travel upwind of the contaminated area.
• Select routes and rest areas on high ground since chemical agents tend to be heavier than air and settle in low places.
• Avoid cellars, trenches, gullies and other low places where agents may collect.
• Avoid contact with potentially contaminated surfaces, buildings, vehicles, debris, woods, shrubbery, tall grass, and puddles.
• Don’t stir up dust unnecessarily.

That last one's just good advice anytime, don't ya think?

Bombay Bad-boys

Here's the story.

And some chat... 

Okay, let's play some catch-up.

I think it goes without saying that the number of dead in Mumbai was a function of how many of the local civilian population was armed and able to respond to the attack, whatever each civilian may have seen of the attacks.

In my view, attacks like Mumbai are not just possible here in the US, they are likely if not inevitable. 

There are not that many courses of action when the bullets start flying.  I've tried to cover them all at several posts here in the past.  But perhaps I've forgotten one: to carry or not to carry.

Some governments make the decision for you.  Some make mix of it.  For example, Washington State permits both concealed and open carry.  Seattle PD has a tolerance for OC as long as the person going OC is behaving himself.  But the Mayor of Seattle is trying to ban all handguns in the city; whether concealed, carried openly, or sitting on a nightstand. Still, we make our own decisions and live with the consequences, intended and un.

What's the first question you need to answer when considering purchase of a defense firearm? 

What will I do with it if my life is threatened?

If your answer is not I'll use it properly to defend my life and those around me, then don't bother buying one.  Forget about it.

If you're going to use it, then your next choice is which pistol.  The question you need to answer in making that choice is How much will I train with this?

If you're going to spend a few bucks on range fees and a box of bullets once a year, and keep the gun under your pillow the remaining 364 days, you should probably get a 5- or 6-shot revolver. A .38 caliber is probably going to do the trick for those who make this choice.

If you intend to get a concealed pistol permit and carry all the time, you should get a semi-automatic pistol with at least two spare magazines.  Unless you're going to train all the time, like once or twice a week, I'd suggest a 9mm DAO pistol.  If you put the right ammo in a 9, and learn to shoot it, it's just as effective as the larger, louder calibers.

I carry a Browning HiPower 9mm ~ no gun for a novice.  Here are some recommendations from Walt Rauch in the 2009 Guns Annual. These recommendations are all inexpensive handguns suitable for self-defense.

The Rossi Model R35102 .38 SPL +P 5-shot revolver.  +P means it can handle .38 cartridges with a smidge more powder/power in them. The ammo boxes are labeled as such.

The Kel-Tec PF-9.  Never fired it but I know cops like 'em as back-up guns.

The Smith & Wesson Sigma 9mm.   I've carried and shot this pistol for 7 years as a duty weapon. I never had a problem with it, qualified "Expert" every time. I think it's a good gun.

For those seeking another or bigger bang, with economy still on your mind, I suggest:

The Maverick 88 Slug.  It's made by Mossberg ~ you can't go wrong with this baby.  Only shoot slugs through this one. If you absolutely must have a "street-sweeper", get the Maverick 88 8-shot Security.

If you prefer on-line shopping to comparison shopping at the gunshops in your town, you might try Impact Guns.  If you're going to buy a pistol, go to the nearest shooting range and try out several in the caliber and price range you prefer.  Then try to find the best price, in-store or on-line, it's up to you.

Remember, it's all about training. I can offer some here for free but you need to get some hands-on training with whatever weapon you choose.

Another quickie

Not a nooner... a quickie.

Some dirtbag throws plastic over your head or face in an attempt to smother you ~ what do you do?

Because you are unerschrocken and prepared ~ pardon the redundancy ~ this might be your only option, something that might work better than standing there turning blue and dead:

If they don't bind your hands somehow, you'll probably be resisting the attacker(s) with your strong arm.  Good call.  So, with your weak arm, reach into your pocket and take out your knife, open it with one hand.

You say you don't have a knife?  Well, why not?  Go get one and get back here ASAP.  We'll wait.

Okay, back OT:

Quickly but carefully put the blade of the knife where the upper edge of the bag or plastic wrap is, at the top of your head.

Yes, you're about to make yourself bleed.  On purpose.  But it's just like pulling a sliver out of your finger... only different.

Then, draw the blade down the side of your face, so the cut you're making goes in front of your ear.

Dragging the knife down behind the ear might be too difficult a move to make in that situation, unless your attackers have fled. And, either way, you want to avoid pulling it across the carotid artery a/o jugular vein.

When the plastic is cut; keeping hold of the knife, pull the plastic either down or up, to get it off your face.  If you're still fighting and can't get it all off but you're able to breathe, then continue to fight using the knife as a weapon. Don't be shy about using improvised weapons in that case. 

So, your knife. 

• The blade length should be one that's legal in your area
• The blade should be lockable when open
• You should be able to open the blade with one hand/thumb, using either hand 
• You should practice taking the knife from your pocket and opening it, with your eyes closed, and practice with both hands
• The knife should be kept on your strong side 
• It may be wise to not use the belt clip, but to keep it concealed in your pocket 
• If you're a lady, you shouldn't keep it in your purse ~ buy one big enough to do the job but small enough to conceal in a skirt waistband or bra strap.
• Remember you're carrying/wearing it before you go through metal detectors

If you're bound, it seems to me your first concern is finding something sharp by which you can either puncture or cut your way out.  You may not have time to first find a way to undo your hands.  I don't know, I'm not there.

Either way, don't give up even though you may not be able to see well because of the plastic.  You can probably hold your breath longer than you think. 

While it's statistically improbable for most of us to be attacked in this way, it would be prudent to think about this in advance since terrorists have it in their bag o' tricks.

Take a look around at work and home and places you frequent and see what's there you can use to cut or tear a hole in the plastic, should you need to do so.   

• A coat hook on the wall
• A tree branch
• A fence post or rail
• A nail on a fence rail
• The corner of an open car trunk
• A broken tail light
• The latch on your briefcase
• A broken light bulb
• A broken vase
• A metal burr on a drinking fountain
• The corner of a fire extinguisher cabinet
• The metal hinge on a large trash can
• Rough edges of nearby machinery

Some of these may seem silly, but the other option is death. Asphyxiation is a horrible way to die.  So, as usual, it's all up to you, kids.

Sticky stuff in the face to smother you?  Don't try clear your eyes first, you need to breathe. Your nostrils are smaller than your mouth.  So...

• Open your mouth as wide as possible
• With two fingers on your weak hand, poke through the stuff
• Make a hook with your fingers and then pull out as much gunk as you can ~ like when you were trying to make yourself puke in college... only different
• Repeat as necessary
• Seek medical evaluation ASAP.

Fear not.

Be careful out there.

American Beslan

I want to add some things to what I've written previously here, here, here, and here about Beslan School #1 and The Perfect Day.

If you're not familiar with what savagery was visited upon the children and parents of Beslan, Russia on 1-3 Sep '04, then take a look here.

And then tell yourself... It will happen here if I do nothing.

John Giduck, author of Terror at Beslan, writes:

Russians largely believe that American preparedness and elite units would have been able to successfully handle Beslan.  However, U.S. law enforcement, military, and school communities are turning a blind eye to a terrible reality if they are content to sit back and preen in the confidence of that preparedness.  For there is no school in the United States, including our military academies, that would have had the personnel, numbers, weapons and training necessary to thwart 50 trained terrorists armed with automatic weapons.  It is true that the Russian government, police and military committed a number of errors at Beslan.  Many of those were due to culture, doctrine and tactics peculiar to that country and would not have been committed by professionals in the US. Despite that, even if each and every one of these things had been done right, the outcome at that school would likely not have been any different at all.  That is the thing that frightens me the most.

You need to read the whole book a few times, no matter who you are.  Here is another excerpt having to do with the picture of the little girl seen crawling back into the building at the link above:

When the first bomb went off, Aida Sidikova, a tiny waif of a seven-year-old girl, clad only in a pair of white panties, had been blown through one of the large gym windows into the south courtyard.  She laid there, a miniature figure surrounded by the tangled bodies of adults who had also been thrown through the windows by the blast.  The woman right next to her quickly regained consciousness and fled.  The Rus [a Russian Special Forces group] snipers, from their vantage point high up in the adjacent apartment buildings, believed the rest all dead.  After several minutes, Aida's small form began to stir.  Picking herself out from among the corpses, she stood there by the wall, small, frail, scraped, burned and bleeding, her blanched face evidence of the shock she suffered.  She stood for mere moments, looking about, wrapped in the horror of the screams of those still inside.

 

Soldiers began yelling at her to lie down against the wall, the only place that offered sanctuary.  To move in any direction meant sure death from the deluge of bullets. One young Rus sniper in a nearby building screamed into his radio, begging for permission to shoot her in a leg in the hope of dropping her miniature form to the ground, saving her life.  That permission came too late.  After looking about one final time, tears streaking white trails down her smoke covered face, the child turned back to the window ledge, pulled her little torso over it, and disappeared into the smoke, flame and screams of the gym, the only place her shattered mind could think would bring her the refuge of her mother and fellow hostages.

The Russians military rescuers did the best they could based on the totality of circumstances at the time the bombs went off, and the assault was launched.  There were several instances of soldiers deliberately stepping in front of terrorist bullets, or dropping intentionally onto grenades, in order to save the lives of children.

They should be remembered and honored by us all.

Give here, if you're so inclined.

Based on how things have transpired over the last few years, I believe we can expect that the American response to a Beslan-type scenario will go pretty much like this:

• The terrorists will do all they can to be more brutal than their coreligionists were to the helpless children, parents and staff at Beslan.
• The PC administrators at the responding police departments will try to negotiate for too long with the terrorists, they will force rules of engagement on their police officers on-scene that will be too restrictive and timid. 
• The result will be that many more people will die in our Beslan than the one in Russia.

So, in addition to all previous posts here; parents, teach your kids to get down and stay down when shooting and explosions start.  Train them to stay down until people they recognize as American police officers a/o soldiers come in and tell them it's safe. That will probably be the best thing for them to do when it hits the fan. 

But, and I don't mean to contradict myself here, if they forget to get down and begin to run or if they quickly decide that running is a better option than getting down, train them to run fast and hard to something big and solid enough to stop bullets.  Teach them to not stop once they get outside the building where the shooting's going on or coming from but to sprint for the closest cover, even if it's a ditch barely big enough to hide them. 

 
Hey, lying down behind a curb or a parking barrier might even be enough to save them.

By the way, at least two of the Beslan terrorists were women.

If you have kids in school or know someone who does, I'm going to ask that you forward this page to them.  It's not to alarm anyone unduly.

It's because of this...

They said they have the right to kill two million American school children.  They said they will do Beslan again, here in the U.S. and it will be worse than 9/1/04.  If that's true, if it's even remotely possible they were serious and they could pull off something even close to Beslan, then why would you do nothing?

Why would you do nothing?

Exact change, please

Whether this guy turns out to be a sudden jihadist or not, we need to revisit some truths having to do with knife attacks.

Update:  From this site we can gain some insight about the killer, Vince Weiguang Li. 

An excerpt from the page: Today, the Muslims of China number some 20 million, according to unofficial counts. The government census of 1982, however, put the number much lower, at 15 million. These Muslims represent ten distinct ethnic groups. The largest are the Chinese Hui, who comprise over half of China's Muslim population and are scattered throughout all of China. There is also a high concentration of Hui in the province of Ningsha in the north.

Does that make Li a Muslim jihadist?  I don't know.

Anyway, take a look at this to understand how quick and deadly knife attackers can be and how little time you have to react.  If you can find any video of the Tueller Drill, let me know.

If there are no other lessons to learn from this attack, everyone needs to understand this is exactly why you should not sleep on the bus or train, especially if you're next to a stranger.  This is exactly why you should not be sitting there with your eyes closed and your little head-phones plugging your hearing holes.

As a civilian, you may be attacked like this, or be in the AO (area of operation) when such is launched against someone else.  Oh, wait... it'll never happen to you.  What was I thinkin'?

But in case I'm wrong, let's review some of your options.

First of all, if concealed weapons are permitted where you live, perhaps you should buy a quality handgun, get the necessary concealed pistol license, practice with your weapon, and be prepared to take action to defend yourself and others around you if that's the level of your moral courage.

Or not.

If someone's on you with a knife as in this scenario (assuming of course that you're awake) you might try blocking the stabs and slashes with your weak arm, that's the one you don't shoot with, as you're drawing your weapon.  Then, pointing the weapon into the torso of your attacker, at point blank range, start pulling the trigger and don't stop until the POS stops his attack.

You have no obligation to offer a warning to the attacker.  You don't have to say Stop or I'll shoot.  Just shoot, if that's your decision.

Or, if you can't get to your gun, you may need to try this: With both of your hands, grab the arm of the attacker, just above the hand holding the knife.  Hold on tight and then commence to kick and bite and head-butt that dirt-bag until he ceases to be a threat.  Slamming him into hard surfaces and sharp angles might help as well. 

Are you going to get cut?  Yea, probably.

Can you still win.  Yes, you can.

Remember as you're fighting: you're fighting for your life.  If you stop fighting because you're tired, you may die.  If you get hurt and stop to tend your wound, you will probably die.

If you are witness to a knife attack similar to the one depicted above, and you are armed, then you may feel morally obligated to help.  Or not.

If you choose to help, which in this case may mean to apply deadly force to stop the attack, then you need to do so quickly.  You don't need to issue any warning to the attacker.  You don't need to fire a warning shot. He has already manifest his deadly intent and any time you spend trying to get his attention, trying to talk him out of "it" will be wasted and death will be knocking harder on the door.

What you decide to do is totally up to you.  These are my thoughts, what I might do, given the totality of circumstances at that time and place.

• If possible, I'd quickly but carefully approach the attacker from front or rear, in order to decrease the distance between the muzzle of my Browning and the center of his brain.  Be sure the bullets coming out the other side of his head won't hurt too badly anyone on the other side of his head.  Acquire the target and then squeeze off two shots.
• If I'm shooting from the front, my point of aim would be about an inch and a half above the line of the eyes, center of forehead. 
• If shooting from the side, I'd aim basically right above either ear.
• If from behind, I'd take shots that gets the most bullet into the most brain as possible. 
• Shots to the center of mass of the slasher's torso could bounce off ribs and spine and not shut him down quickly enough, allowing him to continue his attack.
• This guy's computer needs to be turned off.  Quickly.  These are things I might do based on what I see in front of me at the time, assuming of course that in my reasonable man mind I discern a deadly threat to myself a/o others in the area.

Being attacked with a sword but you're not armed? You're going to have to move inside the arc of the swinging blade and attack the body of the sudden jihadist.  Or be sliced and diced.

If you're armed with a firearm, trying to shoot the sword out of your attacker's hand would be a silly response, in my opinion.  Your best bet may be to put as many rounds into his upper chest, around/in his heart, as quickly, calmly and accurately as you can.

You need to understand that, if you see someone being attacked this way and you're armed and decide to shoot the attacker, you do not legally need to tell him to stop.  You do not need to warn him in any way. He has demonstrated his ability to kill, is obviously taking the opportunity to do so, and therefore presents a clear and present danger to human life. 

Me?

I'd probably find the best shot I could get, even if I had to shoot him in the back, and I'd put at least half a mag into him.  If he didn't stop, I'd empty the mag into him, do a quick reload and then see how how he was doing.  Then, presuming I'd stopped the attack, I'd do a quick scan for any of his buddies or coreligionists, holster if I didn't see any, and then wait calmly for the cops to show up. Then I'd tell them the truth about what happened. If they charged me with some offense, I'd lawyer up with an attorney who understands the Second Amendment and has defended cases similar to mine in court. And then I guess I'd pray.

Again.  Am I telling you what decision to make in any given situation?  No. You are entirely the boss of you.  And I am not.  You decide what you're going to do, not me.  You decide what action to take or not take, not me.

If this happens to you, armed or not... God help you.  And I mean that sincerely.

Hey, let's be careful out there.