Briefing for Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Post Script to the Kony 2012 Discussion from Yesterday

I debated whether to even bring this up, but given many things I've read over the last 24 hours, it seems there are a lot of people asking some very thoughtful questions about the Kony 2012 video and initiative.  Regardless of how you feel about the matter, I encourage you to read two pieces: this short article outlining another set of concerns about the project, and this piece from Foreign Policy.

I'm betting there is a lot more to this story than we know.  That's not to say that the Invisible Children crew are engaging in nefarious or unethical activity.  But I suspect as more details come out, we may learn things are not as the video would have us believe.

The bigger point I'd like to leave with you - which transcends the entire Kony discussion - is that there is a tremendous amount of data and information out there.  It becomes quite difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff these days.  We must all do our due diligence when we read something on line - including myself.  The only agenda we should strive to promote is the agenda of truth.  Good, bad, or ugly, we should work hard to get to the place where the facts lead us.  From time to time, this may mean the facts lead us to conclude that our preconceived notions are incorrect.  We have to be intellectually honest enough to admit we were wrong initially and thankful that the error in our thinking has been corrected.


Atlanta Jeff Continues To Deliver the Bad News

I don't mean to pick on Atlanta Jeff.  Like me, he just wants to be right in his assessments.  And because of that, he's willing to open his mind and challenge conventional wisdom.

And so this morning, he shared this article with me, entitled "Triple trouble in Europe, US and China brings out the bears" from the London Telegraph.  Spend two minutes reading it and reach your own conclusions. 


What A Crazed Gunman Looks Like

Tom from the KR Training crew shared this link with pics from the Tulsa Courthouse shooting Wednesday afternoon.  A few observations:

• The gunman looks like anyone you might see on the street.  No long, unkempt hair or beard.  No trench coat.  No out of place attire.  Think about that when you're keeping an eye on your surroundings in public.
• Note the choice of weapon (a small barrelled revolver) and lack of tactics (failing to utilize cover, poor grip on the gun).  A poorly equipped, poorly trained shooter can cause a tremendous amount of damage.  But a law abiding citizen with the appropriate carry permit and a modicum of training would clearly have had an advantage over this guy.
• While I don't know how many times the suspect was shot, it's clear he got tagged more than once.  Despite that, he's conscious in the pictures we see after he's been handcuffed.  Most people think that once they've been shot, the fight is over.  Not true: unless you've been shot in the aorta or brain, the survivability rate of a gun shot wound is actually quite high.  This is especially true in urban areas with modern trauma centers nearby.  In the event you are ever hit with a bullet, don't panic - you'll likely live to tell about it.  Instead, stay focused on getting to cover or fighting back.  Or both.