October 17, 2017 -- A Quick Run Around the Web (Updated)

"Canada ABOLISHES ITSELF"--Black Pigeon Speaks (12 min.). Globalism and the replacement of the native population. 

Firearms/Self-Defense/Prepping:

• Showcasing some of the latest innovations from Kalashnikov: "Kalashnikov Concern News – Rifles [Arms & Hunting 2017]"--The Firearms Blog.
• A case of correlation is not causation? "Gun waiting periods prevent hundreds of homicides, according to 45-year study"--Ars Technica. The study looked at homicides and suicides by handguns over a 45-year period and compared the years where gun waiting periods were implemented over those where there was no gun waiting period. You can read the whole thing here. Supposedly the authors adjusted for other factors, including shall-issue concealed carry laws, in reaching their conclusions. However, it is interesting to me that while they supposedly had a correlation between waiting periods and homicides, there was no definable correlation between waiting periods and suicides. The inference is that murderers tend to spontaneously go buy a handgun from an FFL to commit a murder, but suicidal people are perfectly fine with the waiting period before committing suicide. 
• "The Worst Gun Control Arguments"--Scott Adams. Adams examines several arguments against gun control, generally, or against banning bump fire stocks, particularly, and discusses why they are poor arguments. He also advances what he believes is the best argument in support of the Second Amendment. I don't want to address all his points, primarily because he makes good points. However, he poo-poos the "slippery slope" argument, writing:

Gun owners sometimes say banning any weapon leads to banning all of them. In general, the slippery slope argument is nonsense no matter what topic you are discussing. Things do lead to other things, but every decision stands on its own, and should. Banning personal use of grenade launchers did not lead to confiscation of hunting knives, and probably never will. The slippery slope idea inspires fear in gun lovers – because creeping regulations feel like a risk – but in the real world, each decision stands alone. The slippery slope is an irrational fear, not a reasonable factor in policy-making.

The problems I see with his argument are five-fold. 

        First, the "slippery slope" argument is an argument as to strategy, not tactics. A victory in one area can lead to increased momentum and a victory in another area. If the ban on bump fire stocks were to pass this month, and then there was another publicized shooting next month where the media focused on some other item (magazine capacity, an arm brace, etc.), there is a psychological path opened in the minds of the public and Congress to enact another ban on another item while the urge to "do something" is still active. 

         Second, how a ban is worded or applied can create a precedent as to other devices. As a recent TTAG article notes, there are other devices on the market that could be considered "borderline" cases. In this case, we have seen several arguments (including from the NRA) for the ATF to apply a "spirit of the law" approach to interpreting gun laws vis-a-vis the bump fire stock rather than the letter of the law. If that happens in this case, it then sets the precedent for it happening in other cases.

          Third, his criticism against the slippery slope argument is based on how policy should be made, not necessarily how it is made. 

         Fourth, I frequently see a corollary made as to the slippery slope argument--either expressly or implicitly--which is opposition for giving up something without getting something in return. The reason the slippery slope metaphor is used is because it represents a situation where there is only one direction of movement. There would be no slippery slope if those advocating gun control knew that to get something, they would have to give something else up. 

        Finally, there are real world examples demonstrating the validity of the slippery slope argument. Adams make the case that one would never see a ban on grenade launchers lead to a ban on knives, yet that is pretty much what happened in the U.K. (which is just one example). Firearm restrictions in the early 20th Century led to bans in the late 20th Century, led to bans of most knives as successive generations were inculcated with the idea that banning a tool used by criminals would somehow banish the criminals.

•  "U.S. M16: A Half-Century of America’s Combat Rifle"--American Rifleman. A brief history of the M-16, with an emphasis on its adoption and use in Vietnam.
• "Spokane Police Adopt Rifle Suppressors to Curb Hearing Damage"--The Firearms Blog. Exactly why they should be legal for everyone.
• "What’s The Best Way To Clean Brass?"--Shooting Sports USA. Cleaning brass is probably the most mundane and boring part of reloading. Of course, there is a difference between cleaning and polishing brass. I've hand washed brass, with and without brass cleaner, and even tried using a mesh bag (for laundering delicates) to run them through a cloths washer. It gets the dirt off, but that is about it. Currently I use one of the vibratory cleaners with a corn cob media which does a decent job of cleaning them and making them presentable (even if not shiny new). This article describes the pros and cons of the three most popular methods of cleaning brass: using a vibratory cleaner (such as I use), using a sonic cleaner (which cleans and is fast, but does not polish), and a tumbler style cleaning system using small steel rods as polishing media (which cleans and polishes). Your decision will come down to cost of the equipment and cleaning media, time, and how pretty you want your brass to look, which are pretty much what the article discusses. 
• "Skill Set: Simple and Effective"--The Tactical Wire. The author writes: "There are no advanced skills. Responding to a threat is a matter of being able to apply the fundamentals. The techniques used should be simple to understand, easy to learn – with the appropriate investment – and easy to apply." Although the author doesn't go into the psychology of why this is so, most of you probably know why: it is that the more options you give yourself, the more time your brain will use processing and trying to figure out which option to take. Now, if you can practice--really practice--for a lot of different options, your brain will have a category for each one and react quickly; but if you are only shooting once per month or week at a static range, you are not really learning different options for specific situations, and so attempting to "memorize" different techniques will just slow you down. A class can show you what to do, but if you are not following up with practicing the techniques you were taught in the class, you are pretty much wasting your money.
• "Review: Remington RP9 Pistol"--Shooting Illustrated. The RP9 is Remington's full-size 9 mm striker fired, polymer framed, handgun. Its advantages are supposed to be better ergonomics and options for the grip size, ambidextrous controls, and a modest price--the MSRP of $489, but the author indicates that with sales and rebates, he has seen street prices below $300.
• "Hellfire Gen2: Mini-Bump Fire Stock Without the Stock"--The Truth About Guns. A bump fire option that doesn't require replacing the stock.
• "Magpul’s New MLOK Extended Cantilever Scout Mount"--The Truth About Guns. This mount is intended for the Surefire Scoutlight. Its advantage over other mounts is that it brings the flashlight in much closer to the barrel, making the whole setup more compact, and puts the flashlight further forward to reduce the shadow cast from the barrel.

Other Stuff:

• A new Woodpile Report is available.
• McCain goes full globalist: "McCain condemns 'half-baked, spurious nationalism' in clear shot at Trump"--SF Gate. The article quotes the following from McCain's speech:

        "To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain "the last best hope of earth" for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history.

       "We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil. We are the custodians of those ideals at home, and their champion abroad. We have done great good in the world. That leadership has had its costs, but we have become incomparably powerful and wealthy as we did. We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don't. We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldn't deserve to."

Bashing anyone opposed to open borders? Check. Believes the U.S. is a proposition nation? Check. Believes we have a moral duty to entangle ourselves in the problems of other nations? Check. 

• To dissolve the people.... "Immigration population rises to a record 60MILLION: Report shows immigrants and their children now account for one in every five people in the US"--Daily Mail.
• "Green Tea Extract Disrupts Formation of Neurotoxic Species"--Lab. From the article:

       ... Preclinical evidence suggests that the green tea compound known as EGCG interferes with the formation of toxic assemblies (oligomers), one of the prime suspects in the early steps of the molecular cascade that leads to cognitive decline in Alzheimer's patients.

        "At the molecular level, we believe EGCG coats toxic oligomers and changes their ability to grow and interact with healthy cells," explains Giuseppe Melacini, lead author and a professor in the departments of chemistry and chemical biology as well as of biochemistry and biomedical sciences at McMaster, who has worked on Alzheimer's-related research for 15 years.

        The findings, which are the results of a decade of advancements in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methodology and are featured in the cover page of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could lead to new therapies and further drug discovery, say researchers.

• "Is Amazon.com becoming complacent, and resting on its laurels?"--Bayou Renaissance Man. The author notes that Walmart.com often has much better prices than Amazon, and if you don't mind picking your package up at your local Walmart, shipping is always free, and returns (should you have to make them) are easier.
• "The Forgotten Mystery of Inertia"--American Scientist. Or, "...  we still don't know how a gyroscope stays pointed in a fixed direction."
• From Spaceweather.com: "The sun just did something [seemingly contradictory]. For a whole week, Oct. 9th - 15th, the face of the sun was utterly blank. There were no sunspots and no solar flares; NOAA classified solar activity as 'very low.'  At the same time, space weather was remarkably stormy."

Update: Corrected the date in the title. You know you are tired when you can't remember what month it is.