May 11, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"MMA vs Tai Chi"--Linus J. (47 sec.)

Apparently this video has caused quite a bit of consternation in China because the MMA fighter so quickly and soundly defeats the Tai Chi master. 

Firearms/Self-Defense/Prepping:

• You've probably heard the expression "anything worth shooting once is worth shooting twice." Gabe Suarez goes a step further when it comes to terrorists: "Shoot Them Again When They Are Down." And he has a training drill for dealing with terrorists (who should be presumed to have a suicide vest or IED): "The Istanbul Drill teaches us to shoot for the face and neck area to quickly terminate the terrorist, as well as to follow up the downed terrorist with additional face and neck shots to insure the result." Read the whole thing for his reasoning.

• Related: "Islamic Terrorist Hostage Seiges"--Active Response Training. Greg Ellifritz looks at some well known terrorist attacks that have resulted in sieges by law enforcement and/or military, and notes that prolonging a strike against terrorists only gives them more time to kill hostages, plant IEDs, and/or harden their position. He advises that law enforcement needs to change its tactics to more proactive, direct action in such situations, rather than going through the standard ritual in hostage situations of trying to establish a perimeter and contact the terrorist(s) for purposes of negotiation. And its true. This isn't the 1970s or '80s where terrorists would hijack a plane and hold passengers until a ransom was made, political prisoners released, or just to make a statement. The terrorist goals now are to kill as many as possible.

• "Finally found a solution for carrying a tourniquet!"--Stuff from Hsoi. The author found it difficult and awkward to carry a tourniquet for everyday carry because of the bulk of the item. His solution? He flat packs the tourniquet and then attaches it to a PHLstr Flatpack Tourniquet Carrier (with the beltloops removed) and slides it into a cargo pocket. There is an embedded video on how to do the flat pack.
• "When Seconds Counted, Dallas Police Were Only 87 Minutes Away"--The Truth About Guns. That is how long it took Dallas PD to respond to a home invasion in progress call. And this was in the metro area, not somewhere in the countryside.
• "The 'AK' Selector Lever for the AR-15 – Five Reasons Why I Like It"--The Firearms Blog. Inspired by the AK selector lever, a company called BRDC is prototyping a selector lever for the AR that would be operated much like the safety on a 1911 pistol: click up for safety and down for fire. (More information here). 
• The Russians remember Stalingrad: "GM94 Grenade Launcher"--Loose Rounds. An embedded video of the Russian 3-round grenade launcher shooting thermobaric rounds. Although the United States did not face anything comparable to Stalingrad, there were still some intense urban combat as Allied forces advanced into Europe. One of these was the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy. In that battle, Allied troops strove to take several villages. The fierce house-to-house fighting required extensive use of hand-grenades, with the number of hand-grenades expended equaling the number of rifle rounds expended. Yet grenades seem woefully underappreciated as an urban weapon today, at least in the West.
• "The moment a driver shot and killed a gunman who marched up to his car after they 'made eye contact' at a gas station is caught on video - but he WON'T be charged"--Daily Mail. You can see a short (30 sec.) video of the incident here. Various lessons here, but perhaps the one most striking is that the attacker ran off and, to all appearances, unhurt. Yet he died of his wounds. Another example that even several shots may not stop an attacker.

Other Stuff:

• This is how government acts when it knows it is doing something wrong: "Crews wearing masks, bulletproof vests and helmets remove statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis from New Orleans"--Daily Mail. Expect statues or other monuments to Martin Luther King Jr. or similar to be vandalized. 
• Separate but equal: "Black students at Harvard to hold their own commencement"--Boston Globe. The event is apparently only for black students, and will feature black speakers. I think some white students should sign up for the event, demand white speakers, and then sue when the requests are denied. In any event, the organizer's excuse is that "the event, called Black Commencement 2017, ... is designed to celebrate their unique struggles and achievements at an elite institution that has been grappling with its historic ties to slavery." Which reminds me:

• Sometimes self-help is the best help: "Shocking video shows PARENTS 'viciously attacking five female high school students' in revenge for attack on their kids"--Daily Mail. At least these parents' kids won't be committing suicide because nobody did anything. 
• Obama's legacy: "Turkey threatens military action against U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters"--Washington Post. From the article:

       Turkey has threatened to step up military action against Syrian Kurdish fighters allied with the United States in response to the Trump administration’s decision to directly arm the Kurds for an assault on the Syrian city of Raqqa, Turkish officials said. 

       The warning was delivered to senior U.S. national security officials in closed-door meetings this week after the Trump administration expressed its intent to arm the Kurds following months of deliberations, the Turkish officials said. 

       “Turkey’s message to the Trump administration was that Turkey reserves the right to take military action,” said a senior Turkish official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

        Turkey has already conducted limited strikes against the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in northern Syria in recent weeks, but it could increase the tempo of those strikes, Turkish officials said. American officials have complained bitterly to Turkey, a NATO ally, about the airstrikes, which have targeted the principal U.S. partner in Syria in the fight against the Islamic State. 

Turkey doesn't seem to understand the chain of command here...

• California circling the drain: "Blue Civil War in California as State Jacks Up Traffic Fines"--American Interest. Why is California raising traffic fines? To make up for the lack of funding of public sector pensions. And who will bear the brunt of these fines? The working class and poor who have to drive long distances to jobs in crappy cars that the CHP likes to pick on. But it gets better: "In the long run, California’s growing pension liabilities will also likely force cuts in education and welfare programs that vulnerable citizens depend on, creating a further conflict between the interests of unions and the interests of the poor." This is an example of how the wicked the left will turn on each other and destroy themselves in the last days.
• Speaking of the left turning on each other: "Blasted to death at point blank range: Shocking moment a protester is fatally shot in the chest with a smoke grenade by Venezuelan riot police"--Daily Mail. "The country has been engulfed by violent rioting for weeks against the Venezuelan government." 
• Diversity is our strength: "Alleged MS-13 gang members nabbed for attempted murder"--New York Post. This is in relation to a beating and shooting last October that left a Queen's man a paraplegic.