This year, the day after Thanksgiving saw Americans finally getting back to the business Americans love: Shopping!
FBI statistics show that a new record was set during that one Friday for background check requests from gun buyers. There were 129,166 requests to the NICS. That was a third more than the previous all-time record of 97,848 on Black Friday 2008. On Black Friday last year, there were 87,061 requests.
Some of the buyers believe that stockpiling guns is a better way to prepare for hard times than gold. Nevertheless, many of those shopping for guns at several gun stores in the Federal Way area were almost certainly women purchasing guns for their own protection.
Federal Way’s local Armed Defense Training Association has been in contact with an instructor named Jennie at Rivendell Sales and Consulting in Kent. Jennie teaches women how to shoot. She owns and operates a store that markets to women who shoot.
I asked her what ladies need to know when they first decide to buy a gun. The first consideration, she stated, is not to let someone at a gun shop — or a well-meaning significant other — sell you a small gun that “you shoot once, it hurts and you put it away.”
Jennie said a woman needs her own gun that fits. “I have seen too many ladies with a gun that does not fit their hand, one that is too large a caliber for a beginner, or they are told at some gun shop that the itty-bitty gun is just the one for them. The gun that does not fit you right just goes unused and sits on a shelf.”
Jennie encourages her students to consciously make the decision to defend their own life. “If you are killed or severely injured, how will your family function without you?”
Of course, hardly anyone ever actually states that his or her own life is not worth defending. But, despite all the philosophical and political arguments, take the steps to get trained and actually get a gun into your hands. This demonstrates that you are prepared to fight back.
Jennie demystifies the “danger” of guns. She told me, “I have seen many ladies not even sure they want to touch a gun. Her students learn quickly that a gun does not go off by itself. Once a woman realizes that she can effectively and safely operate the efficient little safety device, fear goes away and smiles start to appear.”
However, too many women take a beginner class and think that they are ready to go out on the street and deal with all the legal, physical and emotional things that go with armed self-defense.
“In order to carry for self-defense, you have to make the commitment to train and practice,” Jennie explains. “Training generally teaches you a skill and how to practice that skill; practice needs to continue on a regular basis.” Jennie recommends competition to test skills, keep skills sharp and make training interesting and fun.
“The holster that fits a slim man will usually not work for a curvy lady.” Men behind the gun counter, who have absolutely no idea what a lady needs for shooting gear, are the reason why Jennie became an instructor and opened her gun shop. Apparently, in the world of women’s self-defense, most of the old wives’ tales are perpetuated by men.
According to John Lott, the longer “shall issue” laws (such as Washington’s concealed carry law that requires a permit to issue within thirty days) are in place in a state, the more effective they are. In the period studied, for every five years a shall-issue law was in place, murder rates dropped by at least 15 percent, robberies by 11 percent and rapes by 9 percent. The benefits of concealed-carry laws for women are especially striking. According to Lott’s research, one additional woman carrying a concealed handgun reduces the murder rate for women by about three to four times more than one additional man carrying a concealed handgun reduces the murder rate for men.
According to LAUREL S. BARTON, a guest columnist in the Seattle PI:
Most people will be horrified and will fail to ask the crucial, underlying question: How many of those guns were purchased legally? After all, laws will affect guns legally acquired, not those from secondary sources. The answer: 15 percent of guns used in crimes are legally obtained. That leaves 85 percent unaffected by changes to gun control laws.
The number of crimes prevented by firearms based on incidents reported to the police nationwide is roughly 64,615 yearly; the estimate can jump as high as 2.45 million if one factors in unreported cases. Compare those numbers to 30,000 gun-related deaths yearly and one can see the difference is, at the very least, 34,000 people saved by guns.
According to an article in the Detroit News a few years ago, Americans own more than 200 million firearms, more than 60 million of which are handguns (National Institute of Justice statistics):
“Figures vary widely about the gender breakdown of ownership, but federal statistics claim 9 percent of women own guns.”
Brian Anse Patrick, a professor at the University of Toledo who studies gun culture, has observed that, as concealed carry permits are becoming more available due to rapidly changing laws in many states, the issue of concealed carry has become mainstream and more women are carrying:
“Before the CCW laws were liberalized, the people getting trained traditionally in gun culture were the old white guys,” Patrick said. “But after (2001) women said, ‘I am a woman and at risk and it’s a pretty sensible thing to do.‘”
In Colorado, a woman named Jeanne Assam, was thrown right into the path of a mad-dog killer:
Amid deafening cracks of gunfire, smoke-spewing canisters and the flight of thousands of New Life Church members, Jeanne Assam said she suddenly saw the hallways clear and a gunman come through the door.
“I took cover. I identified myself. I engaged him. I took him down,” the 42-year-old former law officer and volunteer church security guard said Monday at a news conference in the Colorado Springs police station.
The armed attacker invading the church was carrying two handguns, an assault rifle and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition, said Sgt. Jeff Johnson of the Colorado Springs Police Department.
See also Michelle Malkin “Feminization of Gun Debate.”
“Generally a lot of women are out alone at night and they just want to feel like they have that level of protection. There are also a lot of single moms who feel it is important to protect their family and their kids in that regard.”
If you are a woman or man that has questions, comments or additional information, including statistics pertaining to concealed carry permits issued in the Seattle-Tacoma area you should send us an e-mail at knapp.m@comcast.net.
Permalink
Republished from the Firearms Lawyer/Federal Way Mirror
This year, the day after Thanksgiving saw Americans finally getting back to the business Americans love: Shopping!
FBI statistics show that a new record was set during that one Friday for background check requests from gun buyers. There were 129,166 requests to the NICS. That was a third more than the previous all-time record of 97,848 on Black Friday 2008. On Black Friday last year, there were 87,061 requests.
Some of the buyers believe that stockpiling guns is a better way to prepare for hard times than gold. Nevertheless, many of those shopping for guns at several gun stores in the Federal Way area were almost certainly women purchasing guns for their own protection.
Federal Way’s local Armed Defense Training Association has been in contact with an instructor named Jennie at Rivendell Sales and Consulting in Kent. Jennie teaches women how to shoot. She owns and operates a store that markets to women who shoot.
I asked her what ladies need to know when they first decide to buy a gun. The first consideration, she stated, is not to let someone at a gun shop — or a well-meaning significant other — sell you a small gun that “you shoot once, it hurts and you put it away.”
Jennie said a woman needs her own gun that fits. “I have seen too many ladies with a gun that does not fit their hand, one that is too large a caliber for a beginner, or they are told at some gun shop that the itty-bitty gun is just the one for them. The gun that does not fit you right just goes unused and sits on a shelf.”
Jennie encourages her students to consciously make the decision to defend their own life. “If you are killed or severely injured, how will your family function without you?”
Of course, hardly anyone ever actually states that his or her own life is not worth defending. But, despite all the philosophical and political arguments, take the steps to get trained and actually get a gun into your hands. This demonstrates that you are prepared to fight back.
Jennie demystifies the “danger” of guns. She told me, “I have seen many ladies not even sure they want to touch a gun. Her students learn quickly that a gun does not go off by itself. Once a woman realizes that she can effectively and safely operate the efficient little safety device, fear goes away and smiles start to appear.”
However, too many women take a beginner class and think that they are ready to go out on the street and deal with all the legal, physical and emotional things that go with armed self-defense.
“In order to carry for self-defense, you have to make the commitment to train and practice,” Jennie explains. “Training generally teaches you a skill and how to practice that skill; practice needs to continue on a regular basis.” Jennie recommends competition to test skills, keep skills sharp and make training interesting and fun.
“The holster that fits a slim man will usually not work for a curvy lady.” Men behind the gun counter, who have absolutely no idea what a lady needs for shooting gear, are the reason why Jennie became an instructor and opened her gun shop. Apparently, in the world of women’s self-defense, most of the old wives’ tales are perpetuated by men.
Permalink
Republished With Permission of Federal Way Mirror
Last spring, my wife and I finally got to visit our nation’s capital. I wasn’t sure how I expected to feel in D.C. because I have become so pessimistic about the direction our government is going.
I was full of profound thanksgiving for what our forefathers created, however, upon seeing the war memorials, the monuments and the classical grace and simplicity of the architecture.
It is not unusual for school children to travel to Washington, D.C. Various schools in Federal Way offer trips. Kids with families that can afford $2,000 can go and visit museums, the Capitol Building and even visit the White House in many cases. Sequoyah Middle School, for example, has such a trip planned for June 2012. There are some “Dream” scholarships available, but right now, all the kids that are signed up at Sequoyah are white.
The trouble is that kids from “underserved” families may not even apply because they feel like they would never be able to afford such a trip. A history teacher at Sequoyah said that the kids need about $4,000 more in order for five of those underserved kids to experience the pride that we felt walking around in Washington, D.C.
Imagine what it means to be a student from a family that is working hard to make ends meet — and meeting the President or the First Lady. Or imagine visiting the new Martin Luther King Memorial and Colonial Williamsburg. It is not an impossible dream, but there are certain steps that you need to take.
If you are a Sequoyah student from a family that is in need of assistance, start by writing an essay about why you want to visit D.C.
There will be interviews at Sequoyah at 3 p.m. Dec. 9. The committee conducting interviews will be looking to see how you will comport yourself. Remember, you might meet the First Lady.
Self-confidence is important. I once read a magazine article that explained how kids from high-achieving families will claim to be able to accomplish certain things even if they have little knowledge or experience in that field. But the committee is just looking for the kind of confidence that says, “I will be a positive representative for my school and Federal Way.” Be ready to tell the committee what interests you about the trip, what you want to see and what the trip will mean to you.
If Federal Way service clubs take note of the effort being made to help these kids, there may be additional help so that more than five kids can go. Funds are scarce, but this is the kind of project that can grow into a permanent benefit for students in all the schools. There will also be opportunities for the kids to participate in car washes and other fundraising.
Participation in fundraising events will help meet the requirement that each student that gets a scholarship contribute at least part of the cost. Send checks c/o Beth Parsons, 831 S. 373rd Place, Federal Way, WA 98003; make the checks out to “Sequoyah to D.C. Fund 2012.”
If I were planning the trip, we would all make a side trip to the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va., but some of you would probably prefer the trips already planned to Ford’s Theater or the Smithsonian Museums. Let’s make sure every student gets an opportunity to experience our nation’s great heritage.
Permalink
I am not sure where we found this article but I only made a few changes in it and have had it posted for a number of years.
Criminals, particularly gang members, are normally not frightened of being confronted by a citizen with a firearm. I read an FBI report where exhaustive interviews were held with incarcerated gang members. Incidentally, convicts often have nothing better to do to keep busy in prison but to practice taking guns away from you by distracting you and executing well-rehearsed moves.
Many of the old-school “truths” that we learn in the course of our firearms training are wrong. To condense the report into some of the salient points:
1. Criminals are scared of being confronted with a firearm.
False. Most gangbangers have seen plenty of firearms, have been shot at a few times, and may carry one or more gunshot scars. They are not afraid of a gunfight.
2. If you point a gun at them, they’ll run away.
False. They will most likely shoot you where you stand. If you plan to draw a firearm, you’d better be prepared to fire it immediately.
3. Crooks never practice and are really bad shots. Since I just spent $$$ on a training course, I’m superman, in comparison.
False. Gang members may not use the latest techniques, they do indeed practice, and some are quite good. They use their firearms in confrontations regularly- you don’t!
4. All it would normally take is a couple shots to end a confrontation.
False. More and more confrontations are against multiple assailants, who may not bug out when the shooting starts. That handy little Kel-Tec in your pocket is about worthless in this situation.
This info reiterates, at least to me, some key factors in carrying for self-defense.
1. Carry enough gun - sufficient caliber, sufficient ammo capacity. What’s sufficient for you is a weapon that you can shoot in a caliber that you can handle well that is light enough that you will take it with you when you leave home.
2. If you carry, be prepared to shoot. Some folks carry around a pistol like a talisman to ward off evil. They figure if they ever need to draw, they will not need to shoot. That thinking may get you killed. You might NOT have to shoot, which is fine, but don’t assume that to be the default.
Go to Gang Members Practice More Than Police.
Permalink
Have you stumbled across any extraterrestrial reptilian white-majick warlocks yet? Grey Dracos, perhaps?
Some people thrive on conspiracy theories, while other people reject the idea that conspiracies can explain historical events. The very nature of conspiracies when they do exist usually makes it difficult to provide solid documentation for historians.
The very nature of conspiracy theories is such that historically the widespread belief in conspiracies has destabilized societies in ways that can be very well documented.
For instance, the German High Command promulgated false documents, “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, purporting to be a Jewish conspiracy and utilized the documents to create paranoia in Czarist Russia and other countries. Hitler’s beliefs in a Zionist conspiracy helped to bring about the subversion of Germany’s Weimar Republic and in many quarters of Europe and the Middle East, the Protocols are still accepted at face-value as historical fact.
Another popular conspiracy theory has to do with the Illuminati. The fact that the group existed as a secret society in Germany is well documented. Adam Weishaupt, a professor of canon law (Catholic Church law), infiltrated various Masonic lodges across Continental Europe with cell groups that operated much like modern counter-intelligence networks.
Ingolstadt University, a Jesuit institution, provided a base of operations and the network recruited by appealing to a variety of beliefs, including Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, necromancy, social reform and various occultist practices that were attracting freethinkers in Europe. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin were familiar with the Illuminati and its methods. Additonally, Frederick the Great, an accomplished Freemason and master of intelligence and counter-intelligence, was quite adept at using the networks of secret societies that infested Europe in the 1700s as strategic tools to further Prussian geo-political interests.
The relevance of the Illuminati to modern political discourse owes to the allegation that the followers of Professor Weishaupt subsequently went into the publishing business, thus, promoting socialism and revolution in France and other countries. The story continues that the various factions of radicalism and occultist secret societies were ready to be knit together by an ideology that would transcend all the various threads of occult speculation, utopianism, anarchism and social reform.
In 1848, Karl Marx made his announcement that the “spectre of International Socialism” was already haunting Europe and striking fear into the hearts of Europe’s kings and aristocracy. “Das Kapital” itself is a hugely successful conspiracy theory.
Engels financed Marx’s research- research that provided an overarching rationale for forging an instrument of worldwide terror out of the assortment of strange and conflicting beliefs that constituted the earlier Internationales.
But there is a modern New Age twist that seems to position the 200 year old Illuminati boogeyman to appear as a social phenomenon that is just beginning to be recognized at this time. Please do not just turn me off because you are sick of hearing about conspiracies of the left and the right. The emerging New Age doctrine makes the Illuminati 10,000 years old. To make things stranger, the teaching purports to have a basis in the Biblical account of Genesis before the flood:
“Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”
Genesis 6: 1-4
According to the New Age interpretation of the Bible, however, the Illuminati were extra-terrestrial Nephilim that eventually inhabited ancient Babylon- and the creatures are still interbreeding, thus producing offspring- including the family of President Bush! They are allegedly manipulating politics and preparing our world for a new Babylonian tyranny, operated on an intergalactic scale and with headquarters in underground fortresses beneath major American cities. If you think this is far-fetched, just start surfing the internet- it gets more far-fetched!
David Icke, a self-professed New Age warlock and former BBC journalist, has pictures of the “reptilians” and will explain that George Bush and his co-conspirators engineered the destruction of the WTC and other terrorist attacks in order to create an Illuminati signature announcing the reptilian New World Order.
Just as in the series X-Files, there are apparently good reptilians and bad ones, with some extra-terrestrials exhorting humanity to eschew weapons of mass destruction and to learn to get along, while others are ready to turn earth into a giant slave farm in order to feed the master reptile race during its travels across space.
Some so-called Luciferians go one step further and posit that the reptilians are a sinister race of manipulators that fostered organized religion and ancient Judaism for the purpose of mind control and conformity. Thus, the God of Christianity and Judaism (and presumably Islam) is nothing more than a myth to deprive humans of our individuality. Such deceptions often contain an Anti-Semitic tendency that is also hostile to orthodox Christianity!
Fabian Socialism attracted some of the most notable social thinkers of England in the early 1900s, and conducted much of the early research pertaining to Progressive economics, trade unionism, feminism and social reformation. Eventually H. G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw, Sydney Webb and other influential intellectuals were drawn into the movement. The social framework these individuals envisioned has shaped England and the rest of the modern world. It is surprising to discover that the whole intellectual edifice of Fabianism intially developed as a result of working people gathering together for spiritualist seances in a house that was supposedly haunted. They eventually began receiving messages about economics and other matters that attracted the cadre of celebrated thinkers that transformed much of England and the rest of the world.
John Maynard Keynes, known a proponent of free markets and capitalism and apparently not one of the recognized Fabians, realized that centralizing banking functions and manipulating the value of national currencies would accelerate economic growth- at least for the shoer term.
As the Western world embraced Keynesian economics, governmental power grew and the private sector became more dependent on government programs. Modern statism is an ideology flying under many colors. Nevertheless, various forms of socialism provide the underpinnings for most modern states.
The reason that there is so little discussion of these matters today is because the Fabian program (gradually transforming society by instituting small changes in the laws of a nation and moving towards global government in increments) has become so familiar that we just shrug our shoulders and pass it off as more liberal-progressivism.
Fabian was a Roman general that used tactical deception in order to keep his enemies unaware that they were being enveloped.
Incidentally, during the Twenties & Thirties, many so-called progressives were as enthusiastic about Hitler and Mussolini’s experiments with socialism as they were about the International brand of socialism pioneered by Marx & Engels and that seemed to represent a promising future for Soviet Russia. See Liberal Fascism, by Jonah Goldberg. Isn’t it possible that New Age enthusiasts are quietly influencing U.S. politics in a similar manner today?
America has now become riddled with schemes presented as economic stimuli and “progressive” changes in the laws; i.e., just a small change here and a small change there. Keyesian economics- expanding the money supply to increase the government’s share of financial resources and deplete the value of money- has now created massive deficits that were unimaginable for Americans one year ago.
Madame Blavatsky was a Russian aristocrat living in Paris in the 1800s and her Theosphical Society was an eclectic combination of Hinduism wrapped around an arguably potent political agenda; i.e., “hidden masters” were moving through human society and inculcating the planet with higher wisdom by means of clairvoyant and direct communication via selected individuals. Theosophists still claim that these “Masters” are in touch with Devas, angelic extra-terrestrials that guide human institutions and culture by telepathy and other hidden influences.
Southern California and parts of Arizona (the whole Left-coast) have long been riddled with such cults that look to extra-errestrial “hidden masters” for inspiration and guidance.
Aldous Huxley, another intellectual from a family of England’s most notable intellectuals, used his novels as platforms to propagate “brave new worlds” where children would be cared for by the tribe rather than by nuclear families and legal systems would meld into a unified primitivism where government could be much less defined (and supposedly more nurturing and organic) because populations would be pacified (enlightened) by drug induced euphoria and Eastern mystical experiences.
In the Fifties and Sixties, Huxley and the CIA were experimenting with LSD. Aldous’ uncle, Julian Huxley, was busy promulgating a social agenda that sounded vaguely like the utopian, mushroom-eating societies favored by his nephew, Aldous. Julian’s counter-intelligence propaganda apparatus was headquartered at UNESCO, where he was head of the UN religious mission. In “Religion Without Revelation”, Julian Huxley identified the sense of the numinous (feelings of awe and religiosity) and announced that a universal world religion needed to incorporate such profound feelings by making numinosity available to everyone without the need to look to higher authority; i.e., Biblical revelation.
So what is the point?- you may well be asking. Is there something subversive about trying to conjure up religion that has roots in the Vedic system that is thousands of years old? Why shouldn’t people go to Sedona and experience shamanism while drawing power from ancient vortexes or pay thousands of dollars for spiritual and financial advice from Ramtha, an ancient warrior-demon channeled by a former housewife in Yelm, Washington? After all, she advises thousands of people, including Hollywood types, that pay thousands of dollars for seminars on relationships, finance, careers and economics.
Witchcraft (which has always been connected with the use of pharmaceuticals) and New Age religion has its roots in the same soil. The drugs, rebellion and lawlessness of the Sixties are the fruit of a secular-humanist agenda that was blue-printed by Julian Huxley under the auspices of the United Nations.
Aldous Huxley, along with Timothy Leary and other products of CIA research programs, were the Pied Pipers that lead a whole generation into a quagmire of left-wing paranoia and New Age confusion (see the book “Acid Dreams” for a psychedelicized history of how the U.S. conducted covert operations that fomented much of the craziness of the Sixties). Many people refuse to treat such issues seriously because, quite frankly, it sounds loony to discuss allegations of reptilian inter-breeding and secret societies that have their roots in Eighteenth Century Europe.
David Icke is, nevertheless, a man with a substantial following (Google reptilians) if you think I am exaggerating) and arguably poses a threat to our nation’s national security if enough people believe his audacious fables. And his New Age followers have money.
Are such conspiracy theories a threat to society? The only threat I see at this point is that Icke (or others that follow his worldview- of which there are many) may bring scorn to the followers of Christ by making it seem as if these New Age theories are actually Christian teaching; i.e., creating the appearance that Christians are fostering views that are hostile to virtually every legitimate social and religious institution (this is one of the tecniques that counter-intelligence agents use to subvert the opposition). Some of the organizations that are alleged to be Illuminati agencies include, but are not limited to, the U.S. government (especially the CIA, of course), Billy Graham’s organization and the Catholic, Baptist and Mormon Churches- all Illuminati operations, according to Icke).
In the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul instructs Christians to be good citizens and to honor governmental power and authority.
Although we have not received any information that indicates that a significant number of New Age adherents are preparing to use armed force, there is a subtle anti-Semitic influence to Icke’s theology that deserves close inspection. The fact that he worked for the BBC may explain his tendency to vilify Israel and the Jews- but he may be a professional provocateur.
The name Lyndon LaRouche somehow came to mind when I started researching these matters. Nevertheless, I have tried to find a link and have not been able to find a connection between the Icke operation and that of LaRouche.
LaRouche is most active in the Midwest and promotes a wide variety of bizarre conspiracy theories by means of a variety of fronts. The LaRouche organization makes credible claims to have at one time established substantial inroads into high levels of the Reagan Administration to the extent of sharing intelligence with the U.S. government. There is no doubt that LaRouche (and probably Icke) have extensive intelligence networks and extremely well-informed followers (albeit deluded). The LaRouche ideology is difficult to nail down but dangerous and laden with religious overtones, nevertheless. He started out as a professor at Columbia and was also affiliated with the radical SDS there (remember those lovable Weatherman “students” that blew up buildings while on their way to becoming law professors and public relations mavins, ala Bernadette Dohrn and Bill Ayers)?
Anyone that has read “The DaVinci Code” (yes, I know it is fiction), has already been introduced to the teachings of several secret societies that go by various names and coverings.
The following link is an example of a website that seems to be rooted in occult practices and beliefs similar to those referenced herein:
XML:
The “Merovingian Bloodline” is an esoteric doctrine and network of secret societies that have a pedigree purporting to relate back to a time before Charlemagne, during the time when King Dagobert II and his descendants were attempting to perpetuate the succession of the royal bloodline to the Frankish throne by claiming a genetic connection to Christ via Mary Magdalene.
Much of the supposed factual basis for these claims comes from material constituting various branches of Satanism, UFO “studies” and New Age religious teaching. There may still be powerful political and ancient family interests in Europe that are preparing to lay the groundwork for similar claims in order to reinforce and augment the claims of some future European strongman.
It seems unlikely that a European Union leader would directly make a claim to be descended from Christ. Insinuating a connection to an extra-terrestrial race is not that different than the European monarchies’ historical tradition of claiming quasi-divine status. Whatever developments may occur in Continental Europe,“The DaVinci Code” (and the “The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”, retitled “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” in the United States) have already created a predisposition in the popular imagination toward deception that neatly dovetails with the growing legions of UFO believers promulgating their own conspiracy theories; i.e., theories about the U.S. Government’s alleged cover-up of extra-terrestrial activities. “Holy Blood, Holy Grail” is a based on a pseudo-historical hoax. Written by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln, the supposed facts actually mine a wide vein of deceptions pertaining to the “Priory of Sion” in France that have been part and parcel of the European darkside for centuries.
All this sounds like the X-Files. But, as usual, I am hoping to get feedback so that I can better understand whether David Icke is a master conspirator in his own right or just a kook that is getting famous and probably generating big bucks from his own private money vortex. I predict that we will hear more and more of such matters as time goes on. There are already talk shows that discuss the reptilians and countless websites, too. If nothing else, be aware that New Age religion has a potent political aspect to it that has not even been recognized by the mass media. We could conclude that reptilian internet farms promise to be one of Planet Earth’s major growth industries!
Many New Age followers believe that a Messianic Avatar will soon make his/her appearance to initiate the Age of Aquarius and set up a government along the same Utopian principles articulated in Aldous Huxley’s novels. This Messianic-figure, sometimes referred to as “Matreiya” is already being promoted under the auspices of a UN-sponsored world religion that is a syntheisis of world religious traditions emphasising humanity and human values at the expense of traditional orthodoxy. Many traditional churches are now presenting the Gospel in a manner that avoids the “divisive” aspects of orthodoxy (Orthodoxy is non-inclusive because of orthodoxy’s claim that Christ is the exclusive path to God)). Such mainline churches present Christ as a unifier even though the Lord himself taught that the Gospel would divide families and result in conflict.
The emphasis of such teaching is on feelings and occasionally supernatural manifestations of the “spiritual” that may lead to Spiritualist practices in our churches.
It is fair to conclude that the unwritten subscript of the coming 2008 election is really about whether we will continue to be governed by traditional concepts of rights and duties, checks and balances and the original meaning of the U.S. Constitution- or a New World Order managed by the coming Messianic leader that will perform miracles and legitimize unprecedented authority over the governments of the world by claiming ties to divine power or authority originating from a humanistic supernatural vision of human destiny.
Once you understand the underlying spiritual issues, all the weirdness starts to make sense. And if it all seems harmless, remember that the Third Reich was ushered in during just such a time as this. A Spiritualist in England named Chamberlin was receiving messages by means of trances and automatic writing that articulated a new human race to be created by eugenics (genetic engineering). The U.S. had Margaret Sanger (a secularist, not a Spiritualist) but an influential thinker who successfully advocated forced sterilization for poor blacks and other groups of “defectives“); Sanger was a forerunner to the racial theorists of the Third Reich- in fact, the Nazis quoted Sanger profusely. Planned Parenthood has its roots in Sanger’s theories and that is why even crushing the head of a baby during birth (partial-birth abortion) is a procedure for which Pro-Death activists will fight vigorously.
Hitler himself was looked on as a New Age Avatar by Germany’s numerous followers of esoteric doctrines. The goal was to turn Germany and all of Europe back to the primitive values of paganism and nature-worship. See the book “Morning of the Magicians", a source book for occultist conspiracy theories that has some historical value even though written by occultists. According to the authors, Hitler’s fascination with the occult was like a glue that held the whole deception of Nazi Germany together.
We should shun anything that has to do with such deceptions and be very careful about subscribing to conspiracy theories. Nevertheless, the Scripture instructs us to expose the works of darkness and to be vigilant because the devil is constantly seeking to deceive the very elect.
Permalink
I am a member of the United States Practical Shooting Association. I also shoot in some IDPA matches and I am a member of the International Defensive Pistol Association and look forward to shooting in 3-gun competitions where I can develop shotgun, pistol and tactical rifle skills.
I heard about the Tactical Rifle Match in Custer, Washington and decided that this might be the place to start shooting multiple targets on the move with a rifle at close quarters; i.e.; IPSC style. Custer is on I-5 at Exit 270- about 12 miles south of the Canadian Border.
I had heard about the Jungle Run and drove up there with my Service Match AR-15 to get some experience. Most of my rifle shooting has been from a standing or prone position, often at 600 yards. My rifle has a synthetic military A2 stock and a 20 inch match barrel with 1:8 twist to handle heavier 80 grain .223 rounds that are ideal for the greater distances involved in service match competitions.
About a week before the match, I went up to West Coast Armory in the Bellevue Factoria area for one of their Friday night tactical rifle matches. I wanted to see how my little ACOG-style AR-332 Burris Prism Sight works in Close Quarters Combat (CQ
. My Burris sight has fixed 3-power magnification- ideal for targets that are out at 100 or even 300 yards! A target at 5 yards just fills up the whole range of vision and it becomes difficult to know whether you are aimed at the center of the target.
Nevertheless, I decided to use the Burris sight during the match at the Custer Range because it seemed to be effective on many of the targets at West Coast- about 15 yards away in most instances.
I also went up to Custer the week before the rifle match and shot a USPSA pistol match at which I had the good fortune to meet David Howlett, the Founder of the United States Tactical Rifle Association. Dave also sponsors the SWAT Rodeos for law enforcement and started the tactical rifle matches at Custer. Dave states at his USTACRA website that:
It all started in the Pacific Northwest. Over the last 9 years I spent my time designing and running Tactical Rifle matches here at our home club, Custer Sportsmen’s Club in Custer Washington, I developed the best ways of designing and building shooting stage’s that test the operators’ ability to shoot fast and accurately, while requiring a blend of indexing, transitioning and footwork.
Fully testing the shooter’s ability to think, shoot, and react within a complex array of shooting zones.
But what really got my attention is when David told me that twelve years ago the Lord prompted him through the Holy Spirit to start learning how to shoot.
With no law enforcement experience or military background and virtually little or no interest in guns at that time, Dave has since become a leader in the Northwest when it comes to conducting training, competition and leadership for shooters at a number of different levels of skill, including the elite tactical forces that participate in SWAT Rodeos.
You can see Howlett’s skills shooting the POF Predator or when he tests the AR LOKI weapon systems rifle. He tested the PWS long stroke gas piston DC-10 and has other videos of himself demonstrating the STRAC Tech FAST System and the FAST System 3 AR magazine holder with the PWS DC-10. See Howlett demos.
Needless to say, I did not shoot like the competitors in the above linked videos. Most of the courses of fire had considerably over thirty rounds. David gave me some extra thirty-round mags to use and I carried them in a holder on my belt that I acquired at Federal Way Discount Guns the week before the match.
I quickly realized that putting a lighter stock on my rifle with a red-dot sight was not going to be all I needed to get in and out of the narrow hallways, windows and other obstacles- like tables that force the shooter to get down on the ground and shoot from a prone or nearly prone position. So I went to Rainier Arms in Auburn and asked Aristotle what it would take to convert my service match rifle into a tactical rifle.
There is no cost effective way to rebuild my rifle but Rainier Arms has a new proprietary tactical rifle that brings together many of the ideal components I need at a surprisingly low price. The Rainier Urban Combat rifle (RUC) is lightweight and the first 100 will come equipped with a Geiselle 2-stage trigger.
I got the opportunity to shoot many of the courses that are featured in the linked videos including the one where we leap out of a parked car and engage targets. The Jungle Run included some targets that were out at about 100 yards and I nailed all three of those targets due to the fact that a table was available for a good bench rest- and my Burris sight with the “unique Ballistic CQ reticle.”
Talking to David has convinced me that any time and money that we invest in preparing for the tough times ahead is worth the price. As you make the sacrifices that it takes to become skilled in the use of arms, you will meet some of your finest neighbors from all walks of life. The folks that shoot USPSA, IDPA and 3-gun matches include law enforcement, top “civilian” shooters.
Most of these folks will take time to help someone that really wants to learn and include LEOs and veterans returned from the war on terror like Jarret, a Marine helicopter pilot that I also met at a USPSA match at Custer. He and Dave Howlett work for Next Level Training in Ferndale, Washington. The CEO at Next Level is Mike Hughes from last season on Top Shot. Incidentally, I keep hearing rumors that one of our Federal Way cops will be featured on the next season of Top Shot starting next spring.
Everywhere I go, I meet Christians with a similar experience- the Lord talks to us. As we read and ponder, many of us- including many pastors- are getting the same message to get out and get trained with both spiritual and physical weapons.
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. Proverbs 22:3
Permalink
The internet has made it possible for average citizens to plunge into cyberspace and learn the secrets of the Matrix by obtaining information about our local communities that was never available in the past. Until recently, most Federal Way news was from two Federal Way newspapers and Seattle and Tacoma news outlets that focused on Seattle and Tacoma stories.
The modern Matrix of social media, websites and online forums empowers every citizen with an interest in journalism to deliver news to an audience potentially as huge as that of the Seattle Times. Citizen journalists may not be able to deliver the news to a reader’s doorstep but we can do even better! Thanks to the Matrix, activists, community organizers and agents of change can deliver the news to your cell phone and even right to the top of your desk!
The town of Vernon, New Jersey is an interesting example of the powerful potential for change presented by the internet. Vernon’s town government operated like Federal Way did not so long ago under a “council-manager” government. The city council, not the people, elected the mayor.
The result in Vernon was that corruption in Vernon became so bad that the citizens issued a declaration of independence. The solution that led to reform in Vernon’s government was for the people to elect a strong, honest mayor! The change was initiated by a local online newspaper named THE REVERED REVIEW.
Another catalyst for change is social networking media such as Twitter. Chris Carrel, the Communications Coordinator for our Federal Way government, recently told me that social media is an incredibly interesting area to explore because of the opportunity for 2-way communication. The City is cautiously moving forward with a plan to interact with Federal Way residents by launching a Facebook page and Twitter stream managed by Chris.
Chris told me that the project is a 1-year pilot project, with an eye towards measuring the City’s ability to build an audience and the effectiveness of the new tools in communicating with the public. City departments will forward messages, news and photos to Chris to post or tweet. The Community Center will have also have a sub-page on Facebook. Other departments have the option during the pilot period to undertake their own Facebook page or Twitter stream.
Just as in Matrix- the movie- the Social Media Matrix contains the potential for creating destructive phenomenon like the flash mobs now being utilized for robbery, looting and to foment chaos. It has become critical for law enforcement to understand the potential of social media for enabling criminal activity like we saw in London. But it is also critical for law enforcement to understand how to utilize social media proactively to prevent violence.
Federal Way Police Department may want to consider the option of utilizing social media for 2-way communication with the community. During the London riots that spread to other English towns and cities, the police utilized Twitter and other social media to follow up on rumors and prevent the rampant speculation that occurs when whole neighborhoods are burned and homes and shops invaded by gangs of thugs.
According to Mark Payne, a Superintendent with the West Midlands Police, England’s TV channels were publishing banner headlines directly from his tweets. The Superintendant stated that he gained 5000 extra followers within 24 hours after the riots started. Payne provided advice worth passing on to the community and especially to the FWPD.
You need to understand what you are doing and develop a follower base so people start to trust your voice on a daily basis and turn to you for information in a crisis. Be brave –the benefits of using social media outweigh the potential pitfalls. One of the benefits of social media is that there are already networks of engaged citizens in Federal Way just waiting to talk to law enforcement.
FWPD can answer the public’s questions and promote established principles of community policing with Twitter and Facebook. Encourage individual officers to engage through social media. Twitter and other social media can add a personal dimension to a local officer that used to be more common when officers always walked their daily beats in the same part of town.
When local government officials and concerned citizens get involved on a local basis, the big media news outlets will also be impacted. Social media can help to reassure people and dispel rumors during emergencies. By sharing news locally, every citizen of Federal Way can now impact our community and the nation- even the world- by engaging in honest communication and dialogue at a local level.
Permalink
Republished with permission; Firearms Lawyer, Federal Way Mirror
I practically learned to read from the pages of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern and the Flash! I have been a life long avid reader. After having studied all kinds of history, great literature and other weighty subjects, I am still fascinated by the idea of Batman stopping criminals by sheer wits, athleticism and clever technology.
Imagine standing outside a Federal Way nightclub when a big guy runs out the door, rips off his shirt in the middle of the street and gives every indication that he is about to violently assault a bystander.
Would you try to be a hero and help the innocent bystander?
A new breed of real life superheroes is rapidly becoming mainstream. The Seattle area’s own masked hero, Phoenix Jones (aka Benjamin Fodor), recently came to the aid of patrons outside a Seattle nightclub. He was just kind of hovering nearby, then landed in the middle of a confrontation very similar to the scenario described above.
The superhero, wearing a brightly shining muscle suit, shot pepper spray at the aggressor — then flew off to stop a fight that was allegedly in progress. Seattle police arrested the real life superhero, which resulted in Fodor removing his mask and thus disclosing his secret identity. At the time of writing this report, he had not been charged.
Some of these superheroes wear capes and even bulletproof vests. It seems to just be a matter of time before the avengers will arm themselves with weapons more deadly than pepper spray. After all, the last Batman movie that I saw showed Batman surrendering to modern times with firepower that equaled that of a special forces unit.
The problem is that mixing guns with masks really gets some law enforcement officers upset. Right now, the only law enforcement officers that get to wear the fabulous black Baklava headgear in public are SWAT team members.
This could change if other officers start moonlighting as superheroes. But the volunteer Batman-types will need a governing body — a Justice League of America, perhaps — to ensure that high superhero standards are maintained.
Edward Stinson, a writer from Boca Raton, Fla., who advises real-life superheroes, tells aspiring superheroes: “You’re no longer in the shadows. You’re in a new era. … Build trust. Set standards. Make the real-life superheroes work to earn that title and take some kind of oath.”
The website www.reallifesuperheroes.org lists 660 members around the world. The site even lists superheroes in England, and many do other charity work.
Come on, Federal Way service clubs. Every club should be sponsoring at least one superhero.
A whole network of masked vigilantes has appeared in Seattle over the past year. According to the Tacoma News Tribune, some heroes advocate for a non-profit association of heroes to conduct fundraising and outreach — and tactical superhero training.
Masked volunteers first appeared in the 1970s in places like San Diego and now include folks from all walks of life. In Federal Way, there’s a superhero dubbed SkyMan who focuses his efforts on aiding the homeless.
Any young entrepreneur you meet, however, may someday become a real life Batman. It doesn’t take billions of dollars to patrol the night in the name of truth and justice, unless you want to have a fully equipped secret cave under your mansion — or you are the Department of Homeland Security.
Permalink
The Seattle Black Panther Party, founded in 1968, was an armed defense group that holds a controversial record in modern American history. The Seattle Black Panthers was the first BPP chapter formed outside California. The Black Panthers based its armed defense for the black community on an understanding of the U.S. Constitution that sometimes led to violent encounters with law enforcement. Nevertheless, the Seattle Panthers avoided the shootouts with police that were often associated with Panthers who also were known for providing lunches to school kids and other worthwhile community service.
On one occasion, several Black Panthers grabbed their guns and drove to Rainier Beach. The Panthers walked into Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School with their weapons and told the principal that he needed to start protecting Black students from being harassed or the Panthers would return. The police arrived but the Panthers left with no further problems.
In 1967, thirty Oakland Black Panthers, concerned that the California state legislature was about to outlaw the public display of guns, had appeared in full paramilitary regalia in front of the capital building- all fully armed! The fact that they were arrested for conspiracy to disturb the peace did not deter the Seattle Panthers.
After the incident at the Rainier Beach High, Seattle Mayor, J.D. Braman pushed to have a gun law passed that would put restrictions upon firearms in the city. In February, 1969, legislators in Olympia were also passing a new law that would make it a gross misdemeanor to exhibit firearms or other weapons in a manner manifesting intent to intimidate others. The Panthers stood on the capitol steps with rifles and shotguns to protest the pending gun legislation. Washington State Patrol officers just told the Panthers to put the guns away. The Panthers complied and no arrests resulted because no laws had been broken.
Some legislators and citizens reacted by proclaiming that the Panthers had demonstrated “open and active anarchy and rebellion.” Governor Evans promoted restraint during the incident and rebuked Lieutenant Governor Cherberg for calling in the state patrol during the Governor’s absence. The Bellevue High School even invited the Panthers to come to a Civics class where the Panthers were able to explain their philosophy of self-defense to the students.
The law enacted at that time by the Washington State Legislature- still in effect- prohibits display of a weapon in “a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that either manifests an intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons.”
The legislature apparently included the language pertaining to display that “warrants alarm for the safety of other persons” in order to discourage further displays of armed force at the state capitol. Lawyers have challenged that language for being vague and arbitrary. In the 1994 case of STATE V. SPENCER, the Washington courts upheld a conviction under RCW 9.41.270 when a man with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder and a loaded magazine walked through a residential area just North of Federal Way with his head down avoiding eye contact.
Like the quotation that came out of one famous U.S. Supreme Court obscenity case- the justices knew obscenity when they saw it- the judges in Washington state seemed to know display warranting alarm when they saw it and held that Spencer had unlawfully displayed his weapon. But every time there is a new attempt to ban certain firearms, some gun advocates come openly armed to the Capitol Building in Olympia. The Washington State Patrol still acknowledges the citizens’ First Amendment and Second Amendment rights and refuses to harass armed citizens sitting and standing in the hearing rooms and corridors of our state legislature. Maybe we can thank the Black Panthers for paving the way!
Permalink
The Seattle Black Panther Party, founded in 1968, was an armed defense group that holds a controversial record in modern American history. The Seattle Black Panthers was the first BPP chapter formed outside California. The Black Panthers based its armed defense for the black community on an understanding of the U.S. Constitution that sometimes led to violent encounters with law enforcement.
The Seattle Panthers avoided the shootouts with police that were often associated with Panthers who also were known for providing lunches to school kids and other worthwhile community service.
On one occasion, several Black Panthers grabbed their guns and drove to Rainier Beach. The Panthers walked into Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School with their weapons and told the principal that he needed to start protecting Black students from being harassed or the Panthers would return. The police arrived but the Panthers left with no further problems.
In 1967, thirty Oakland Black Panthers, concerned that the California state legislature was about to outlaw the public display of guns, had appeared in full paramilitary regalia in front of the capital building- all fully armed! The fact that they were arrested for conspiracy to disturb the peace did not deter the Seattle Panthers.
After the incident at the Rainier Beach High, Seattle Mayor, J.D. Braman pushed to have a gun law passed that would put restrictions upon firearms in the city. In February, 1969, legislators in Olympia were also passing a new law that would make it a gross misdemeanor to exhibit firearms or other weapons in a manner manifesting intent to intimidate others. The Panthers stood on the capitol steps with rifles and shotguns to protest the pending gun legislation. Washington State Patrol officers just told the Panthers to put the guns away. The Panthers complied and no arrests resulted because no laws had been broken.
Some legislators and citizens reacted by proclaiming that the Panthers had demonstrated “open and active anarchy and rebellion.” Governor Evans promoted restraint during the incident and rebuked Lieutenant Governor Cherberg for calling in the state patrol during the Governor’s absence. The Bellevue High School even invited the Panthers to come to a Civics class where the Panthers were able to explain their philosophy of self-defense to the students.
The law enacted at that time by the Washington State Legislature- still in effect- prohibits display of a weapon in “a manner, under circumstances, and at a time and place that either manifests an intent to intimidate another or that warrants alarm for the safety of other persons.”
The legislature apparently included the language pertaining to display that “warrants alarm for the safety of other persons” in order to discourage further displays of armed force at the state capitol. Lawyers have challenged that language for being vague and arbitrary. In the 1994 case of STATE V. SPENCER, the Washington courts upheld a conviction under RCW 9.41.270 when a man with an AK-47 slung over his shoulder and a loaded magazine walked through a residential area just North of Federal Way with his head down avoiding eye contact.
Like the quotation that came out of one famous U.S. Supreme Court obscenity case- the justices knew obscenity when they saw it- judges in Washington state seemed to know display warranting alarm when they saw it and held that Spencer had unlawfully displayed his weapon.
But every time there is a new attempt to ban certain firearms, some gun advocates come openly armed to the Capitol Building in Olympia. The Washington State Patrol still acknowledges the citizens’ First Amendment and Second Amendment rights and refuses to harass armed citizens sitting and standing in the hearing rooms and corridors of our state legislature. Maybe we can thank the Black Panthers for paving the way!
Permalink:: Next Page >>
