February 14, 2019 -- A Quick Run Around the Web

Happy Valentine's Day. Valentine's day is about love, and this video demonstrates how to share your love with potential hostiles. "Basic Fundamentals and Principles for Ambushing"--Brent0331 (37 min.)

• Don't forget this week's Woodpile Report.
• Liar or idiot? You decide: "David Hogg on AR-15s: ‘You Are Not Defending Yourself, You Are Hunting a Human Being’"--Breitbart. Key part:

He added, “The truth of the matter is weapons like the AR-15 have an effective range of over 1500 meters. If you’re using the weapon within an effective range of over 1500 meters you are not defending yourself, you are you are hunting a human being. And I don’t think any civilian needs to have their hands on a military weapon like that.”

A quick Google search reveals that the AR 15 has an effective range of between 400 and 600 yards (depending on the source). And the vast majority of self-defense shootings occur within 7 yards.

• Counterpoint: "The AR-15 is The Ideal Weapon For Home Defense"--Schafer's Self-Defense Corner. The first two reasons he lists is low recoil and high magazine capacity. He continues:

        The third reason why the AR-15 is superior for home defense is the main point of this article and that is studies have shown that the AR-15 is actually a safer weapon for home defense than a handgun or a shotgun.

       One of the big concerns in home defense is “over penetration.”  Over penetration means what happens if the bullet you fires penetrates too much, or in other words what if the bullet you fire both hits, and then passes through, the person you’re shooting at or you miss the person you’re shooting at and now the bullet is loose in the house.  You don’t want to shoot at an intruder only to miss and have that bullet go through an interior wall and hit a family member asleep in their bed.

       The common thinking has been that a handgun is great for home defense because it might go through a wall or two but then stop, and a shotgun is great because it might go through one wall but due to the spread it probably wouldn’t do much more than that.  Rifles have been frowned on by a lot of people because the thought is that if you missed the round would not only pass through your interior walls but perhaps fly down the street and hit your neighbor.  Now we know better.

         There are numerous tests and studies out there, all of which anyone can reproduce for themselves, by a variety of organizations like Outdoorhub and Gunsite Training Center but the most well-known study was done by the FBI.  The FBI’s Firearm Training Unit at Quantico, VA tested the penetration capabilities of various .223 rounds as well as other rounds to see which round was the safest for agents to use during close quarters hostage rescue situation.  The results were that the .223 soft tip and hollow points penetrated less, on average, then even pistol rounds.

* * *

        Only the .223 round fired from an AR-15 failed to penetrate all four walls.  Most .223 rounds were found embedded in the wall #3. ...

* * *

       What this means for home defense is not only is the AR-15 suitable for home defense due to its ergonomic and ease of use capabilities, it’s very low recoil, its standard 30 round magazine capacity, and the fact that it is fun to shoot and gives shooter greater levels of confidence; it also is the safest firearm that you can effectively use for home defense.   While you always have to be mindful of what you’re shooting at and what is behind it, there is less chance of hitting or killing an unintended target with an AR-15 than a shotgun or the two most commonly used home defense handgun rounds.

        So why does anyone need an AR-15 to protect their homes?   It is a modern weapon that does its job better and more safely.  Since over penetration is a real issue and has cost people their lives we can safely say that if more homes used AR-15 for protection then shotguns or handguns fewer unintended people would lose their lives. 

• "The Truth About Florida’s Proposed Semi-Automatic ‘Assault Weapon’ Ban"--The Truth About Guns. The truth is that it would ban all semi-automatic rifles and carbines, including popular tube-fed .22 rifles like the Marlin 60, or magazine fed .22s like the Ruger 10/22. It could also be interpreted to ban semi-auto pistols.
• "Standing Your Ground: Shooting Stance"--Kyle Lamb at Guns & Ammo. This 2017 article explains:

         One technique that surprises me is the carbine and submachine gun squared shooting stance. Actually, the technique is not as surprising as the reasoning behind it. When its users are asked why they employ it, they never fail to reply, "I want to present square armor plates to the bad guy." You have got to be kidding. You are going into a situation that will call for you to eliminate another person and you are prepared to present square plates to the enemy? Are you hoping that their marksmanship skills are polished enough to shoot you in your plates? For the sake of arguing, let's dig into the differences between a shooting stance and a fighting stance with the AR.

       I prefer to refer to skills as they apply to my mission. If that mission is shooting, use a shooting stance. If your mission is to fight, use a fighting stance. Ultimately, since our mission as tactical shooters is to deliver bullets to live tissue, not paper targets, I would classify this as fighting and not merely shooting.

       The squared stance would not be the preferred stance if you were to fight with just your fists. You would blade your body with the support-side foot closer to your opponent than the strong-side foot. You would also keep your weight forward on the balls of your feet to give you the power and mobility that are needed in a fist fight. You will more than likely also keep your hands offset to allow you to protect yourself as well as throw blows.

      This stance is unbelievable for employment of the combat carbine as well. Using the bladed stance gives you additional power to drive the rifle from target to target, as well as the ability to conduct muzzle strikes if necessary. There isn't a need to shift weight to start movement forward. Simply lift the front weighted foot, and gravity will take over. You will move much more efficiently.

      If the bladed stance is coupled with a support-hand-forward position, you will also have the strength to control recoil better than more aft hand-position techniques. Once again, we want the power to control the fight. This also applies to firearm retention. You will be more powerful with the hands apart than if they were close together on the carbine.

• "The Best AR-15 Barrels and Makers"--The Truth About Guns. By best, they mean the most precise or accurate. Of course, the vast majority of these barrels are made of stainless steel. The article notes:

        Note that none of the above barrels have chrome lining, a nitride finish or other treatments. Those treatments are not conducive to accuracy.

       Also, note that none are cold hammer forged. Hammer forged barrels are beaten up in the manufacturing process and come out angry. They are full of stress that prevents them from having the high level of consistent accuracy we are talking about here.

The advantages to chrome lining or nitride finishes is that they are corrosion resistant and make the barrel more durable and give it a longer life. Cold hammer forged methods have been used to make some accurate barrels. Nevertheless, the advantages to cold hammer forged barrels is strength and durability.

       The author also relates:

A good rule of thumb is to buy a barrel in the price range similar to the ammo you shoot. If you’re constantly hunting for the cheapest deals, trying to get 5.56 for 9mm prices, then ignore this list and buy the cheapest thing that will work in your rifle.

The author continues by explaining that if you are willing to spend $20 or more per box for high quality stuff, then the mid-range barrels are the way to go. And if you handload in order to squeeze out the most accuracy, then the high-end barrels would be your best choice.

• "Looking For A Doomsday Bunker? This One Is For Sale In Vegas For $18M"--CBS Sacramento. It reminds me of the one portrayed in the movie "Blast From The Past."
• "Anxious Brits have bought hundreds of food-prepper 'Brexit Boxes'"--CNN. Per the article, "the box includes 60 freeze-dried main meals, a water filter and fire starter."

• Related: "'We're really only nine meals removed from total anarchy': Ireland's preppers and survivalists"--The Journal. The article reports that "[h]ere in Ireland, those with an interest in survivalism say they’ve had no particular upsurge in interest in the years since the Brexit vote," but "[l]ast spring’s extreme cold weather focused some minds, however. And, further back, Frank Deegan of the Irish Survivalist Group says there was a huge spike in interest in the movement in the wake of the economic crash of 2008."

• "ATS Tactical Skirmish Belt"--Jerking the Trigger. Description:

        The ATS Skirmish Belt is more of a slim, modern battle belt chassis than the ATS War Belt. It is an inner/outer belt set up. The 1.5″ inner belt features full coverage loop material so it can mate with the outer belt. The 1.5″ width should allow the inner belt to work with just about any pair of pants.

       The hook material lined, 1.75″ wide outer belt is made from rigid scuba webbing to allow it to bear heavy loads. The outer belt also features 2 rows of PALS webbing and a Cobra buckle.

• "Don’t Give Up Your Gun: Tips for Weapon Retention"--ITS Tactical.
• "Brandishing or drawing your handgun"--Idaho State Journal. The author of this article discusses the nuances of when drawing your weapon is justified, and when it might land you in trouble for brandishing a weapon. He writes:

        Many attorneys and others advise those who carry in public not to draw their weapons unless they are going to fire. That advice has merits, but is a little misleading in terms of when one is justified in drawing the handgun.

       First of all, for police and civilians alike, the only justification for using deadly force against another person is an overwhelming need to stop that person from what he is doing or is about to do. The need must be so great that it does not matter if the person dies as a result of being stopped.

       The difference in brandishing and drawing your weapon is your ability to recognize and articulate that the threat of serious bodily injury or death was real.

      If one correctly perceives an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death to himself or another innocent victim, drawing the handgun is most likely justified, and will not be viewed as brandishing. If the sight of the handgun makes the aggressor stop and give up, or he runs away, the imminent threat has disappeared and shooting would normally not be justifiable.

       As soon as it is safe to do so, the handgun should be returned to the holster, secured and the police should be called immediately. If you choose to carry a weapon in public, you should also carry a cellphone. It is important to be the first one to call the police before someone else, including the aggressor.

      It looks better for you if you call first, explaining that someone threatened you and ran away when you drew your handgun. Just be sure you can clearly articulate why you felt there was an imminent threat, prompting you to draw your handgun.

"Very cool dry fire tip for Glock users"--The Modern Survivalist (aka FerFal).

• "Measles outbreaks are being reported across the U.S. Here’s what to know."--NOLA.com. Most of the blame, at least in Washington state, is being leveled against parents that won't have their kids vaccinated. This article, however, somehow made it past censors, reporting that "[Washington] State health officials say the first person to contract measles in the latest outbreak was someone from outside the country."
• Speaking of the benefits of immigration: "70 percent of school district’s newest students are immigrants, legal status unknown"--Washington Examiner.  The district in question is in Baltimore County, Maryland. "Most are from Central America, but the [Baltimore] Sun added that a sizable minority are from Nigeria." And guess what? Most don't speak English, which is causing the school district to scramble to find teachers that teach English as a second language. But Baltimore doesn't have it the worst:

        The Center for Immigration Studies recently found 700 immigrant-saturated school districts where half of the new students are from immigrant households.

       In the Washington communities the percentages are even higher than in Baltimore County. CIS said that 78 percent of the students in Annandale and West Falls Church, Va. schools are from immigrant homes.

• Someone didn't get invited to the frat party: "Women claiming sexual harassment at Yale fraternities take unexpected legal action"--CBS News. According to the article, the women "accuse Yale and the fraternities of allowing 'dangerous environments in which sexual misconduct thrived.'" So, these women "are suing Yale University and nine of its fraternities, asking a federal court to force fraternities to accept women as members." 
• "Massive oil and gas reserves found off South African coast a 'game-changer'"--Rick Moran at The American Thinker.  Only if they can develop the field. Moran explains:

        There are several problems with exploiting this find.  Just because their country has made this discovery doesn't mean it can be developed adequately.  The political situation in South Africa is deteriorating as the country's far-left-wing government has begun an expropriation of white-owned land.  Such expropriations will force international players to think twice about investing the huge resources necessary to exploit the find.

       There might even be sanctions imposed on the country if the land grab goes as many observers expect: badly.  While the bonanza is real, foreign investors may be skittish about participating in the oil rush.

• Related: "South African Blacks Rejoice in Deaths of White Children"--American Renaissance. The incident being celebrated was the February 1, 2019, collapse of a concrete walkway that killed 3 Afrikaner high-school students and injured some 20 others.

• "Blackwater Mercenary Prince Has a New $1 Trillion Chinese Boss"--Bloomberg. Prince's company is Frontier Services Group (FSG), which is reportedly building a training camp in the Uighur region of China. From the article:

         Prince’s push into China began in 2013, the same year President Xi Jinping unveiled a key plank of China’s foreign policy: the Belt and Road Initiative. China is moving to project its money and influence by linking economies in Asia, Europe and Africa with power grids, highways and other strategic infrastructure.

        Prince, 49, had traveled to Hong Kong that year to raise private-equity money to invest in Africa. He pitched the idea to Johnson Ko, an investor whose boutique investment bank had caught the eye of Alibaba’s Jack Ma. Ko suggested another tack: a publicly traded company to capitalize on China’s coming push across Asia and Africa.

       Enter FSG, which was created to provide logistical, aviation and security services. By 2014, Prince and Ko had secured a Hong Kong listing with the backing of CITIC, which has $972 billion in assets.

      Since then, FSG has engaged in variety of ventures, from providing security in a Somalian free zone to running air ambulances out of Kenya. For its shareholders, it’s hardly been a standout investment. FSG has yet to report a profit, and its stock gained 14 percent over the past five years, half of the increase for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index.

• And another blow to the "Out of Africa" theory: "Artificial Intelligence Study of Human Genome Finds Unknown Human Ancestor"--The Smithsonian Magazine. While the fact that the possibility of yet another human ancestor, in addition to Neanderthal and Denisovans, is interesting, it also underlines the fact that (at least for non-Africans), a substantial amount of our evolution occurred outside of Africa.
• Must be descendants of the brave Sir Robin: "Eight deputies heard gunfire at Stoneman Douglas but didn't rush in. Here are the consequences so far."--Sun Sentinel.  Note that these deputies were being paid between $100,000 and $150,000 per year.
• Where's Serpico when you need him? "Chicago court overturns ten more drug convictions for African American men framed by police sergeant because they wouldn't pay him a 'protection tax' - bringing total to 63 victims"--Daily Mail. 
• Birds of a feather, or something like that: "Rats! Employees at LA City Hall chase down rodents in the midst of typhus outbreak as the deadly infection sickens the homeless sleeping near the 90-year-old building"--Daily Mail. 
• "Nearly every major US cellphone carrier sold precise location data to BOUNTY HUNTERS via a 'secret phone tracking service' for years, bombshell report finds"--Daily Mail. From the article:

         CerCareOne, a shadowy company that sold location data to bounty hunters, even claimed to collect assisted-GPS, or A-GPS, data. 

        This A-GPS data was able to pinpoint a person's device so accurately that it see where they are in a building. 

       Telecom companies began collecting this data in order to give 911 operators a more approximate location for users when they're both indoors and outdoors. 

       Instead, it was being sold to aggregators, who then sold it to bail bondsmen, bounty hunters, landlords and other groups.

• "Plastic pollution: One town smothered by 17,000 tonnes of rubbish"--BBC News. The village is in Malaysia, and became a dumping ground after China stopped accepting foreign trash for "recycling." Although the article initially blames the U.S. for much of the trash, deeper down, it reports that "[a] quick walk around the site reveals that a staggering amount of plastic waste comes from foreign countries, with a huge portion of it from Japan and the UK - brands like Asda, Co-op and Fairy can be seen strewn around."
• "Sex & The Single Pastor"--Rod Deher at The American Conservative. Dreher once again flirts with taking the red pill as he criticizes a popular "progressive Christian" pastor,  Nadia Bolz-Weber, a foul-mouthed, tattooed feminist. I think most of what you need to know about her is summed up in this short paragraph:

She had married a Lutheran pastor in 1996; in 2016, after two decades of trying at a marriage without much physical intimacy, she got up the courage to get a divorce. Six months later, she reconnected with an old boyfriend named Eric, and, from the start, the sex was amazing. “It was like an exfoliation,” she told me. Through better sex, her spirit softened, and she found herself closer to God, which led her to rethink the relationship between sex and religion.

Bolz-Weber, you might remember, was collecting purity rings from young women with the intent to cast them into a vulva shaped idol sculpture; the sculpture was revealed yesterday. The latter article explains: "The purity rings ― symbols of an abstinence pledge ― were melted or pounded down and reshaped into a sculpture of a vulva emerging from a throne of flames."

• "Single mothers are more likely to have obese children because 'fathers keep their offspring slim with energetic and boisterous play'"--Daily Mail.
• Seriously, we laughing with you, not at you: "HAMMER CONTROL IN THE UK? SADLY, YES"--Def-Con News. UK authorities put out a video on spotting a potential terrorist. "As you can see in the video, a man places a hammer in his shopping basket. Here in America we might think that person is a handyman, a contractor, or a guy planning a DIY project at home. In Merry Old England however, this is a potential terrorist or murderer." 
• Life under communism: "The Nightmare of Human Organ Harvesting in China"--The Wall Street Journal. From lede: "Transplants far outnumber official donors. Prisoners of conscience evidently account for the difference."
• Time to turn to something more positive: "Eight Suggestions for Balancing Life’s Demands"--M. Russell Ballard. This is from a 1987 General Conference address. Point number 6:

Sixth, we must schedule time on our daily calendars for sufficient rest, exercise, and relaxation if we are to enjoy a healthy and balanced life. Good physical appearance enhances our dignity and self-respect.