June 19, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"3 Worst Lock Pick Tools"--Uncensored Tactical (11 min.)

The author of this video focuses on three tools--a pick gun, bump key set, and combs--that aren't reliable enough to bother with including in a bug-out or get-home bag.

• A new Woodpile Report is out today. He has links to several analyses of the recent Inspector General report issued as to the FBI. However, one of the better ones I've seen, and apparently not included in the list at the Woodpile Report is "The IG Report Was a Whitewash and Devastating All At Once" by Kurt Schlichter at Townhall magazine. Schlichter mostly focuses on the whitewashing done by the IG. But he also addresses consequences of such a weak report and the reflexive defense of bureaucrats by bureaucrats so that there is never public accountability:

       Our country cannot go on like this. The rule of law matters, and the rule of law does not have exceptions that exempt preferred people and groups. We have tolerated this abomination long enough – it has to stop. Either the elite rediscovers its sense of duty and service and stops it, or we will stop it. Donald Trump is our latest attempt to do that. If he is unable to do so, the elite is really going to hate what we try next.

       See, they don’t get to win.

       Some have taken to calling our political/cultural response to this abandonment of the rule of law “tribalism.” And it is, because tribalism is the only alternative to the rule of law. Some like Jonah Goldberg rightly warn against the tribalist trend, and it is bad, but it sure beats the hell out of being the liberals’ serfs. Others are fussily upset that we choose uniting to protect ourselves over surrender – to them I say, if you Fredocons don’t like tribalism, then help us fix the freakin’ problem instead of trying to shut us up and pretending everything is groovy.

       Once again, here are the two, and only two, options:

1.  Rule of law

2.  My tribe – the Normals – wins

Notice how there is no option for “The elite tribe exercises unchallenged dominion over us.” So, choose wisely.

       The IG report, simultaneously a devastating indictment of elite misconduct and a total whitewash, is a symptom of the moral leprosy infecting our elite. It is rotting away our institutions, and the foundations of the United States as we knew it. But the elite can’t, or won’t, even admit to itself what we all see.

       And this means that means the elite can’t, or won’t, do what is necessary to repair the damage the elite itself has caused our country. No wonder the Normals are getting militant – and if the elite does not wake up to the danger, this country will be torn apart, or even worse.

• "An almost ideal home/family defense weapon"--Bayou Renaissance Man. Peter Grant reviews the Ruger PC-9 carbine, including a look at some ammunition for it.  His favorite load for it is Federal's HST hollowpoint in 147 grain weight. He gets his through SG Ammo (which happens to be my favorite source for ammo on-line). 
• So if guns are so bad, why is the murder rate in the United States as low as it is? "Small Arms Survey Shows US With 46% of Privately Owned Firearms"--The Truth About Guns. From the article:

       According to the Small Arms Survey released this week, world wide private firearms ownership has increased from about 650 million in 2006 to 857 million at the end of 2017. That’s a 32% increase over the eleven year period, or 207 million firearms.

       The estimate for the United States jumped from 270 million in to 393.3 million, a 46 percent increase or 123.3 million firearms. The United States accounted for 60 percent of the total global increase.

• Related: "It’s Official: America Now Has More Guns Than People"--The Truth About Guns. More info from the survey. Of course, one of the problems facing such "surveys" is that of garbage-in-garbage-out (GIGO). The authors of the paper acknowledged that only 12% of firearms are actually registered world-wide, which makes it difficult to truly count the number of firearms. For instance, the survey puts the number of civilian firearms in the United States at 393 million (compared to a population of 326 million). I believe that we've already passed the 400 million mark, and probably did so during the Obama Administration.

• "US Army Adds More Guns to Sub Compact Weapon Trials"--The Firearm Blog. I cited to another TFB article recently that discussed the Army's interest in a submachine gun for some of its non-combat troops. According to this article, they have expanded the number of companies from which they are seeking samples under a sole-source contract. I see a lot of comments supporting the HK MP9 as a contender. I am a little surprise that Ruger isn't expressing some interest. Back in the 1990s, Ruger had developed an updated version of the Uzi submachine guns called the MP9 that used a polymer lower receiver and fired from a closed bolt. 
• The UK has another type of crime problem: "Fewer than one in 20 street robberies and burglaries are being solved by police, new figures reveal"--Daily Mail. In addition, "[t]he figures also reveal that only nine per cent of suspects in all crimes are caught and punished - a reduction of more than 50 per cent in the past five years." But the UK is very good at catching and punishing people that express "bad think" on social media.
• “THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD, MY FRIEND”….THE NEGLIGENT DISCHARGE"--Civilian Gun Fighter. Mas Ayoob's recent recounting of a negligent discharge (ND) in a class he was teaching inspired the author of this blog to describe his ND, which occurred at his home. Fortunately, in neither case was anyone injured, or even put into danger due to the direction the firearm was pointing. Interestingly, the author of this article indicated that his ND occurred in his basement, and his wife was in the home at the time. He recounts: "She thought the loud bang she heard from two floors up was me knocking over a shelf in the basement." . 
• Diversity is our strength: "The "Hitler Of South Africa" Tells White People, He Won't Kill Them...Yet!"--Zero Hedge.  Julius Malema, a member of the South African parliament and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters political party, was quoted last week as stating: “We have not called for the killing of white people. At least for now. I can’t guarantee the future.” 
• Good thing New Jersey has strict gun laws. Otherwise convicted felons might get hold of firearms and use them to commit crimes: "Several shot, one killed at Art All Night in Trenton"--Homicide Watch. From the article:

       Authorities say off- and on-duty police in the area fired their service weapons as the suspects fled the building while shooting at each other.

       “The impetus for police returning fire were the individuals shooting at each other,” Onofri said. “Many of the event organizers have been praising the Trenton Police Department, and frankly if it wasn’t for their quick and decisive response, I think we’d be talking about more victims.”

      Tahaij Wells, 32, died at the hospital after suffering gunshot wounds during the melee. Officials say he was one of the suspects exchanging gunfire with others inside the warehouse before running outside. Though ballistics tests have not been completed, investigators believe he was shot by a cop after police saw him engaged in the shootout.

     Wells was recently released from prison and had been on parole since February on homicide-related charges, Onofri said.

• More black on black violence: "The moment boy, 17, is stabbed in the back and another is slashed in the face after brawl breaks out on Coney Island beach on 91F day"--Daily Mail. 
• "5 Dead As SUV Chased By Border Patrol Crashes In South Texas"--AP via AT&T. The article indicates that the vehicle was traveling at more than 100 mph when the mishap occurred. The article also reports:

       Most of the occupants in the SUV were believed in the country without legal permission. Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be U.S. citizens. The driver was among those hospitalized, and a deputy who assisted the Border Patrol with the chase found the driver sitting upright in his seat and took him and the passenger into custody.

       "This, I think, is a perfect example, of why are [sic] borders need to be secured," Boyd said.

• "The 5 Worst Illegal Immigration Arguments"--PJ Media. The Number One bad argument is complaining that we are splitting children from their parents:

Are you an American citizen? Well, if you commit a serious crime tomorrow, you will be separated from your children. Try taking your kid with you to commit a bank robbery and see how far you get arguing that you should be able to take junior with you to Leavenworth. Speaking of which, what kind of idiots want to put 10-year-olds in detention centers with their parents and any random person we catch on the border? It’s a stupid idea that people push so they can virtue signal. “Oh, I’m such a good person and I really care about the children! That’s why I want little Sally locked up with the nice guy we caught on the border, the one with the nasty disposition and face tattoos.” It’s not as if ICE is roaming through Mexico kidnapping children or anything. All you have to do to avoid being split up from your children is the same thing Americans have to do: Obey the law.

I think the only two reasonable solutions to arresting illegals with children are (1) separate the children from their parents when the parents are jailed, or (2) jail the children together with their parents. Which would you prefer?

• Related: "No protest over 20,000 US kids separated from parents in jail"--Washington Examiner. 

• Related: "Church Statement on Separation of Families at the US-Mexico Border"--LDS.org. The statement:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long expressed its position that immigration reform should strengthen families and keep them together. The forced separation of children from their parents now occurring at the U.S.-Mexico border is harmful to families, especially to young children. We are deeply troubled by the aggressive and insensitive treatment of these families. While we recognize the right of all nations to enforce their laws and secure their borders, we encourage our national leaders to take swift action to correct this situation and seek for rational, compassionate solutions.

I wholeheartedly agree: immigration reform should keep families together. So we need to get rid of birth-right citizenship to eliminate the anchor baby phenomena. 

        Stefan Molyneux has a good video on this issue, and in it, he references a recent National, Review article on the practice and process of separating children from illegal alien parents that attempt to sneak across the border. The article notes that "[s]eparation happens only if officials find that the adult is falsely claiming to be the child’s parent, or is a threat to the child, or is put into criminal proceedings." The problem arises where the parents claim asylum because contesting asylum claims take longer than prosecuting a simple criminal entry; but, per the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, children can only be detained for 20 days. "This creates the choice of either releasing the adults and children together into the country pending the ajudication of the asylum claim, or holding the adults and releasing the children."

      But, even if the children are separated, it is hardly the trauma that the SJWs contend: "If the adult is held, HHS places the child with a responsible party in the U.S., ideally a relative (migrants are likely to have family and friends here)."

       According to the author of the article,"[t]he option that both honors our laws and keeps family units together is a swift return home after prosecution." "But," he observes, "immigrant advocates hate it because they want the migrants to stay in the United States."

       Molyneux makes a good analogy, that allowing asylum to someone that sneaks across the border is like someone robbing a business and, when caught, giving him or her a job. Illegal crossing of the border should result in an automatic denial of an asylum claim and immediate ejection from the country. 

• "Another explosion reported in Upper Bucks County"--Bucks County Courier Times. Earlier stories on the "mysterious explosions" in Pennsylvania had led me to believe that people were just reporting booming sounds. But, no, there were actual explosive devices, with the latest occurring as a road crew was working at mowing grass and weeds along the side of a highway. Someone is practicing.

• More: "Mysterious explosions in past 2 months rattle Pennsylvania residents"--ABC News.

• "Drowning is the leading cause of death in children under 4, CDC says"--Daily Mail. If gun grabbers were actually concerned about the children, they would be working at banning swimming pools.
• "LFD Research Films the Firing of .300 Blackout in a .223/5.56 Chamber"--The Firearm Blog. The destruction of an AR in super slo-mo.
• Hmm. "Tip: Pentagon Covering Up Fact That Female Officers Nearly Sank Navy Ship"--The Other McCain. When the U.S.S. Fitzgerald was struck by a container ship, the officer of the deck (OOD) and Tactical Action Officer (who runs the combat information center) were both women--and the DOD went to great lengths to keep their names out of the news. The blog author surmises:

That two of the officers — Coppock and Combs — involved in this fatal incident were female suggests that discipline and training standards have been lowered for the sake of “gender integration,” which was a major policy push at the Pentagon during the Obama administration. It could be that senior officers, knowing their promotions may hinge on enthusiastic support for “gender integration,” are reluctant to enforce standards for the women under their command.

• "Church Announces Plans for New Hymnbook and Children’s Songbook"--LDS.org. Why a new edition of the songbooks?

“We recognize the power that sacred music has to unify the members of the Church throughout the world,” said Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “We desire to offer a consistent core collection of hymns and songs in every language that reflects the diverse needs of the global Church in our day.”

Translation: There are too many traditional English and Protestant hymns.

• "Demonic possession is REAL, says psychiatry professor who's spent 25 years viewing exorcisms - and says 'fallen angels' target the devout AND those who've meddled with the occult"--Daily Mail. From the article:

      ‘They’re fallen angels,’ Dr Gallagher tells DailyMail.com. ‘This is what I literally believe. They’re extremely bright; they’re much brighter than humans. They’ve been around for millenia – so they speak all languages.

       ‘I’ve heard them speak Chinese; I’ve heard them speak ancient Greek, which I studied,’ says the former Princeton Classics major. ‘I’ve certainly heard them speak and understand Latin.’

       The spirits do it, the psychiatrist says, ‘probably to freak you out or to show off – to boast.’