Survival Arts

Quote of the day

He that goes unarmed in paradise had better be sure that is where he is.

James Thurber

Quote of the day

I am told that one must not stand too strongly against the trend of the times, and that to be effective, what one says must meet with general approval. There is much to be said for this argument. Yet, right or wrong, it is contrary to the values I hold highest in life.

Charles Lindberg

Why "Thanksgiving" doesn't thrill me with reverence

I'm not a religious person, so I haven't jumped on the prayer bandwagon today. I do appreciate the fact that Thanksgiving does mark the ass-saving of a number of starving Pilgrim colonists, who took a couple of years - and failed harvests - to "get it" about farming in common: it doesn't work.

I was not thrilled to find out that the Proclamation of Thanksgiving was given by America's Lenin, Abraham Lincoln, either.

"HTTP 40K File Found"

Found this page as a referrer in my site logs. Look very carefully...

Doug Casey's Outrage Page

I didn't know that longtime investment guru Doug Casey was such a 2nd Amendment firebrand, but his Outrage Page indicates otherwise. Check it out.

Somalia and Anarchy, by Jim Davidson

I ran across this very interesting summation of the state of affairs in Somalia by Jim Davidson of the Awdal Roads Company. I'm becoming more interested in visiting the region.

Quote of the day

I wear a sword at my hip as a sign that I am a free man. You wear a sword at yours to remind me of where my freedom ends.

J. Christoph Amberger

Garmin Rino 120 GPS Unit and 2-Way Radio

"Made for the ultimate outdoor enthusiast, Garmin's Rino 120 features the latest GPS technology, both FRS and GMRS 2-way radio frequencies, patented technology, a built-in basemap of North and South America, 8 MB of memory and much more."

I've been seeing the Garmin Rino 120 GPS Unit and 2-Way Radio advertised in some of the outdoors magazines I read, and am pretty impressed.

I've not gotten my hands on one, but the screenshots and list of features are mouth-watering, e.g.

• Voice scrambler for secure communications
  
• Vibration mode for "silent" calls to other Rino users
  
• Patented Peer-to-Peer Positioning lets you send your exact location to another Rino user within a 2-mile range
  
• Clear reception with a range of up to 2 miles using FRS, 5 miles with GMRS
  
• Each channel has 38 sub-audible squelch codes for semi-private conversations
  

I've not read the specs on the actual implementation of the claimed security features, but they're certainly worth investigating. If any readers have tried a Rino, please feel free to add your comments.

Oh, and do check out the Tactical Radio Communications series we've begun to syndicate on this website.

Quote of the day

At the core of the risk-free society is a self-indulgent failure of nerve.

Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin

MS-2000(M) combat search & rescue strobe light

This last weekend, I had the opportunity one night to play with the MS-2000(M) Combat Search & Rescue Strobe Light, 250,000 peak lumens with a very effective IR filter.

This rugged little unit is Milspec with improvements. Using my friend's 2nd-gen NVDs, I was pleased to see what an incredibly effective IR designator it made. It's silent, too, with no audible capacitor discharge. I'm looking forward to picking up a couple of these things myself.

Anti-administration memes

A collection of interesting posters, largely with a barbed anti-administration theme. I don't agree with all of them completely, but most of them are dead on.

Backpacking Light: the journal of lightweight backcountry travel

I became a fan of packing light some while back. Started out by practicing various outdoor "survival" techniques and then adapting other strategies, as things like fire trenches get real old after a few nights out. I rarely carry more than a fanny pack and shoulder bag these days and was looking for a way to add something like a sleeping bag without all the weight and bulk. Seems like other people and some manufacturers have started down this way too (finally) so there is some interesting new gear out there.

Some of this technology is just starting to find its way into the mainstream outdoor places like REI and the military as people realize that having less shit to carry is a good thing...

Some very good how-to articles in Backpacking Light: the journal of lightweight backcountry travel.

Back now: apologies for inactivity

I'm back from several days travelling, including some time at the Big Reno Gun Show, and am starting to write up some impressions from those days. Thanks for your patience!

Quote of the day

The only proper answer to the question, "Do you have a pistol?" is, "How many lines of coke did you do this morning before coming to work?" That's what I always ask interviewers when they ask me if I'm carrying.

Both questions are rude, intrusive, and the answers are nobody's business but your own.

L. Neil Smith

Tactical Radio Communications, installment 3

[PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT]

Mode

There are two main methods of sending information (in this case your voice) over radio waves. Amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM). AM is the older of the two methods, and transmits a voice by varying the power output of the transmitter in proportion to the loudness of the audio. Dead silence means the transmitter produces no power. As the audio becomes louder the power output of the transmitter increases. The transmitter and receiver can be fairly simple in design. AM has one major drawback: any interference on the same frequency is simply mixed into the desired signal. This makes AM very susceptible to lightning, atmospheric noise and any other transmitters in the area. Another drawback of AM transmitters is that they require special ‘linear’ amplifiers, which are not very power efficient.

FM varies the frequency of the signal in proportion to the audio. Thus, dead silence produces a constant steady signal with no frequency shift. As the signal of the audio increases the frequency changes more. Most two-way radios shift their signal up to +/- 5kHz. FM has one large advantage over AM. If two or more signals are present on the same frequency, the stronger signal will be the only one heard. This is called ‘FM capture effect’. Thus FM radios produce higher quality signals and have very good immunity to interference.

A third type of modulation method is used in modern radios, called phase modulation. This changes the phase of the signal in relation to the audio input. The effect of phase modulation is to produce a signal that has the characteristics of both AM and FM. The primary practical advantage of phase modulation radios is that they can be used to talk to both AM and FM radios.

There are other modes of transmission, but most are not used in portable equipment so they will not be addressed here.

Quote of the day

We are in danger of forgetting that the Bill of Rights reflects experience with police excesses. It is not only under Nazi rule that police excesses are inimical to freedom. It is easy to make light of insistence on scrupulous regard for the safeguards of civil liberties when involved on behalf of the unworthy. It is too easy. History bears testimony that by such disregard are the rights of liberty extinguished, heedlessly at first, then stealthily, and brazenly in the end.

Justice Felix Frankfurter

The Science and Art of Tracking

One of the most useful, yet rarely found, skills for hunting and survival is tracking. Tom Brown's book, "The Science and Art of Tracking" is the best book I have found on the subject.

No other text I know of goes into the depth you will find in this book. If you want to go beyond moving slowly from track to track in ideal soil conditions to tracking on hard surfaces, at night or through thick debris this is the place to start. Of course, just reading a book without spending a lot of "dirt time" won't do you much good. Those who truly wish to master the art of tracking should consider a class from Tom Brown's Tracker School.

Quote of the day

I have sometimes been asked what I consider to be the prime attribute of a gentleman. One may not pick singly, but certainly one of the more important elements is that of an adventurous mind. Adventure is an important part of life, even though, as Bilbo put it, it sometimes makes you late for dinner. Not everyone has the luxury of indulging in adventures, but without an adventurous mind it does not matter whether he has the opportunity or not. I think one acquires an adventurous mind from reading. I have not read as broadly as I might have, but I got a good dose of adventure from the works of G.A. Henty, Sir Walter Scott, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, Zane Grey, and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Of course few people read for recreation anymore, so we find that adventurous minds are increasingly rare.

Jeff Cooper

Feeling Safe Yet?

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 has passed both the House and Senate and now awaits the President's signature. The Whitehouse has a 13 page analysis of the act available.

A lot of people have given in to the temptation to quote Benjamin Franklin's thoughts on liberty and safety. Instead I remind you of the words of Albert Camus, The welfare of the people has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience.

Defending from terrorism is a massively distributed problem that requires a distributed solution. If I were the Secretary of Homeland Security I would focus on educating citizens, reforming our interventionist foreign policy and defending the 2nd amendment. That would be the start of a serious anti-terrorist program.

Since I doubt this is going to happen here are a few suggestions for those who really care about the safety of their loved ones and themselves:

• Learn and practice the color code of mental awareness
• Take a first aid and CPR course.
• Get a concealed carry license and professional firearms training
• Study a defensive martial art

"Gone fishing": back tomorrow

Apologies for the low volume of posts the last couple of days: I'm out of town at a gun show. Expect more postings tomorrow.

Quote of the day

The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims have been born of earnest struggle. If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters

Frederick Douglass

A Shooting Test for Murphy

While not a fan of shooting games, I find shooting competitions a useful tool for learning to manage stress and providing a benchmark to monitor skill progression.

In the November 2002 edition of Cooper’s Commentaries the Initial Radial Deviation test was proposed. The IRD provides an excellent metric for measuring the precision of a rifleman and his equipment but is not feasible for competition.

Inspired by the IRD I give you Murphy’s Radial Deviation:

Upon a signal the shooter will fire a single shot if he is using a long gun or two shots if using a handgun. The score for a given round is determined by the radial deviation (distance between the point of aim and his worst shot) plus the number of seconds taken. For final total simply add the score for each round. Lowest score wins and ties are broken by having the lowest maximum radial deviation over all rounds. Missing the target entirely or a weapon that becomes inoperable are instant disqualifications. Properly corrected malfunctions are scored normally. After all, it is Murphy’s radial deviation.

For added stress a maximum radial deviation could be set beyond which the shooter is disqualified. Range, weapons used, starting position and the number of rounds shot can all be set as desired.

A recent course of rifle fire consisting of 3 rounds at 100 meters fired from the high-ready went like this:

Shooting as fast as you can guarantee your hits is the essence of defensive marksmanship. It is my hope that Murphy's Radial Deviation proves useful in measuring that skill.

Not If, When

While not a regular reader of Democratic Underground, I was recently referred to an article there entitled "My Dinner With F.E.M.A. Boys (HEADS UP!)"

The posting details a chance encounter between a mother eating out with her daughter and a group of emergency rescue workers. When prodded, the workers proceed to inform her their belief that simultaneous wide-scale terrorist attacks in response to an invasion of Iraq are not a matter of if, but when.

Quote of the day

The FBI accused the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms of incompetence. The ATF's law enforcement mission is ambiguous at best. After all, the Founding Fathers considered alcohol, tobacco and firearms three of the four basic food groups.

Argus Hamilton

High Performance/Full Spectrum/Cheap Solar Cells

A team has developed a neat new solar cell material that turns a much broader spectrum of light into electricity than previous materials. It might even be cheaper to manufacture. That means, potentially, economically viable photovoltaic power generation.

Tactical Radio Communications, installment 2

[PREVIOUS INSTALLMENT]

Frequency

Radio waves behave differently at different frequencies. The radio spectrum is broken into bands, usually by segments that have similar behavior, and sometimes by type of service (such as Short Wave, AM, FM and TV). The lowest range commonly used is the AM Broadcast band (0.5-1.3MHz). Next is HF (1 to 30 MHz), this band includes short wave radio. VHF-Low (30-50MHz), FM (88-108MHz), VHF (109-172), UHF (400-512MHz), Cellular and Paging (800-950MHz). Frequencies above 1000MHz (1GHz) are called microwave as the behavior of radio waves above this region changes significantly.

You will notice there are several large gaps between the bands listed. The military or TV stations use frequencies in these gaps. Some general characteristics that change with frequency are as follows. Distance traveled: the lower the frequency, the farther a radio wave will travel. Penetration of structures (due to bouncing and scattering) gets better as the frequency goes up. Antenna size becomes smaller as frequency increases. Another characteristic affected by frequency is node size. Nodes are areas where the signal dramatically changes strength over a very short distance. This is caused by two different reflections of the same signal meeting at the same place and canceling each other. You can see this by moving a portable FM radio tuned to a weak signal. You will notice that the signal comes and goes every few feet. What you are seeing are nodes.

Below is a list that describes some basic characteristics of the bands most used for two-way communication.

AM Broadcast and HF Bands

Range can be from hundreds of miles to worldwide. Radios are large and antennas can be over 100’ in length. Portable antennas are usually not practical although there are some exceptions. From 25 MHz and up portable equipment is available, but bulky. Reception in different parts of the band change dramatically with the time of the day. Signals can be reflected from the atmosphere, thus allowing the signal to bounce over very long distances. Penetration of structures is very poor, external antennas are usually required.

VHF-Low

Range can be from 10 to over 100 miles. Antennas are large, but can be small enough for mobiles (3’-5’ long) and large portables (1’ – 1.5’ long). Radios are large, but some portable equipment is available, most commonly CB, amateur and military radios. Nighttime conditions can cause the wave to randomly skip over large areas covering hundreds of miles. Penetration of structures is often poor. Nodes are many feet apart.

VHF

Perhaps one of the most useful bands. Range is between ½ to 20 miles depending upon terrain and power used. Reasonable penetration of structures. Nodes are only a few feet apart and weak. A wide variety of antennas and radios are available, including mobile and small portable equipment. Antenna size can be as small as 4” for a portable.

200MHz

This band is used mostly by the military and specialized commercial services. A small segment is allocated to ham radio, thus making some equipment available. Has the range of VHF with almost the penetration of UHF. Not covered by many scanners. Antenna and radio sizes can be small.

UHF

Another very common band for two-way communication. Range is 1/8 to 5 miles depending up terrain and power used. Antenna size can be as short as 1.5 inches for portable radios. Good selection of equipment is available in the Ham and commercial market. Excellent penetration of structures and built-up areas. Nodes are only a few inches apart and tend to be strong, rapidly changing from barely audible to full strength when moving and listening to weak signals.

800-950MHz

Used mainly for telephone-like services, public safety trunked systems and paging. There is also the 900 MHz ISM band for non-licensed radios such as cordless phones. Range is very short, less than 1 mile unless special antennas mounted in high locations and high power is used. Limited equipment is available, mostly used cellular or data transceivers, some commercial gear as well as spread spectrum devices. Antennas can be very small, sometimes built into the device. Nodes are 1” or less apart.

1GHz and up

Newer cellular phones, wireless data, satellite and numerous other services. Not suitable for most uses due to the very short ranges. There are portable radios available for amateur radio use on 1.2 GHz.

[NEXT INSTALLMENT]

Who would have thought it?

You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream - the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order - or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity or their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits."

Who said that? Astoundingly enough, Ronald Reagan, in 1964.

I'm not entirely sure what conclusion to draw from this about Reagan himself, who managed to lead the country through unprecedented expansions of the state's power. However, the speech itself is really neat.

Review of EXTAC course last weekend in Tucson, Arizona

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Jeff Prather's EXTAC course in Tucson. What an eye-opener! We started off with a session on the firing range on the first morning. For me, it was pretty uneventful, but for some of the people, it was a brand new experience. We did a fair amount of shooting and then took a short lunch break.

The afternoon was spent on the driving course. We learned how to detect and deal with bombs and booby traps. The simplest was a hand grenade with the pin removed and the spoon wedged between the grooves on the tire. We then learned how to deal with people who are trying to pull you out of a vehicle and how to escape without getting shot (no guarantees, but it sure reduced your chances of injury). The high-speed evasion driving was a real experience. We were blasting through the slalom portions of the course and slamming the car into four wheel drifts through the high speed turns. I had two experiences that really puckered my sphincter. The first one occurred when we had to drop into a prone position and accelerated away from a simulated checkpoint without getting shot. You have to hold the wheel absolutely still and stay low. It's a strange feeling to be accelerating without being able to see where you are going. All you can see is the tops of the telephone poles flicking by at ever increasing speeds! The second one occurred when the driver was "shot" and I (the passenger) had to take over driving. I was OK until we hit a high speed hairpin turn. Centrifugal force pushed me to the outside and I couldn't reach the brake pedal! Somehow, I managed to steer with just the accelerator. When it was over, it took a couple of minutes for my heart rate and breathing to return to normal.

Saturday evening, we learned about trauma medicine on the battlefield. We even learned to palpate veins and set up an I.V. drip. We learned how to do this at 9:00 at night in the middle of the Arizona desert, with only a Cyalume stick for illumination.

Sunday morning began with leaning to fire fully automatic weapons and suppressed weapons. Some fire from an open bolt and some fire from a closed bolt. It's important to know the difference in a crisis situation. We dealt with sub-guns from Walther, H-K, and Uzi. We also trained with the M-16, the AK-47, and the SKS. We had the opportunity to shoot suppressed M-16s as well.

We broke for lunch and as we were getting our briefing for the afternoon, we had an opportunity to practice our trauma medicine. I glanced down the street and saw a white Camaro suddenly accelerate, jump the curb and still accelerating, hit a small rise and get airborne. The car was about 4 feet off the ground and crashed through the glass wall of an office building. A couple of seconds later there was a huge cloud of smoke pouring out of the building. Our group was the first on the scene. Jeff and I started into the building but the heat and smoke forced us back out. Our group then formed a human chain and we duck-walked into the building. We couldn't see a thing but Jeff got the car door open and cut the seatbelt off the victim. We then dragged him out where the group immediately went to work on him. We went back in to check for other victims but fortunately, the car was empty. The victim was and elderly man who had either a stroke or a seizure. The fire department said he would have died in the car if we hadn't been there to get him out. Who says that training doesn't pay off in big dividends?

After some oxygen provided by the paramedics and a good hit of Albuterol (courtesy of Dr. Sam) we headed for the mall for some counter-surveillance drills. We had to go through the mall and try to spot anyone tailing us. I spotted three, but two were false alarms. On the final trip back through the mall, the people tailing us were supposed to slap us on the back, signifying that we had just been assassinated. We all were killed in the final phase. It was a crazy experience. We then went mobile and were supposed to follow a pre-determined route and spot anyone tailing us or setting up an ambush. After two trips around, we still hadn't spotted anyone when it finally occurred to me that they were trading off cars. At that point, I finally spotted one. Our driver drove into a gas station and pretended to pull out. He then stopped and we had the tail trapped between the gas pumps and the street. I stepped out and "shot" him. It turned out to be the person who had assassinated me in the mall. Payback is really sweet!

All in all, I learned a tremendous amount. Mostly, however, I learned that there is an awful lot that I have yet to learn. It was an opportunity to visit a world most of us only dream about. It is a world that is great to visit and learn about, but I wouldn't want to live it for real.

Jeff Prather is a warm and knowledgeable teacher and an excellent practioner of the art. He exemplifies the essence of the warrior. If you have an opportunity to attend one of his classes, do it! Remember: If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

Quote of the day

Please do not feed the squirrels. If you feed the squirrels, they’ll become overweight and prone to disease. Their population will grow, and they’ll lose their ability to forage for food on their own. They will expect you to feed them and will attack you if you don’t. They’ll become like little welfare recipients, and you wouldn’t want to do this to them.

Sign reported at a park

New study reveals: most people are ignorant of the world

A new study reveals a stunningly predictable result: most young US citizens can't find things like Iraq, Afghanistan or even New York State on a map, and an astoundingly large percentage can't even point out the Pacific Ocean successfully. A good third of those surveyed place the U.S. population between 1 and 2 billion - 69% could not recognize the United Kingdom.

Since this is a country ruled by elections, your future is in the hands of these people.

Bio: Perry Metzger

Those of you like me who've been doing this internet stuff since well before Tim Berners-Lee had a couple of CERN underlings cobble together the rudimentary underpinnings of the Web will likely have heard of Perry Metzger, an old friend of mine who, at least at one time, was considered one of the most prolific writers on Usenet.

Perry is now Strategic Advisor for Wasabi Systems, "The NetBSD Company". He has agreed to contribute to Survival Arts from time to time, and has provided the following very brief bio. Welcome, my old friend. - Editor

Perry E. Metzger is a known troublemaker. A socialist by education, he accidently discovered libertarianism in spite of the best efforts of his elders. Although his opposition to both death and taxes is by now an uninteresting cliche, he still remembers when it was radical and new.

Guest article: "Do Not Always Believe What You Read", by Dr. Ken Lunde

A surprise delight just came across my virtual desk: a note from Ken Lunde of Adobe Systems Incorporated. By trade, I'm a software engineer, and one of the bibles of my branch of the trade is Dr. Lunde's modern classic CJKV Information Processing. He sent me some kind words about the launch of this new site, and offered me the following article for publication, for the first time anywhere. I should mention also that Dr. Lunde is head of the company-sponsored Adobe Shooters Club. - Editor

Do Not Always Believe What You Read

"The focus of this document is to teach you to not always believe what you read, and to find out the facts for yourself when in doubt, and to draw your own conclusions. I am going to take this opportunity to express some of my thoughts about the issue of firearm use and ownership. This is indeed a sensitive issue for some, particularly for those whose beliefs are at the extremes. Nevertheless, this subject will serve as an excellent example of when not to believe what you read, in the media in this case.

Many in the localization and internationalization industry are no doubt familiar with my work, such as managing CJKV Type Development at Adobe Systems, and my two books, Understanding Japanese Information Processing (O’Reilly, 1993) and CJKV Information Processing (O’Reilly, 1999). These same people are probably not aware that I have been an avid firearms enthusiast since about the age of 15, at which time my father instilled in me a very strong respect for firearms. I am doing the same for my own children now.

As a responsible firearm owner, father, and contributing member to society, my number one concern is that of education and safety. And as an asset to society, this is paramount for me, as I feel that firearm ownership, as discussed by my country’s founding fathers, is as important today as it was during their period. With the ever increasing number of firearm laws in the US, it is interesting to note that crime rates do not go down as a result of their enactment. Why? Because only lawabiding citizens follow such laws—the criminals who commit crimes ignore such laws. Put simply, most firearm legislation does nothing to prevent crime. In fact, evidence suggests that crime actually goes up as a result of anti-gun legislation, especially in urban areas. In my opinion, antigun legislation is enacted due to ignorance. It is easier to blame an inanimate object (firearm) for a tragedy than to accept the painful reality (“How can human beings do this?”) of certain substandard individuals in our society, as evidenced by the lack of enforcement of current laws. Furthermore, firearm ownership is an inalienable human right, acknowledged for all US citizens by our founding fathers, through the Second Amendment of the Constitution (“A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.”). It is not a privilege granted to us by our federal or state government, such as a license to drive, but a right pure and simple.

In order to bring an international twist to this, consider recent events in England and Australia. Registration of firearms led to confiscation. Did firearm confiscation in these countries lead to a decrease in crime rates? Violent crime rates actually increased. One year after 640,381 firearms were confiscated in Australia, armed robberies went up 44 percent. In the state of Victoria, homicides with a firearm went up 300 percent! There are similar statistics for England.

I recently read a book entitled More Guns, Less Crime (University of Chicago Press, 1998), written by John R. Lott, Jr. This book provides conclusive evidence that by allowing law-abiding citizens to carry concealed handguns, especially in urban areas that are much more prone to violent crime, the violent crime rates decrease. When criminals are confident that their victims will be unarmed—thanks to the firearm laws that they choose to ignore—they are much more likely to commit a crime against them. 31 of the 50 states have policies in place for law-abiding citizens to obtain a permit for carrying a concealed weapon (CCW) on a “shall issue” basis. Contrary to what the government and media may want you to believe (as a writer, I can assure you that it is extremely dangerous to believe everything that one reads), these people with a CCW license do not commit crimes, and are also not likely to commit crimes. In fact, there are countless documented cases of ordinary citizens, with a CCW license, who prevented crimes. If you read Atlantic Reporter, Second Series, Volume 444, pp 1–12, you will be astonished to know that police officers are not obligated to save your life if it is being threatened.

Are firearms dangerous? Yes, but so are sporting equipment, stairs, and automobiles. Interestingly, sporting equipment, stairs, and automobiles cause far more accidental deaths to children under the age of 15 than firearms. 200 children died from firearm accidents in 1995, but 2,900 died from automobile crashes, 950 from drowning, and another 1,000 by fire. Also, the rate of fatal firearm accidents has been on the decline since 1933 from 2.4 per 100,000 to 0.47 per 100,000 in 1995, while the number of firearms in the population has increased. So, why are firearms being singled out? Firearms do not commit crimes or cause accidents—they are not inherently evil. People commit crimes, and ignorance or lack of safety education causes accidents. I do not expect everyone to own or even like firearms, because everyone is entitled to their opinion. But, restricting constitutional rights, or blaming inanimate objects for crimes or accidents is not the way to solve problems. Enforcement of current laws and safety education are ways to solve problems.

Will people who read this document now consider me as a potential criminal or danger to society? Hopefully not, because law-abiding people such as myself deplore crime, and are in fact contributing members of society. I also believe that readers of my books, papers, and articles are rational people who can think for themselves. Lastly, if you are at all interested in pursuing this issue, I strongly encourage you to study the facts, and come to your own conclusions, not those drawn for you by the media.

Dr. Ken Lunde
Manager, CJKV Type Development, Adobe Systems Incorporated
PhD, The University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1994
Author, CJKV Information Processing (O’Reilly, 1999)
NRA Life Member"

The Complete AR-15/M16 Sourcebook, by Duncan Long

If you're interested in learning more about the AR-15/M-16 system I mentioned in my previous post about the History Channel special, I recommend purchasing and studying a few choice books. First start with Boston's Gun Bible, which I mentioned in an earlier review on this site.

After checking out Boston's opinions on the weapon system, pick up a copy of the 2002 edition of Duncan Long's "The Complete AR-15/M16 Sourcebook". It's an excellent, detailed account of the history of the weapon system, a compendium of historical and available weapon variants, and a critical review of the panoply of accessories available for the system, from the useful to the goofy to the downright dangerous. Highly recommended.

"History of the M-16" worth seeing

I'd mentioned a few days ago that the History Channel would be airing a history of the M-16 weapon system that night. I just got around to watching it off my satellite system's PVR, and can recommend it.

This hour-long special starts with a backgrounder on problems with infantry weapons fielded in the Korean "police action", particularly in dealing with the Chinese human wave phenomenon. It was a bit of an eye-popper to see film footage of the spray-and-pray shooting on the part of the U.S. GIs, by the way, but the same thing could be seen in the way M-16s were misused in Vietnam, as evidenced in footage shown later in the program.

The bulk of the rest of the show is a fascinating discussion of the transition to the M-16 itself, centered primarily on the procurement politics of the period 1958-1963, as well as the scandal of weapon system failures during the 1966-1967 period in Vietnam.

As is typical of these History Channel "Modern Marvels" specials, there was a quick closing segment on new developments in the system, including what in my mind seems a goofy, overloaded carbine integral to the "Land Warrior" weapon system, which seems to be partially based on yet another set of soldier training misconceptions, and the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW), another Frankengun based on similar precepts.

If the History Channel gets around to putting this special on DVD, do consider picking up a copy.

It warms my heart to see this

As I take my morning coffee, I am delighted to see that even liberals participated in yesterday's National Ammo Day BUYcott.

Quote of the day

We simply must do something about those fat men with face masks and MP5’s who shoot down unarmed citizens. Personally, I would not think the American people would stand for this, but then I am a member of an older generation which took the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution with more than a grain of salt.

Jeff Cooper

Today is national ammo BUYcott day

As I mentioned yesterday, today is National Ammo Day.

Costco carrying latex exam gloves at a great price

Just came from a shopping trip at Costco, and found Kimberly-Clark Safeskin PF Preferred powder-free latex exam gloves at a great price: US $8.69 for 2 boxes of 100 gloves each. They're comfortable, durable, and fit very well. They're non-sterile, but unless you're doing emergency field surgery (and maybe even then, if you have access to antibiotics), they're more than adequate for your field medical kit.

Tactical Radio Communications, installment 1

A few days ago, I mentioned that I'd be running a serialized version of the forthcoming book "Tactical Radio Communications" by my engineer friend Eric Cartman. Below is the first installment. Readers' feedback, as we post these, would be most welcome. - Editor

Introduction

"Radios can be a very effective tactical or strategic tool. One can coordinate and deploy groups of people, perform surveillance, summon help and keep in touch with others over long distances when other forms of communications are unavailable. However, if used unwisely, a radio can be a security breach, a tactical disaster waiting to happen and even a beacon the enemy uses to discover your location.

Currently available radio equipment runs the gamut of size, power output, frequency, features and cost. Everything from a 50 dollar hand held radio from Radio Shack to a 5000 dollar all band all mode transceiver with 1000 Watts of power can be yours. The introduction of unlicensed FRS (Family Service Radio) has led to an explosion of cheap hand held radios sold in any sporting goods store or catalog. Although these radios at first appear to be a great step forward from the old CB radio, there are several reasons you should avoid them.

To make a reasonable decision on what equipment to buy, you need to understand the basics of how radios and radio waves work. We won’t cover the theory of how radio works in great detail, as this is not really relevant to buying and using a radio. Rather we will cover the behavior of radios and radio waves as they relate to the real world of the radio user.

Many of the ideas and suggestions in this book are based on thousands of hours of field use, trial and error and some hard bought experience by numerous people. There is a lot of stuff out there, some even sold to the military and police departments that simply doesn’t work. Any equipment you buy needs to be set up and used before you ever depend upon it. Imagine the embarrassment when your earphone comes unplugged and the speaker on your radio lets out a nice loud burst of static while the guy with that 7.62mm automatic rifle is standing 10 feet from the bush you are hiding in. Hope you brought your level IV body armor along… Or imagine being stuck out in the desert with a broken transaxle only to find that your antenna came loose and burned out the transmit amplifier in your radio. You can carry 10 gallons of water 100 miles, can’t you?

Finally, when you are buying radios, radio products or researching information, you will inevitably come across nosey people that want to know why. The simplest response is to tell them you are a Ham radio operator or are studying to become one. You can become a licensed ham for under $20 and a few hours study time with a book. The new “No Code” Technician class license is fairly simple to obtain. Nothing more is required than taking a short multiple-choice test and filling out two forms. Many local radio clubs give the tests, no questions asked, though an ID is required as well as a SSN. All the test questions are published and freely available, so you can even pass by simply memorizing all the questions. There are even on-line practice tests on the Internet. Just remember that your license will be mailed to you, so be sure to provide an address where you will actually receive it.

With the license in hand you can buy radios from most places without drawing any attention. Actually, almost no one will ever ask to see your physical license, but many places want to at least know your assigned call sign. You can make one up, though be aware that the call sign databases are available both on-line and in CDROM form for easy crosschecking. If you feel the need to fib on this one, find a legitimate call sign that has expired or is not listed. If asked by anyone you can say that you just received your new license and that it must not be in the database yet.

An added plus to having a license is you gain the ability to legally carry a scanner in your car in some states that prohibit it. It will also shut up officer Snotnose, as he peers into your car and asks why you have all that radio equipment."

[NEXT INSTALLMENT]

Seasteading: an introduction

Like many libertarians, I've always wanted to live someplace free, and have been unhappy at not finding one. I've followed the nation founding movement with interest, and quite a bit of skepticism. In fact, my critical webpage about the Freedom Ship earned me my first threatened lawsuit. I also have a page of collected nation founding links, (which may be a little out of date at this point).

I am passionate enough about the subject to have considered trying to start my own new country project. My plan was to watch, gather information, learn useful skills, and eventually join or start a realistic venture. I didn't expect that to happen for a decade, but after a couple years I found Wayne Gramlich's first seastead paper. I was struck by the practicality of his thinking, which stood in stark contrast to most of what I had seen. Conveniently, he lived a couple miles away, and we began collaborating, along with Andy, an engineer.

The project is still in development, but I'll provide a quick sketch here of what makes seasteading realistic. There are several keys: proven technologies, scalability, and size, each of which is related to lessons learned from other failed ventures.

We are depending on proven technologies, not OTEC (which is currently experimental and requires huge plants to attain net positive energy generation) or seacrete (which is quite expensive when you use the correct figures, 0.1 lb/kwhr, not 4.2). The hull is made from ferrocement, power is generated by a combination of wind turbines, PV panels, and gas generators. This design turns out to be relatively inexpensive per unit area.

Lack of scalability is a classic mistake made by projects such as the Freedom Ship. Their structures are huge and monolithic, which means that in order to make them happen, vast capital is required. It also means that they are vulnerable to destruction by natural or human means. Big things usually appear in this world by growing from small things: "Rome wasn't built in a day". The way to make a tremendous vision happen is to bootstrap it and make sure that each level can create the next, like an inductive proof in mathematics.

Finally, modesty in goals of size is another strong factor in realism. Some other projects have looked for 100 - 1,000 times as much money as our first self-sufficient design is projected to cost. Frankly, we find them ludicrous. The only place you'll find the word "billion" used by seasteaders is in talking about other ventures. In order to have a sea city, we must start with a sea village.

Our research and designs are still under development, and we want our plans to be solid before we start with the mailing lists and fancy websites and all that. Check back in a few months, and be assured that we are plugging away in the meantime. Our first prototype will not be huge, but it will be buildable. We think actual implementation is the most exciting part of any vision.

Bio: Patri Friedman

Patri Friedman is your everyday purple-haired anarcho-capitalist computer nerd. He is interested in the usual mish-mash of cyberlibertarian topics - economics, politics, crypto, biology, math psychology, life extension and so forth. He passionately desires to live someplace with both freedom and community, and since there doesn't seem to be one yet, has a great deal of interest in the nation founding movement.

Patri's professional activities include tech consulting and high-stakes poker. He has a BS in math from Harvey Mudd College, and most of an MS in CS from Stanford. He is a California/National certified EMT Basic, and a Wilderness First Responder, thanks to WMI at NOLS, which he highly recommends.

Patri keeps a more extensive online journal on his website. He plans to run screaming from the USA in approximately 2-4 years, and is slowly planning his departure.

Quote of the day

And all the time - such is the tragic comedy of our situation - we continue to clamor for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.

C.S. Lewis

BUYcott: tomorrow is National Ammo Day

Tomorrow, 19 November 2002, is National Ammo Day.

Celebrate the Second Amendment by buying an extra 100 rounds of ammunition on November 19th. Great for hunting, self-defense, target practice and annoying the anti-gun lobbyists.

Looks like an interesting cause, though this raises my eyebrows:

Q: Why Ammunition and not Guns? A: This is a difficult question. The short answer is, we want to send a message, not scare people to death!

I disagree with this statement: I think a "National Buy a Gun Day" would be exactly what this country needs, for exactly that reason. We do need to scare the horses.

"The Light of Reason" moves to nicer digs

"The Light of Reason", Arthur Silber's excellent objectivist blog, moves away from Blogspot and, therefore, up in the world. Congratulations, Arthur!

The UK: it's even worse than I'd thought

Harold O. Koenig today excerpts a much longer Reason Magazine article by Joyce Lee Malcolm detailing just how bad things have gotten in recent times in the UK in respect of the right to self-defense.

The libertarians of the UK's Samizdata blog have amassed a very large archive of self-defense(defence) & security articles worth reading.

Tactical Emergency Care: Military and Operational Out-of-Hospital Medicine

Patri Friedman's review of the NOLS course he attended reminds me I should mention an emergency medicine textbook I've been meaning to recommend: Tactical Emergency Care: Military and Operational Out-of-Hospital Medicine, a Brady imprint from Prentice Hall.

A few weeks ago, I attended a prototype "mission essential medicine" course, for which this book was highly recommended reading. I was not disappointed. I'd completed an urban EMT course around 15 years ago, and to my recollection had used a Brady manual of the time, but this 1999 military-oriented textbook was an eye-opener. It's densely informative, and would be a useful adjunct to any emergency medical training with wilderness (there's some overlap) and military orientation.

NOLS Wilderness EMT Class Review

My future plans involve expatriation, and since medical care is not as reliable in other countries, I spent last January in the Sierras taking a Wilderness EMT class. It was taught by the Wilderness Medicine Institute, part of the National Outdoor Leadership School. I attended an excellent small private college, Harvey Mudd, and have taken classes in several other fields, but I must say that this was the highest quality of instruction which I have ever received.

The 180-hour class included training and certification as both an urban EMT and a Wilderness First Responder. Unless you plan to work as an EMT or really desire the extra training, I don't recommend taking this double course. The Wilderness component was far more useful for survival purposes, and can be taken alone as an 80 hour class. Urban EMTs, due to legal restrictions and their essential role of "stabilize and transport", don't get to do much. As an example, EMTs make temporary splints out of cardboard, because the hospital is just going to rip those off and put on a cast. In the wilderness environment (defined as being an hour or more from a hospital), a solid, well-made splint is utterly essential.

The EMT class featured an excellent mix of classroom time, skills practice, and scenarios. With 30 students and 3 instructors, the ratio was only moderate, but the excellence of the instructors more than made up for it. The students were a diverse mix, including firefighters, outdoor guides, and dilettantes like myself, mostly in their twenties. A 12-hour ambulance ride-along and an 8-hour observation in a Fresno ER were part of the class, and some students chose to do multiple shifts. I found these quite useful.

Most of my academic career has been in abstruse fields like mathematics, and taking a class so fundamentally anchored to reality was both novel and pleasurable. The material was gripping because it could someday be intimately relevant to the lives of myself or my loved ones... how much more important can you get? Improving my ability to care for those around me was empowering. I'd highly recommend a NOLS WFR class to anyone with interest in first aid.

Now that I've learned how to heal, it's time to learn how to hurt, so I'm off to Front Sight next month for my first gun class (4 day Handgun). From what I've heard, it should be a similarly powerful experience.

Quote of the day

Individually, we do not bear arms because we are afraid. We bear arms as a declaration of capacity. An armed man can cope – either in the city or in the wilderness – and because he is armed, he is not afraid.

The hoplophobe fears and, yes, hates us because we are not afraid. We are overwhelmingly “other” than he, and in a way that emphasizes his afflictions.

Jeff Cooper

“Here are my two fingers - come and get them, if you can.”

Some years ago, very shortly after having moved to London, I was walking down Charing Cross Road late at night when an obviously drunk old man felt compelled to issue me what I thought was a friendly salute: the V-sign, knuckles-out. I returned the salute with gusto, earning surprised grumbles from the geezer as he continued his post-pub stumble down the sidewalk ("pavement" to my Brit friends).

Of course, I learned quickly the meaning of this little gesture, and am reminded of it in an interesting post on Samizdata:

The US gesture of extending the middle finger is clearly just a phallic reference (i.e. "f**k you"), but the English V-sign, which has some similar connotations (i.e. it is not a sign of endearment), has historical roots dating back to the 1400's. If the middle finger is a gesture of anger, the V-sign is a gesture of defiance and above all, a threat. "It is with these two fingers that I use my longbow!"... Up yours, with an arrow!

It is here that I am reminded that we as Americans inherit much of our culture of defiance - such as it still exits - from the Brits. Some of them, at least, still maintain that culture.

Banryu: I want a Guard Dragon too

A posting on Samizdata today mentions the next wave of personal robot, post-AIBO, the Banryu or "Guard Dragon", a fire-sniffing quadraped. An excerpt from the English version of the Sanyo press release:

The robot also holds onboard a completely new "odor-sensor" developed jointly by tmsuk, Kanazawa Institute of Technology (Professor Nanto), and New Cosmos Electric Co., LTD. The developers believe that this is one of the first devices that can sense a particular odor with practical accuracy. With the sensor the robot will be able to detect "burnt scent" which is known to occur in the atmosphere preceding a fire.

and:

The robot is aimed to be used for several purposes including home-security defined loosely. The developers are in talks with the market leader, Sohgo Security Services Co., LTD., regarding provision of related services, technology and know-how.

Robotory has some additional background material, such as pics of the Type 1 which preceded the Banryu.

Watch this space: Tactical Radio Communications chapter 1 to debut here

An engineer friend of mine who's working on a book on tactical radio communications has offered to run large parts of it here on Survival Arts. There's so much material, I'll be breaking it up on a near-daily basis over the course of several weeks.

Radios can be a very effective tactical or strategic tool. One can coordinate and deploy groups of people, perform surveillance, summon help and keep in touch with others over long distances when other forms of communications are unavailable. However, if used unwisely, a radio can be a security breach, a tactical disaster waiting to happen and even a beacon the enemy uses to discover your location.

Stay tuned.

Quote of the day

I don’t know about you, but if you hear that Williams’ guns have been taken, you will know that Williams is dead.

Walter Williams

Excellent Guns & Ammo review of Gunsite rifle class by Bob Shimizu reprinted on Gunsite website

I'd run across this reprint article earlier, but had to bookmark it for reading later, which I've just now done over coffee. Bob Shimizu does an excellent job of chronicling his 6-day rifle class at Gunsite under Col. Jeff Cooper. His 2001 experience is very similar to my own of 3 years before under the Colonel at the NRA Whittington Center in New Mexico, minus the Quad Runner the Colonel uses in Arizona.

On a related note, I was told a few days ago by Julias Shaw that Col. Cooper's book The Art of the Rifle has been revised and expanded for 2002. My copy dates from 1997, and does not have the new material dedicated to the use of the Scout Rifle system, so I'll hold off on recommending the version I've not yet read, but if it's at least as good as the older one, I strongly recommend buying a copy and reading before attending any general rifle course at any school.

Quote of the day

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do children of humans as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

Helen Keller

ASP Key Defender: OC spray, baton, and a key flail

Now that I've just been approved as an official Brigade Quartermasters Affiliate (yeah!), I can start freely recommending gear that I personally use & love and make a bit of money to support my website habit.

It's with pleasure then that I start with the ASP Key Defender OC spray keychain which, being constructed of machined aircraft aluminum, can be pressed into service as an impact weapon - a "Kubotan" - or as a key flail.

I've carried one for about half a year now. It's handy and durable, and the finish has worn only slightly.

Gisele Bündchen: some of my heroes are women too

Once again, PETA scum make fools of themselves, this time at last night's Victoria's Secret gala in New York City:

Four women associated with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals followed Gisele Bündchen down the runway holding signs that read "Gisele: Fur Scum," protesting the supermodel's recent advertising campaign for American Legend's Blackglama brand mink coats.

The intended targets of PETA humiliation, however, from Gisele Bündchen to others on the runway at the time such as the fabulous Tyra Banks, proved why They Get Paid The Big Bucks: they never lost their stride, defiantly ghosting through the animals-before-people harridans, who were quickly hustled off by male security, to drowning applause... New Yorkers are really getting sick of being pushed around.

You should see the full video clip on the Fox News site: it's much longer than what the TV channel was able to show, and is in many ways an inspiring piece of America at its best: the music, the beauty, the pride, and the defiance in the face of thuggery. I think Ayn Rand would have approved of the scene; it was a great Sense of Life moment.

While you're at it, by the way, ask yourself this: what's the probable fate of women like Naomi, Tyra, and Gisele in a world like the one the Islamofascists wish to ram down our throats?

Now I really feel like taking my Scout out later this weekend and joining the other PETA - People for the Eating of Tasty Animals - by attempting to take a boar. 'Tis the season!

Joe Sledge, The Walking Rifleman: one good reason I detest wimps

Last night, I picked up a paper copy of the 2003 Guns & Ammo ANNUAL, and immediately turned it to the collection of Cooperisms on pp90-91.

Perseverance In our recent rifle class at Whittington, a student showed up whose right arm had been amputated about 8 inches down from the shoulder. I certainly could not have shown him how to operate his rifle with that handicap, since I simply do not know how it is done - but he did it. He used an extendable bipod without a sling, but worked the bolt with his stump. It was an inspiring performance, and renewed our faith in the human spirit.

The G&A reprint entry is listed as having been run December 1997, but the Colonel first published it in his Commentaries of May 1997 (Vol. 5, No. 6, "The Rites of Spring"), which I'm sure is accounted for by the necessity of lead time for the reprint version.

All I wanted to add to the Colonel's commentaries is that I had the pleasure of training alongside this student in a later evolution of the same course, in September 1998 at the NRA Whittington Center. The gentleman is Joe Sledge... a great and manly name he has, and was the subject of all our admiration. He shot well - better than many of us - and to my recollection was tuning up for a trip to Africa, where everything bites or has claws.

Mr. Sledge's poem "The Walking Rifleman" can be found in the Colonel's Commentaries of May 1997 (Vol. 5, No. 12, "Hunting Season").

By the way, Mr. Sledge, if you're reading this: did you really make that trip to Africa wearing shorts? How'd the skin on your legs hold up? Enquiring minds want to know...

The Onion: Marxists' Apartment a Microcosm of Why Marxism Doesn't Work

The fact that I'm posting about this at all is proof I'm an insomniac and really need to tear myself away from my computer, but I simply can't resist pointing readers to this hilarious Onion post "Marxists' Apartment a Microcosm of Why Marxism Doesn't Work"; a sample:

"The history of society is the inexorable history of class struggle," said sixth-year undergraduate Kirk Dorff, 23, resting his feet on a coffee table cluttered with unpaid bills, crusted cereal bowls, and bongwater-stained socialist pamphlets. "The stage is set for the final struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, the true productive class. We're well aware of that here at 514 W. Elm Street, unlike other apartments on this supposedly intellectual campus."

and:

"We were creating an exciting new model for living," said Dorff, stubbing his cigarette into an ashtray that had not been emptied in six days. "It was like we were dismantling the apparatus of the state right within our own living space."

Despite the roommates' optimism, the system began to break down soon after its establishment. To settle disputes, the roommates held weekly meetings of the "Committee of Three."

and:

The roommates have also tried to implement a food-sharing system, with similarly poor results. The dream of equal distribution of shared goods quickly gave way to pilferage, misallocation, and hoarding.

Off to bed now for me...

Quote of the day

A strong body makes a strong mind. As to the species of exercises I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercises to the body it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks.

Thomas Jefferson

Anyone interested in Handgun or Long Gun Disarming & Retention classes in San Francisco?

My friend and Bujinkan teacher Dale Seago has indicated to me that he'd be willing to conduct a day-long seminar in Handgun Disarming & Retention or the 'Long Gun' version of the same class, at the San Francisco Buyu Center. His weekends nowadays are typically busy with security-related work and training, but if he has enough students, he can run a class on the 11th (Sat.), 12th (Sun.), or 18th (Sat.) of January 2003.

I've attended most of the sessions of this class he's given over the last 5 years - as a matter of fact, it's the reason I joined the Bujinkan - and have never failed to learn something new and useful each time.

If anyone's interested, please email me directly, and I'll help make arrangements for the class.

Short notice: History of the M-16 tonight at 1900 PST

In half an hour, the History Channel will show what looks to be an interesting program: "The M-16".

The most powerful assault rifle ever used in combat, the M-16 became the symbol of our lost war--Vietnam--and can easily be called America's most unloved gun. Yet, 30 years after its introduction, it stands as a potent icon of U.S. military strength worldwide. We'll explain how it almost ended up on the scrap heap! TV G

Let's set this S&B thing to rest, shall we?

A few days ago, I wrote about my experience with a blown Glock barrel caused by defective Sellier & Bellot ammunition some months ago at a course in Advanced Tactical Handgun at Front Sight. Curt Howland just posted a comment to that article, to which I feel compelled - this being my own soapbox - to respond in the way of a separate article.

Curt had mentioned that he'd read in a Cooper Commentary that S&B ammunition was the only factory ammunition not allowed at Gunsite. I have a good memory of having read that Commentary myself, but I've been unsuccessful in my attempt to find the reference.

As proprietor of this site, I have a reputational obligation to do my fact-checking. So, I called Gunsite directly and first spoke briefly to Sara, the school's receptionist (who I'm sure will correct me if I've mischaracterized her position there) who informed me that no, S&B ammo is allowed for training there, and indeed, she'd happily used it herself.

She then passed me to the person in charge of operations, who I was surprised and delighted to discover was Col. Bob Young, an instructor and close friend of Col. Jeff Cooper, who had been such a great help in my training during both 6-day sessions of General Rifle and General Pistol held in 1998 at the astounding facilities of the NRA Whittington Center in New Mexico.

Both Colonels are now back and teaching at the newly-reorganized Gunsite center in Paulden, Arizona. After exchanging pleasantries pursuant to my delighted surprise in talking with Col. Young after these 4 long years, I brought up the S&B ammunition issue, and was given confirmation that not only was S&B ammunition allowed at Gunsite, with no restrictions, it's a recommended low-cost factory ammunition suitable for training. The only problems he's seen with S&B ammunition were with a lot of .38 Special, associated with an improper case crimp.

Col. Young informs me that S&B ammunition in 9mm and .45ACP have been particularly good performers at Gunsite. In fact, he used some of their 9mm as "control ammo" during tests against an apparently defective lot of PMC 115gr 9mm.

So no, at least at present, there is no ban on S&B ammunition at Gunsite. As I mentioned in my earlier article on the matter, I am a firm believer in tit-for-tat: S&B did the right thing by me. I'm not an advocate of spanking a company after they've made good.

Excellent site: Patrick Crozier's UK Transport

A decade ago, I spent about 3 years living, working, and studying in London. I had the great pleasure to make the friendships of good comrades Chris R. Tame, Tom Burroughes, Sean Gabb, and Brian Micklethwait of the Libertarian Alliance, among others. I'm not sure I had the opportunity to meet Patrick Crozier, but in the process of commenting recently on a posting in Brian's Education Blog (look soon for his Culture Blog), I found out about Patrick's superbly informative UK Transport, which I feel compelled to plug here.

UK Transport covers all aspects of transport in the UK. It is written from a libertarian perspective, in other words, that the less the State involves itself in the running, regulation or funding of roads, railways or anything else - the better.

I've always been impressed at the thoroughness and perseverance of the people of the Libertarian Alliance. Patrick's work is reflective of these traits, as well as the sheer productivity of The Movement across The Pond.

The links section on this UK Transport Extra posting alone are worth the trip. It's the most comprehensive collection of resources arguing for total defascistization* of transport I've ever seen.

* - Yes, I made that up, remembering the popular myth that Mussolini made the trains run on time.

Quote of the day

Freedom begins when you tell Mrs. Grundy to go fly a kite.

Robert Anson Heinlein
Time Enough for Love

What JFK should have said

In John F. Kennedy’s famous inaugural address he compels us to, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” I’ve taken the liberty of rewriting his speach to my own liking.

Fellow libertarians:

We observe today the failings of the state—symbolizing an end as well as a beginning—signifying renewal as well as change. Each of us, individually, must declare our highest oath.

No man or group of men may aggress against the person or property of any other.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the enormous power wielded by nations continues to obstruct instead of help. Our revolutionary beliefs are universally suppressed around the globe—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state.

We dare not forget today that we lead an all important revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to individual and state alike, that the torch has been passed to this generation of libertarians—tempered by war, hounded by countless laws, proud of our sovereign selves—and unwilling to witness or permit suppression of the natural rights to which we have always been committed, and to which we are committed today.

Let every nation know, whether it wished us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.

This much we pledge—and more.

To those we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge that one form of statist control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by another. We ask all to support our freedom—and to know that that those who foolishly seek power by riding the back of the tiger shall end up inside.

To those in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge free trade to help them help themselves—not because we seek riches from them, but because the market will best provide riches to all. If a free market cannot help the many who are poor, an interventionist state has no hope of helping them at all.

To all around the world, we offer a special pledge—to welcome you in free trade—in a new alliance for progress—to assist free men and free enterprise in casting off the chains of poverty.

But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all know that we oppose aggression anywhere. And let every power know that each of us intends to remain master of our own property.

To the world's many states we deny our support—to prevent them from continuing their suppression—to withdraw from them the monopoly of force—and to reduce the area in which their writ may run.

Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge, but a request: that all sides begin anew a quest for peace and free trade. Do not think we tempt you with weakness. Now that we have tasted freedom we each stand strong. You cannot conquer us without conquering each one of us.

So let us begin anew—remembering that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never act out of fear. Let us never fear to trade.

Let us all explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.

Let us all seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease and even death, plumb the ocean's depths and encourage the arts through peaceful commerce.

Let us all unite to heed, in all corners of the earth, the command of Isaiah—to “undo the heavy burdens… (and) let the oppressed go free.”

And if the beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of oppression, let each join in creating new endeavors, not a new balance of power, but a new world of freedom, where the strong do not seek to control the weak and the peace is preserved.

All this may not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor may it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

In our hands will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since the many countries around the world were founded, countless generations have been summoned to give testimony to their national loyalty. The graves of the young remind us of those who answered the call of service to the state.

Now the trumpet summons us—not as a call to serve the state, but as a call to serve ourselves. Not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need—not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a call to bear the bear the burden of personal responsibility, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”—a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world we have been granted the role of defending liberty and freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the devotion, which we bring to each our endeavors will light us all—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow libertarians: ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for yourself.

Finally, ask of us here the same high standards of integrity that we ask of you. With liberty and freedom our only sure reward, let us trade to the benefit of all, knowing that here on earth our property must truly be our own.

Shotgun News: best comprehensive source for firearms shopping

Many of you reading will consider this entry a pointer to old news, but a major purpose of this blog is outreach to new and prospective gun owners, so bear with me here, especially since Shotgun News is now available at a drastically reduced price through MAGAZINES.com.

Published 3 times monthly, Boston's Gun Bible calls it a "must", as do I. It's a thick broadsheet of densely-packed but well-indexed advertisements, as well as regular feature articles; Bill of Rights Enforcement advocate Vin Suprynowicz has written for them.

US $28.95 gets you a full year (36 issues), saving 80% off the cover price of US $143.64.

St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa: classic case of foot-in-mouth disease

Fox News host John Gibson just now interviewed St. Louis Police Chief Joe Mokwa, who, discussing what he considers the mystery of a spate of shootings of police in his jurisdiction during routine traffic stops, seems to be suffering from a serious case of craniorectal inversion:

There's something to be said about people who carry guns in cars.

01/06/00 The following was received via email from Lt. Chris T. Rick's Public Information and Education Division (Missouri): Having a firearms license in another state does not have any effect on Missouri's gun laws. Missouri does not recognize firearm permits of any type. As far as carrying a loaded weapon in your vehicle, it is legal as long as it is clearly visible. Our courts have ruled that having a loaded firearm on the seat next to the driver is considered concealed if it is not easily viewed from the officer's perspective. Once the weapon is placed in a container (suitcase, glove box, trunk, etc.) it is concealed and can only be legally transported if it is not readily available to any passenger in the vehicle.

Excerpt from Noel Perrin's "Giving Up the Gun"

I'm working through a very short but fascinating book by Noel Perrin, Giving Up the Gun: Japan's Reversion to the Sword, 1543-1879 (this link refers to the 1995 reissue edition of the 1979 original I'm reading). I disagree with the author's central premise - Perrin praises the reversion to the sword as a shining example of "it can be done here too" - but his slant on the facts in no way, so far in my reading, detracts from the fascinating and detailed account he offers.

Here's one of many interesting excerpts (from p10, Shambhala edition of 1979, no longer published):

"But the thing Japan manufactured most of was weapons. For two hundred years she had been the world's leading exporter of arms. The whole Far East used Japanese equipment. In 1483, admittedly an exceptional year, 67,000 swords were shipped to China alone(1). A hundred and fourteen years later, a visiting Italian merchant named Francesco Carletti noted a brisk export trade in 'weapons of all kinds, both offensive and defensive, of which this country has, I suppose, a more abundant supply than any other country in the world'.(2) Even as late as 1614, when things were about to change, a single trading vessel from the small port of Hirado sailed to Siam with the following principal items of cargo: fifteen suits of export armor at four and a half taels the suit, eighteen short swords at half a tael each, twenty-eight short swords at a fifth of a tael, ten guns at four taels, ten guns at three taels, and fifteen guns at two and a half taels.(3)"

Reference #3 is attributed by Perrin to Ludwig Reiss' History of the English Factory at Hirado, which I suppose I will need to pick up during my next trip to Tokyo, since I can't find it in print on Amazon or elsewhere.

I'll be reviewing this book at length in a few days.