June 29, 2018 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

"Choose to SURVIVE"--DEMCAD (9 min.)

This video is a general discussion of prepping attitudes. The author makes some good points, but one that I want to mention in particular is his discussion of helping people and how people may respond. He notes that most people, if you assist them (such as providing food), will be grateful. But there are those with an entitlement philosophy that if you feed them once, they believe you should feed them again ... and again .... etc.

• TGIF: Active Response Training's Weekend Knowledge Dump is up with lots of good articles on self-defense, firearms, and prepping. Go check it out. To whet your appetite, I will mention the topics from a few articles. Greg Ellifritz has linked to an article from Bloody Elbow discussing hand-to-hand combat in the trenches of World War I, including a discussion of weapons and techniques; as I've mentioned before with regard to both World War I and II, the bayonet was probably used more often than most people think. He also links to an article from PJ Media discussing a sensor (designed to act as cell phone case) that, paired with an app, will allow the user to detect firearms or other weapons you may have upon your person. 

       A third article that caught my attention was one from Short Barrel Shepard discussing the difficulty in finding a low-key sling bag to use for carrying an AR pistol or folding AK or AR. I can sympathize with this because I was looking for something similar recently. I don't look like someone that would play tennis, so the tennis bag route wasn't optimal, and I started concentration on the sling bags. But as the author mentions, none of the common manufacturers of bags make a sling bag of sufficient size. There are several manufacturers that sell bags specifically for firearms, but most of them fairly scream "rifle". I finally found one from 5.11 that didn't look to bad, but anyone familiar with 5.11 items would probably recognize it and know that it is for firearms. 

• For those of you into military history and the equipment issued to troops, here is one for you: "VIETNAM WAR INDIVIDUAL EQUIPMENT"--Loose Round. Interesting to me is how much of the carry gear was of WWII vintage (although the purpose might have been changed). Also, the author writes:

Of all the things my Dad spoke about using during the war, the light weight ruck, the M16 and the poncho liner was like the holy trinity to him.  For years I hear about how comfortable the curving tubular pack frame was.  Finally after 30 years I was able to track down two of these packs for him and bought both of them. He was right, the pack frame is very comfortable  when wearing it. Below you can see how the frame curved for the body.

• So, yesterday I had linked to Greg Ellifritz's article on "Active Killer Pre-Attack Behavior". Today, we have more information concerning yesterday's shooting at the Capital Gazette in Maryland. The Daily Mail's article today is "'He'll be the next mass shooter': Newsroom gunman who killed five had stalked ex-classmate, got her fired and forced her to move state then began vendetta against the newspaper that exposed him." Of course, we now know the identity of the killer--Jarrod Ramos--and that he used a shotgun to kill 5 individuals. But what is interesting to me is the number of pre-attack indicators he exhibited.

• Related: "'This guy is crazy enough to come in and blow us all away': Capital Gazette contacted police about gunman's threats against staff five years ago - but no arrests were ever made"--Daily Mail. The problem is that there are lots of people that make threats but never do anything, and even if police have the resources to go and question the individual, there probably has been no crime committed. Even something as egregious as a phone call threatening someone's life may not trigger violation of any laws--it certainly isn't an assault, and may not even rise to the level of stalking. Thus, police generally can't do anything unless the person actually shows up and trespasses. That is why it is important for you to provide for your own safety in the event that someone decides to carry out a threat. And, consider this: do you really want to live under a government that could lock anyone up for just blurting out an oath or threat? Remember that the more power you give to government, the less power is reserved to the individual.

•  Bad things. "What Happens When You Are Disarmed By The Authorities?"--Captain's Journal. The author relates how the communist takeover of Romania was followed by both a physical seizure of private firearms and media propaganda to stigmatize the private ownership and use of firearms.
• "Recover Tactical Develops Subcompact Pistol Rails"--The Firearm Blog. Recover makes attachments that give your pistol an accessory rail so you can attach lights, lasers, what-have-you. The article indicates that they will soon be releasing products for the Glock 26, Glock 43, S&W M&P Shield, and three other as yet undisclosed models.
• "Retracted pro-colonialism article given new life"--Campus Reform.  The article reports: "The National Association of Scholars has re-published a controversial academic journal article extolling the benefits of colonialism, which had been retracted after 'credible threats' were made against the author," Bruce Gilley. You can read the article here. Prior to this, you had to submit a request for a copy, and would be given a link if your request was approved.
• About those mysterious explosions in Pennsylvania: "Bucks County DA: Suspect Charged With Weapons Of Mass Destruction In Connection To Mysterious Explosions"--CBS Philadelphia. Authorities have arrested David Surman Jr., the owner of a chemical company.
• And Michael Moore has more to put on the line than most: "Michael Moore: We Have to ‘Put Our Bodies on the Line’ to Stop Trump"--Daily Beast. This article is important to read because of the overarching theme of "conservatives are evil and must be stopped by any means possible." There's no logic or reason--just a call for primitive emotion.
• "A simple mental exercise that increases your chances of surviving a gunfight"--SOFREP. An article on combating normalcy bias. From the article:

Combatting normalcy bias is one of the few tactical skill sets you can practice by yourself, inside your head, with no gear or equipment. The secret isn’t to live in a constant state of paranoia, but rather to legitimate practice maintaining an objective mindset when assessing the threats around you. If you have a bad feeling about a situation, don’t dismiss it as nonsense, engage with it. If you notice something out of the ordinary, chastise yourself for not keeping your distance, rather than for allowing your concerns to get the best of you.

The author also adds: "Don’t approach possible threats in a constant state of paranoia, but rather approach daily life like you might when merging on a congested highway: stay alert and be prepared to react."

• "Inside the eerie remains of historic towboat that once served as President Franklin D Roosevelt's Mississippi River headquarters"--Daily Mail. An exemplar from the article below: