Hell in a Handbasket

Stupid is as Stupid Does

Tue, 13 May 2008 05:14:11 -0500

Chris shares a story about a stupid criminal he encountered in the past. There are many lessons that can be drawn from the tale, but I think that the most important is to pull your pants up and wear a shirt if you are going to attract the attention of the authorities.

In Honor of the Previous Post

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:17:49 -0500

It Wasn't a Lollipop

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:16:03 -0500

I let the dogs out in the backyard a few minutes ago. As is my habit, I stepped out on the back porch just to make sure that there wasn't anyone else out there already. This time there was something sharing the yard. I heard something scramble up and over the three foot chain link fence that marks the perimeter. It wasn't anything human, but it also sounded larger than a house cat. What the hell? So I drew the flashlight from my belt with my left hand, while my right hand drew my handgun. I kept the gun pointed down and next to my leg, my finger carefully off the trigger, while I used my flash to light up the fence. Nothing there. Must have been a raccoon or possum, judging by the way it was climbing over the fence instead of simply jumping clear. Just then I felt something touch my handgun. It was one of my dogs, who had come up behind me so he could lick the end of the muzzle. "You licked my gun!" I scolded him. "Now I have to clean it before it rusts!" I wonder if Glock owners ever have this problem?

Coyotes and Overarmed Street Cops

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:37:44 -0500

I have posted two new essays over at The Chicago Boyz. In the first, I discuss how the Chicago Police Department has reacted to some recent shootings in their fair city with plans to equip the majority of their patrol officers with semi-auto M4 carbines. I openly wonder why they simply don't equip everyone with a shotgun, which would be cheaper, safer, and more effective. In the second post, I discuss how coyotes in southern California have attacked small children in three separate incidents over a five day period. The fuzzy, fell good attitude about nature that is popular there will change as soon as a child gets eaten, I would think. Anyway, click on over and see what you think. Leave a comment and tell me I'm full of dreck, if that is your impression. UPDATE Speaking of someone who disagrees, Brillianter weighs in.

Sometimes Even the Easy Stuff is Hard

Sun, 11 May 2008 22:22:00 -0500

Existing Thing of To Which I Replied fame has a thoughtful, personal, and touching post concerning how he has struggled with manic depression. It is well worth your time.

The Reliability of .22 Long Rifle Ammo

Sun, 11 May 2008 10:24:03 -0500

A question was asked by Mikee. "While this is somewhat off topic, may I ask what your experience has been with 22LR ammunition, regarding reliability of the ammo? I have shot as many brands of 22LR I could find over the past decade, and had very few failures to fire. Until recently, that is. One bulk box (550 rounds) of Remington Golden Bullet 22LR exhibited 4 failures to fire within the first 100 rounds tried. As I had two 22LR pistols with me at the range that day, I tried every dud in the 2nd gun, confirming that the bullets were the problem." "This is the worst box of ammo I have ever found. I have never had more than one or two rounds out of a bulk box fail to fire, and those duds show up only every once in a while." "Have I been lucky or is 22LR ammo becoming less well controlled out of the factories?" Judging by my experience, I would have to agree with Mikee when he says that he was just lucky up to now. Don't get me wrong, four failures out of the first hundred rounds is pretty crappy quality control. It certainly isn't typical. Four misfires out of a half brick of five hundred rounds? That doesn't happen every day, but it does happen to me on occasion. Four failure-to-fires out of a brick of one thousand rounds? That sounds about right! But keep in mind that it varies. Sometimes no failures for awhile, sometimes they pile up in a row. Sounds to me like Mikee just got a bad string. I always buy middling quality .22 rimfire rounds. Not the best precision ammo, but not the unpackaged cheapo junk that literally comes in a bucket either. I also stick to the name brands like Winchester and Remington, just not their premium line. And I still get failure-to-fires. Why is this so? I have no idea. There certainly are only a fraction as many dud rounds in centerfire ammo. Maybe one of my readers can shed some light on why this is so. So far as Mikee's last question is concerned, I would also like to say that I haven't noticed any more duds than usual in recent purchases. If quality has gone down, then up to now I have managed to dodge that bullet. (HA! I made a funny!)

Mining the Dusty Past

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:08:25 -0500

If the post below tickled your funny bone, you might find this one to be worth the time.

Think Ahead!

Sat, 10 May 2008 20:07:01 -0500

Ring in the Changes

Sat, 10 May 2008 18:47:41 -0500

I've always been fascinated with history, particularly with the way inventions or developments lead to something new. What was mere fantasy before new machines are invented suddenly seems to be inevitable after they become commonplace. It is sort of like that old poem "For Want of a Nail", but in reverse. James Burke wrote and starred in a ten part television series entitled Connections (1978) which explored that very subject, following how new inventions would allow further advances in technology. He followed up seven years later with The Day the Universe Changed (1985), which focussed on how ideas or discoveries would suddenly force people to look at the world in a new light. I watched both series on my local public television channel here in the United States many years ago. I enjoyed them both immensely, and recommend both without reservation. So, does anyone out there want The Day the Universe Changed free of charge? All you have to do is follow this link. As Dr. Mercury, the blogger who has this all set up, points out that he doesn't know how long the bandwidth will be free for download. Better get your scoot on.

The Most Effective AND The Most Reliable???

Thu, 08 May 2008 19:36:54 -0500

One of the recent Emails that I received asked me to recommend an off-the-shelf, commercial defensive cartridge for their autoloader. This wasn't unusual in itself, but my reader was rather demanding. You see, they not only wanted me to tell them which cartridge was the absolute tip top best so far as performance, but it also had to be absolutely no-excuses-accepted reliable as well! Hmmmm. Tricky, that. Before I discuss what I said in the reply Email, let me go off on a tangent for a moment. You see, I hate hate hate endorsing a particular product. This isn't because I'm holding out for the big money from the firearms manufacturers, as I don't think any of them realize that I even exist and are not about to make an offer. Instead, it has been proven time and again to me that one size or solution never fits all. I would be doing my students a grave disservice if I pointed to one specific caliber, firearm manufacturer, or make of handgun and said "THIS is the only thing you need, EVER!" Not only that, but I am very wary of anyone who does so. If they aren't getting paid to push a particular product, then such statements show a brand loyalty that probably blinds them to any faults in their favorites. Anyway, it does so happen that I could answer the question put to me by my reader.

Someone Forgot the 60's Are Over

Wed, 07 May 2008 10:36:48 -0500

Kendo vs Longsword

Mon, 05 May 2008 08:34:10 -0500

In the post below I discuss how the Japanese fencing style known as kendo has enjoyed an inflated reputation of late, just as a katana is immediately considered by many to be more deadly than other sword designs. I came across a YouTube clip that shows someone employing kendo techniques against a fencer who uses a European longsword style. Note how the longsword, because only one hand is used to hold the weapon, is not only faster on the strike but also has more angles that can be used to hit your opponent, so the European fencer manages to land more hits. But also note how his strikes are weaker than those landed by the two-handed kendo style, so the Japanese fencer would have a better chance of injuring his opponent through armor.

Mine Is Best!

Mon, 05 May 2008 06:43:41 -0500

Last week I wrote about an incident in England where a good Samaritan came to the aid of embattled police offices by using his katana against the gang of criminals that were attacking the cops. Milo, a British fencing expert, was kind enough to mention the post on his own blog. His own post is worth reading, particularly since he mentions that a sword was once the main sidearm for some police forces in the past. Clickety clickety. But what I'd like to focus on for the rest of this essay is a comment someone left at Milo's post, a comment that showed an extremely high regard for Japanese samurai swords. "A katana's too much: there is almost no outcome of a swordfight with that sword which is non-fatal, or at least permanent, maiming, and accompanied by life-threatening blood-loss." Other people who commented pointed out that a katana was not inherently more deadly than any other sword, just as the Japanese fencing discipline of Kendo is no more effective than any other fencing style. But it is certainly understandable that someone should come to this conclusion, considering how both are held up in the media as the ultimate of sword based fighting styles. I've written about this before, but I was discussing unarmed open hand martial arts at the time. Even so, the debate between martial arts enthusiasts as to which discipline is superior can be bitter indeed.

For All You Prospective Parents...

Sun, 04 May 2008 17:10:50 -0500

All Scimitars, Sabers, Kopesh and Katana Are Now Illegal!

Thu, 01 May 2008 22:31:22 -0500

Back in January of 2007, a couple of detectives in England were in over their heads. They came across a gang of five guys who were breaking in to a house. The detectives identified themselves as police officers, and attempted to take the criminals into custody. But the perps figured out that the cops were unarmed, and the fight was on! Two unarmed detectives against five guys who had chains and hammers. Things looked grim, particularly when one of the gang became curious as to what the cops had eaten for breakfast and produced a knife to help him find out. But then help arrived in the form of a nondescript private citizen wielding a cheap samurai sword. "Leave him alone, he's a police officer!" he yelled, and charged the gang single-handedly. He fought bravely, if not particularly well, and managed to inflict a minor wound on one of the burglars. Criminals being a cowardly and superstitious lot, the gang broke and ran. The detectives managed to tackle and bag one criminal each, but by the time they had subdued their respective catches the good Samaritan had slipped away. That guy had balls as big as churchbells, and I don't just mean that because he went toe-to-toe with a swarm of ne'er-do-wells. While self defense is not illegal in England, or at least it isn't technically illegal, it is against the law to use anything designed as a weapon to defend yourself. Local Detective Inspector Peter Bent stated "It needs to be said we cannot condone vigilantism or people running around with swords or weapons. It will be up to the Crown Prosecution Service whether they see his actions as justified or going beyond reasonable force." He could charge straight at a gang of armed desperados without a moments hesitation, but the guy with the sword could see no other option than running and hiding after the dust settled and the cops were back on their feet. I don't blame him one bit. The police launched a manhunt to see if they could smoke him out, and I have no idea if they ever managed to find out who had drawn steel to defend their lives on that day. Something tells me that the cops on the street, when told that they had to find an average Joe who had saved two of their own just so he could face the courts, merely went through the motions and really didn't put too much effort into the search. I'm telling you this because I was over at Milo's, and he says that unregistered samurai swords are now illegal in England. You have to jump through a bunch of hoops to prove to the state that you have a "legitimate reason" to own one. Many American gunbloggers have noted that the media and other pro-gun control types become hysterical when discussing firearms. They like to infer that owning a gun is similar to petting a coiled cobra, as both will leap up and kill without warning when you least expect it. I leave you with this English news article which proves that the British are going through the same thing with knives. Notice how the focus of a newspaper is "preventing youngsters from getting involved in knife culture" by sponsoring a weapon amnesty program. People could turn in their infernal devices to the police without fear of arrest, and someone actually gave them a cheap samurai sword that was sharp! Judging by the extreme fear they show when confronted by a wall hanger with an edge, the police over there are having trouble recruiting anyone which doesn't swoon when confronted with the very idea of a sharp piece of steel. Inspector Peter Knights, of Hartlepool Police, said: "I am delighted to see a weapon of this nature has been surrendered. All too often we see items such as this used and abused by people which leads invariably to serious injury or death." Guys, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. (Cross posted at The Chicago Boyz.)