…then it’s worth it, right?
Read the story of Nicole Goeser (via Linoge).
Month: May 2009
Cops don’t believe in gun control??????!!?!?!
Or at least, this 25 year veteran cop doesn’t. (h/t to Linoge)
Pens and pencils don’t make you misspell words; cars don’t make you drive drunk, run red lights or speed; and, no, not even a “morning star” can swing itself.
The logic behind banning firearms in order to lower crime is as ridiculous to me as banning cars because so many people are injured and killed every year in accidents and drunken driving crimes. It is not the car that is at fault; it’s the driver who is at fault. And, by the same token, it isn’t the gun … It is the criminal who commits the crime and it is the criminals who need to be addressed and dealt with, not any device they use in the commission of their crimes.
As our government steadily changes more and more to the Left, gun control and outright gun ban issues will become very hot topics. So, I think it’s imperative Americans use some common sense in this area and realize gun control is in no shape, form or fashion crime control.
If someone commits a crime with a gun, follow the law and punish the person, but leave the Second Amendment alone, it is in the Constitution for a reason.
You know what they say about insanity…
… doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
So they’re thinking about taxing soda and sugary drinks to pay for The chOsen One’s proposed healthcare legislation. (h/t to The Volokh Conspiracy)
Not only this is just asinine in and of itself, it’s going down a familiar road.
We need to pay for something. I know, we’ll tax something that we think is evil… which will fund our pet project and have the side-effect of making the evil thing less affordable and appealing to people, which will save people from the evil (aren’t we so altruistic!). But then, when people are saved from the evil, we won’t have any more funding for our project… so we’ll have to find something new to tax.
And so on we go… spiraling down the toilet.
But of course, it’s all in our best interests… we can’t make our own choices, we can’t be responsible for ourselves, we need someone to make every decision for us. We’re not even allowed to be responsible for our bad decisions no… we must be saved before we can make them. Thank God for the folks in Washington. I wouldn’t know how to wipe my ass without them… oh, and probably be taxed for that too.
</sarcasm>
Ground-fighting for self-defense
I know this is opening a can of worms, but I’m fine with that. 8)
In a previous post on Modern Army Combatives I stated that while I think it’s good to know ground-fighting skills to ensure you’re a well-rounded fighter, I think the strategy of “going to the ground” is unwise. You have to realize that my perspective isn’t sport-fighting, which is fun to both watch and participate in, but as I’ve only so much time in a day to practice what I practice, I prefer to practice and orient myself towards self-defense and fighting applications. Thus my strategy is not to “go to the ground” but perhaps to put my opponent there, and if I end up there that I want to get back up as fast as possible.
Marc MacYoung has a great article on ground fighting and grappling and how it (doesn’t) fit into the realm of self-defense combatives. I say it’s a great article because we’re in agreement. He provides a detailed list of why “going to the ground” isn’t ideal. He also provides a detailed list of when such skills are applicable. If you disagree with this article, I’d like to hear your line of reasoning. Not everyone likes MacYoung, he’s opinionated, but he knows his stuff and there’s no bullshit.
Yes ground skills have their place and it’s wise to know how to fight on the ground, how to apply chokes and submissions, but I’d say it’s even more important to know how to use those skills to get yourself up off the ground and back on your feet.
Ammo ban? Perspective.
Howard Nemerov provides some perspective on the rumors of an ammunition ban.
Bottom line: Buyers help keep prices high because of concerns over what might happen in the future. As prices spiral and demand clears the shelves, people worry about getting ammunition in the future. Add a few rumors, people worry more and demand goes up even more. It may be best to stop stockpiling ammunition for now to reduce demand. Instead, spend your energy on convincing Congress that the civil right of self-defense is an idea whose time has come.
The NRA is running a promotion where you can join free for one year.
If you live in Texas, you should also join the Texas State Rifle Association. If you don’t live in Texas, you should join your equivalent local/state organization.
If you choose to do neither, at least be politically active. With the Internet, it doesn’t take long to find your Congresscritters and send them a quick email. When you contact them, keep it polite, respectful, to the point.
Goodbye, Iggy
Applying what you know to what you don’t know
So after having made a cane and immersing myself in cane videos, I got to thinking about further ways to study the cane.
You see, in Kuk Sool’s cane curriculum, there’s only a limited bit of cane taught. This is understandable, and really no one system or style can teach it all — they’re all limited in some manner or other. Thus to really get the most out of something you need to freely explore it on your own. Still, sometimes it’s tough to freely explore something without at least some degree of direction to get started in. I’ve found something that works for this and I’d like to share it with you.
Martial arts cane videos
In light of my cane making, this morning I found myself going around YouTube in search of cane videos. Man, I remember when I used to search for martial arts videos and would find nothing. Now there’s just too much to list. 8) From my searching, I wanted to highlight some of what I found.
Continue reading
This is hunting
I’m not (yet) a hunter. But certainly, this is hunting.
The Congressional Effect Fund
Via Roberta X I read an interesting article about the effects of Congress upon the financial markets.
You could have invested only when Congress is on vacation. It may sound a little crazy, but I am totally serious. When Congress works – and by “works” I mean “meddles” – it destroys wealth. When Congress doesn’t work, wealth grows by itself.
From 1965 through 2008, looking at a total of 11,000 trading days, the annualized daily price gain of the S&P 500 Index is just 0.31 percent when Congress is in session. Out of session, that figure jumps to 16.15 percent, a daily difference of 50 times.
As government power and influence grow, the trend has intensified in recent years. From 2000 through 2008, in-session performance of the S&P is –12.4 percent. The out-of-session performance: +8.8 percent.
In other words, had you invested $10,000 only when Congress was in session from the beginning of 2000 through 2008, putting aside dividends, you’d have $4,615 today. Had you invested that same $10,000 only on days when Congress was on vacation, you’d have $13,416 today.
The article continues with an excellent baseball analogy, then goes to list many recent things Congress has done that meddle in the markets. Truly an eye-opening read, that is, if your eyes weren’t already open.
One thing to note is it matters not who is in power: Republicans or Democrats. They’re both meddlers, they both seek to grow Government, they both spend as much of your and my money as they possibly can. Constitutional limits matter not when there’s contracts and favors and pet projects to manage! The money just flows… they spend it faster than they can take it from us or print it up.
I’m not saying one way or the other that you should invest or not in The Congressional Effect Fund… what you do with your money is your business and not mine. But it’s a damn sight interesting, that’s for sure.
Stuff From Hsoi 