File Under "Don't Assume Others Know What They're Talking About."
Before I start bitterly complaining about the political left's fascination with disarming America, I'd like to share a link to the New Yorker as evidence that a) I do read something other than ZeroHedge, and b) you may wish to stop reading now - the three of you who read this blog - and edify yourself with this piece on Chris McCandless. You know, the brilliant guy who died in Alaska after either by starving to death or from being poisoned by wild potato seeds. (Spoiler alert: the movie about his life is really, really depressing. Total downer, which is not what you'd expect from any film with Vince Vaughn in it.) In short, there's new evidence to back up the claim it was the potato seeds that did him in and not starvation. Personally, I don't have an opinion either way, although his story is quite interesting to say the least.
The new evidence in the McCandless saga dovetails somewhat into the tragedy at the Navy Yard. Working from home today gave me the opportunity to watch Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Washington, as she breathlessly announced that the gunman used an "AK-15" in today's rampage. (For those of you unfamiliar with modern sporting rifles, there is no such gun as an "AK-15.")
One Facebook meme I saw this evening proclaimed "If your first reaction to shootings is to think, 'Oh sh*t, Obama/liberals are going to try to take our guns!' your priorities as a human being SUCK." Well, I guess I suck. Perhaps my saving grace was that the sentiment was my second reaction, and not my first.
What was my first reaction, you ask? I continue to struggle to understand why we insist on having victim disarmament zones - aka "gun free zones" - in places where the people who work there are trained to use guns to kill bad guys. CNN reports the Navy Yard "is the home to high-level naval personnel." Am I to believe that home of the Naval Sea Systems Command - presumably staffed with sailors and Marines who have had a modicum of weapons training and who may be pressed into action to defend our country - should be devoid of employees who do not have ready access to weapons?
Forget nut job shooters for a minute. If Al Qaeda were to attack the Navy Yard, who is going to defend it? A handful of MPs and DC cops? A Marine security detail? All while soldiers and sailors are inside, with no access to weapons, because it makes the nanny staters feel better?
I have an easier time understanding the desire to keep teachers from carrying guns in the classroom than I do those who wish to disarm our military and law enforcement trainers from carrying guns while on duty here at home. Those are the experts the anti-gun crowd lauds as the only ones qualified to carry them...and yet they're not allowed to do so while on duty.
The gun free zone failed to keep those victims safe. Like the McCandless story where experts claim, with a certain bitterness, that he died of starvation and not from poisoning, we have policy makers who refuse to consider data and facts which prove the gun free zone concept for our military and law enforcement work places is a really bad idea. Today's shooting took place in a facility where there were people inside trained to use guns but were prohibited from carrying them, much like those victims of the Ft. Hood shooting. We can only hope the military examines this policy so that our well trained military men and women can protect not only our country, but also themselves, from all enemies both foreign and domestic.
Reminder #748 As To Why We Prepare
Colorado continues to deal with the ravages of recent flooding, where now eight are confirmed dead and hundreds are still unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, did any of you run across this Tumblr post regarding two hikers who were stranded in an ice storm in Colorado last week? You can read their somewhat scary text messages regarding their situation. I'm not here to criticize their decision making that put them in that situation (I'm not a hiker, so they could have been using the requisite judgment and still ended up in a bad spot.) But it again serves as a reminder that things can go badly for us when we don't expect it, requiring us to call for help in adverse conditions.
It's Like I've Said Before - Preparedness Is Largely A Math Problem.
Check out this fantastic post from over at Preparedness Pro regarding calorie requirements and so called "30 day packs" sold by a number of survival proprietors. You are committing prepper malpractice if you don't do the math to determine how many calories are in your food storage plan and how long it will last you.
Fighting The Good Fight With Moral Clarity
Lately I've had a number of people wanting to get my take on the growing militarization of our police force. Doyle shared this article of how some cops are doing their best to mentor the younger members of their profession on the true role of their calling - to protect and serve. This is a well written piece, and I am heartened knowing there are a lot of great men and women out there who do a dangerous job to keep us safe while complying with the laws and Constitution.
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