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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

An Anti-Jail Break.

Not exactly Escape from Alcatraz here. From the old hometown of New Orleans. 

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A 29-year-old man was arrested Wednesday (March 13) after allegedly attempting to scale a wall to climb into the secure grounds of the Orleans Justice Center jail.

Dylon Guidry was booked with attempted burglary, resisting arrest by force, trespassing and attempting to bring contraband into the jail, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson’s office said.

The unusual anti-jailbreak occurred around 1:36 p.m., the sheriff’s office said, after deputies spotted the man wearing a white shirt and cargo shorts attempting to climb a wall behind the OPSO’s Temporary Detention Center...

Guidry was apprehended about 11 minutes later by deputies from OPSO’s Investigative Services Bureau...

...The OPSO said the contraband allegation against the suspect stemmed from his attempt to bring a cellphone into the facility when he tried to scale the wall.
Let's all get a good laugh and to all my fellow cops out there, remember, we should take dudes like this. They are job security. 

Thank you Joe Sbisa for the link.

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Lessons Learned From A Cop’s Death

Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.

 

Otto von Bismarck

Chancellor of Germany 1871-1890

 

In my time in law enforcement, I’ve reviewed countless videos of officer involved deadly force incidents, and where officers get killed or critically injured. It’s not to blame the deceased, but to learn from their actions to prevent another cop being injured or killed. Much like as the armed forces embraced the after-action review in the 1970s, law enforcement is also using it to improve our operations.  

 

When I was a field trainer (and field training supervisor), a bible for instruction was from the 1970s. Officer Down: Code Three, by Pierce Brooks is still an excellent reference on things that get cops killed. When I was instructing new officers, I would assign them a chapter a night to read, and we would review the points the next day. 

 

The Las Cruces NM Police Department lost an officer a month ago. The officer approached a suspect who was originally non-hostile. The suspect then pulled out a kitchen knife, charged the officer, and stabbed him to death. The suspect was killed by a civilian with his personal pistol (I thought that never happened) coming to the aide of the officer.

 

Back to Officer Down: Code Three, the book list ten critical mistakes that get cops killed. Looking at this video, I see three apparent missteps that are covered by the writing: Relaxing too soon; Missing the danger signs, and; Failure to watch their hands. 



 

 

Looking at the video, the first thing to notice is how quickly the suspect jumps up as the officer approaches. The suspect has taken himself from a tactically weak position (on the ground with legs crossed) to a much stronger one (standing, able to run or engage). The implication is the suspect sees the officer as a threat and he is preparing to react. A definite danger sign missed.

 

Next, the suspect begins talking to the cop, seemingly in a friendly way. In a way that implies “I’m not a danger to you.” We can only assume the officer did not see him as the threat he was. 

 

The officer continues to approach with his hands in his jacket pocket. He doesn’t see the suspect as a threat and has relaxed to a point. But as you see the suspect quickly starts to move towards the officer and pulls the knife out. The officer doesn’t have the time to react, specifically pull his pistol out and fire. 

 

Yes YouTube use of force and police tactics experts, a kitchen knife is a deadly weapon. Don’t believe that? Shove one between a couple ribs and tell me how that feels. 

 

Reviewing the video, another critical point. As the cop approaches, the suspect has his arms crossed so the officer cannot see his hands. Something drilled into cops in every instruction, hands are what kills you. They are what strike you directly or handle the weapons that do injury or kill you. 

 

This video shows how the “21 Foot Rule” is applicable in law enforcement. Again, from the 1970s, it shows how quickly a man with a knife can charge and injure a cop with a gun before the cop can get his pistol out. There is a reason we train officers to approach with the pistol side back, hand on the weapon and the holster unlocked. It gives the officer the chance pull his weapon a bit faster, when a fraction of a second matters. 

 

To emphasis again, I am in no way ridiculing an officer (RIP). I am showing the lessons to be learned on the last call he took, and hopefully this will keep other cops from suffering a similar result.


Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Another example of deafening silence.

Gregory (Scotland Yard detective): Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?


Holmes: To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.

Gregory: The dog did nothing in the night-time.

Holmes: That was the curious incident.

 

Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Gregory, Silver Blaze, by Sir Author Conan Doyle.



On Sunday February 11th, I was driving home from work around 200pm and noticed two Harris County Sheriff’s Office shops (also known as patrol cars) “running hot,” i.e.,lights, sirens, etc. I didn’t pay it much attention, it’s a not uncommon event in Houston TX.

 

A minute later I noticed a third car running hot. Then a fourth.  I assumed it was serious, like a unit “dropping an assist.” The call “Assist the Officer” means an officer is in danger and requires immediate backup. That was an understatement.

 

An active shooter call dropped at Joel Osteen’s mega-church, Lakewood. The attack occurred just as they were starting Spanish service, and the shooter was armed with a “rifle.” Fortunately two cops working off duty security at the church immediately engaged and terminated the suspect.

 

During the Super Bowl I checked on updates to the shooting and the POS was described as a “transgender female” using a “rifle” for the attack, with a 4–5-year-old child. In speaking with an officer on the scene, the POS (I will not mention its name, for multiple reasons, more to come) was using the child as a human shield. Unfortunately, the boy (the POS’s child) was hit and is in critical condition. However, thanks to the quick work of the two cops on the scene, the POS only shot one man in the leg and he should make a full recovery. 

Again, I find it curious that a mass shooting, in Texas, by a shooting using an “assault rifle” has not made a bigger splash in the  news. During the Super Bowl I checked the local channels and understandably they were updating as news became available. I checked my NY Times emails from Sunday afternoon and did not see a “breaking news” alert on an active shooter in Houston. I reviewed their emails from Monday and it showed nothing. 

 

They did actually have a decent summary on Tuesday 2/13/24, including the ”’Palestine” on the rifle, but nothing on the shooter being a ”transgender.” They did update their report on Wednesday 2/14/24, questioning how a mentally disturbed “woman” who had been involuntarily committed for phycological evaluation could purchase a firearm. But something was missing. The shooter was a ”transgender”

 

From the latest, the shooter is a biological female who “transitioned” to male, and apparently decided to go back to being a female (this is subject to change without notice). There are multiple reports referencing the shooters mental issues. Fair enough. But dare I say it, the fact  the shooter is a “trans” is a mental issue. From Psychology Today:


Individuals who identify as transgender tend to experience higher rates of mental health issues than the general population. While approximately 6.7 percent of the general U.S. population suffers from depression and 18 percent grapple with some iteration of an anxiety disorder, nearly half of all individuals who identify as transgender experience these issues. What's more, over 41 percent of trans men and women are estimated to have attempted suicide — a rate that's nearly nine times as high as the rate of cisgender Americans. 

 

I have no doubt if this shooter has a MAGA hat on or attended a Trump rally it would be front, center and above the fold on page one of every paper in the country. 

 

Exaggeration? I don’t think so. Remember in March 2023, a “transgender male” entered The Covenant School, murdered three children and three adults before being killed by responding officers. Almost immediately reports of the shooters manifesto surfaced, but authorities were against releasing it. If a trial was pending, that would be understandable, it could be used in the investigation. As the shooter was dead, there is no custodial interview conducted. But it was fortunately leaked (The people who were very happy Dobbs v Jackson was leaked were upset at this. I wonder why?) and showed a lot of motive. Politically incorrect motive. 

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TND) — Portions of the manifesto belonging to Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale are circulating social media after months of debate regarding its release.

 

Steven Crowder, the host of the Louder with Crowder talk show, shared leaked images from the manifesto Monday morning. The pages released by Crowder allegedly reveal the intentions behind Hale's deadly attack.

 

Wanna kill all you little c*******," one page from the manifesto reads. "Bunch of little f****** w/ your white privlages f*** you f******…"

 

 Hale's manifesto includes an hour-by-hour calendar of the tragic day, which Hale called "Death Day," including everything from "getting dressed" and "eat breakfast" to "prepare for attack" and "time 2 die."

 

I'm a little nervous, but excited too. Been excited for the past 2 weeks," Hale allegedly wrote. "Can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm ready... I hope my victims aren't."

 

I have also not heard from President Biden, his VP, or any other member of the DC Establishment (the local federal agencies have been very involved with the investigation). And I doubt I will. The facts don’t fit the template. 

 

I’ll monitor this and update as needed. But I have no doubt it will be off the national news by the end of the week. 

Monday, February 5, 2024


I visited Boston and the USS Constitution around 20 years ago. Great long weekend in Bean Town, and I’ve recovered from my concussion on the ship. Be carful on that ship as men were shorter when she first sailed and the ceiling, and the cross  members sporting them, were low. 

I know the Navy works to manage the wear and tear on the Constitution. They sail it once a year, and rotate which side is docked to even out sun and water wear. I heard the Navy had a small forest of white oak to handle the ships repairs and maintenance. Here is the story  oh how that came about.

Where does a 225-year-old working warship get its parts? At the Navy forest, of course

A forest owned by the U.S. Navy in Indiana ensures that the U.S.S. Constitution—named by George Washington and built with bolts forged by Paul Revere—stays afloat and at the ready.

In the early 1970s, as the United States began preparing for its Bicentennial, Boston decided that the U.S.S. Constitution would be a focal point of the city’s anniversary celebrations, with a new museum to the celebrated warship opening at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

The three-masted heavy frigate, launched in 1797, was named by George Washington and built with copper bolts forged by Paul Revere. Black-sided and red-bottomed, with a single, stark white running stripe, Constitution protected American ships against the French in the undeclared Quasi-War of 1798-1800 and quelled pirate attacks in the Mediterranean during the First Barbary War. The armed vessel defeated five British warships in the War of 1812, and it was in the wake of one of those battles—in which the American crew watched enemy cannonballs bounce harmlessly off Constitution’s white-oak hull—that the warship earned its famous nickname: “Old Ironsides...”

...The Constitution fulfilled its last mission, seizing a slave ship near the Congo River, in 1853 but remains today a fully commissioned warship of the U.S. Navy and—225 years after its launching— the oldest warship still afloat anywhere on Earth, moored in Boston Harbor’s chilly waters.

In 1906, after decades of work as a training ship along the east coast, the Navy made its first attempt to restore Constitution to its original War of 1812 configuration. In order to maintain the ship’s seaworthiness, a near-full restoration would need to be undertaken every 10 years.

But when the Navy went looking for materials to repair Constitution ahead of the 1976 Bicentennial, the enormous white oaks needed for the restoration of Old Ironsides were hard to find in the Northeast, so supervisors at the Boston Naval Shipyard scoured the Midwest and eventually bought timber from a private seller in Ohio.

“Someone in the Navy caught wind of it and wondered why they didn’t just come another four or five hours west, where they had fantastic white oak right on Navy property that they could have gotten for free,” recalls Trent Osmon, the environmental manager at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Crane, a Navy installation 35 miles southwest of Bloomington, Indiana.

That pricey decision prompted the Navy in 1976 to begin harvesting white oak for the U.S.S. Constitution at NSA Crane. To celebrate the occasion, they established Constitution Grove, a ceremonial 40-acre dedicated section of forest on the sprawling base where much of the timber that keeps the formidable warship afloat is harvested. Today, NSA Crane is the only forest in the U.S. managed by the Navy to support its fleet...

...In one corner of NSA Crane’s expanse of white oak trees is the 40-acre area known as Constitution Grove. The white oak trees are tall and slender, with branches that start high in the trunk, culminating in a canopy that blocks most sunlight from reaching the ground.

This part of the forest was originally selected by the Navy due to its high concentration of high-quality white oak. And while Osmon and his crew harvest trees from across the Navy base for use on Constitution, most of it is tagged and felled right in Constitution Grove...

...After felling what it needs for Constitution’s upkeep, the Navy sells the rest of its harvest to private furniture and piano makers, and, thanks to tylosis—the unique cell structure that makes white oak waterproof—bourbon cask-making for distillers just a short drive south in Kentucky’s famed bourbon country...

...Maintenance of a 225-year-old, 304-foot-long wooden warship is a constant job, and in the 50-odd years that Constitution Grove has supplied timbers for the maintenance of Constitution, Osmon estimates that 114 white oaks have been felled for the two most recent dry-dock restorations of Old Ironsides.

...In a dry-dock restoration, Constitution is lifted out of the water for examination and repairs of its wooden hull below the waterline under the watchful eye of Robert Murphy, the production manager at Naval History and Heritage Command, Detachment Boston. Then the copper sheathing that protects the submerged section of vessel is removed, allowing Murphy’s team to more closely study the normally submerged section of the hull, looking for sections to repair and potentially replace. Armed with that knowledge, and knowing exactly how much wood Constitution will need, Murphy’s team contacts Osmon with an order for how many trees to fell for restoration of the storied warship...

...In felling trees for Old Ironside’s hull planks, Osmon’s forestry team seeks out mature trees anywhere from 110 to 125 years old and 120-130 feet tall, which are then loaded on commercial trucks and taken to New England. There, the ship’s caretakers mill the enormous white oaks into hull planks that stretch up to 40 feet long, with leftover pieces repurposed for more ornamental flourishes around the ship, such as handrails and trim...

My best friend passed on a few years back. I remember him showing me in Jane's Fighting Ships the one listed "Sail Frigate," the USS Constitution. He was annoyed because he wanted another carrier  named that, but I said no, let's have something historical like this with such a proud name. 

To the men and women who man that ship and work to keep her up, a grateful nation says thank you. 

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

What is the problem here.

I have a close friend who retired from the police four years ago. I've know his kids their entire lives, and he's a great dad and was a great cop. And it pains him to tell his son, "Do not go into the police." The scrutiny of every action you do is beyond believe right now. We're raising generations of kids to be against law and order, and we have an administration allowing an invasion of criminals over our southern border. 

You want another great example of why police are getting the hell out of the job. From the New York Police Department: 



NEW YORK — A group of migrants pummeled NYPD officers attempting to make an arrest outside a shelter in Times Square, police and sources said Tuesday.

Two officers and a lieutenant from the NYPD’s Midtown South Precinct approached the group of men outside a migrant shelter on West 42nd Street near Seventh Avenue around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, cops said...

The officers had been trying to break up the disorderly crowd outside the Candler Building, where the city announced the opening of a mega-shelter in March. When the cops attempted to put one of the men under arrest, multiple people attacked, according to authorities.

The men kicked and punched the officers in the head and body, video released by police shows.

“They were kicking and punching one of the cops,” a security guard in the area told the Daily News on Tuesday. “They mobbed [the cops]. It was wild.”

The lieutenant suffered a cut to his face during the melee. He was treated on the scene along with his colleagues, according to cops.

Two 19-year-old men, a 24-year-old man and a 21-year-old man were arrested at the scene. All were charged with assault on a police officer...

Four of the suspects were released without bail following arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court...

New York Post, first, they are not "migrants," but illegal aliens. But four suspects, who have no connections to the area (family, jobs, etc) charged with assaulting a peace officer, are cited and released! All they have to do is walk off and there is nothing we can do, unless they are unlucky enough to get busted again and (going out on a limb here). From the PBA president:
“Attacks on police officers are becoming an epidemic, and the reason is [the] revolving door we’re seeing in cases like this one,” Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement. “It is impossible for police officers to deal effectively with crime and disorder if the justice system can’t or won’t protect us while we do that work...”
I've said it too many times to count. The police are joining the fire department, i.e., they are signing on, answering their calls for service, but doing nothing self initiated. You can't take risks these days. And why would you? God knows, the ex-cop now in charge of New York will not back you up. NYPD, watch yourselves, you are targets now. God Bless. 

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Where the Constitution is silent...

One of the points I've learned is almost six decades on this Earth is any bureaucracy, no matter how well planned or executed, has only one purpose. To insure its own existence. An interesting concept put forth by commentator Mark Levin in his book The Liberty Amendments is to sunset every federal agency every five years. These departments and agencies would have  them justify their existence and organization to the Congress at regular a  regular interval. 

Too much you think? Well, in the lead up to New Year's 2000, we spent a fortune on preparing for the end of days because of software issues in computers. The world did not end on 1/1/00, but the federal department that oversaw Y2K prep until 2017.

I found this article interesting about the Supreme Court reviewing the power of federal agencies to interpret federal law. A major issue with the bureaucracy is they can put out regulations with the power of law, but there is little or no legislative oversight, and if you get called inot a labor court or other hearing, you are guilty until you prove your innocence (slight exaggeration).

From today's Washington Post

Supreme Court divided over whether to curb the power of federal agencies


A divided Supreme Court debated whether and how to curtail the power of federal agencies Wednesday, with liberals urging the court to defer to the judgment of government experts and conservatives saying courts should not automatically favor government regulators over private companies, industry or individuals in litigation...

The high court was considering challenges to federal rules requiring commercial fishermen to pay for at-sea monitors. But the court’s decision has the potential to limit the flexibility of federal agencies to regulate vast swaths of American life, including the environment, financial markets, public health and the workplace.

Conservatives have long targeted the framework set in 1984 in Chevron U.S.A. v. Natural Resources Defense Council because it requires judges to defer to the reasonable interpretation of federal agency officials charged with administering ambiguous federal laws....

On Wednesday, Justices Brett M. Kavanaugh and Neil M. Gorsuch, both nominees of President Donald Trump, took turns peppering the Biden administration with skeptical questions as Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar defended the Trump administration initiative — and the longstanding Chevron precedent.

(Justices Brett) Kavanaugh said Chevron has allowed federal agencies to flip flop and impose new rules each time a new administration takes over, leaving judges with little choice but defer to the changing interpretations of agency officials.

“Something needs to be fixed here,” said (Justice Neil) Gorsuch, who has previously called for overturning the precedent.

I see the issue with the Chevron case, and Justice Gorsuch is right, the bureaucracy is going far beyond what this ruling meant, IMHO. But I really find this interesting:

The court’s three liberal justices — Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson — expressed concern about shifting power to unelected judges to make technical and scientific policy decisions when laws passed by Congress are not crystal clear.

“Judges should know what they don’t know,” Kagan said.

Jackson said she is worried about "courts becoming uber-legislators.”

Justice Kagan is worried about judges ruling on what they don't know! Justice Kagan, you voted in Dobbs v Jackson that the opinion of seven lawyers in black robes should overrule the citizens and governments of the fifty states, in violation of the 10th Amendment. Justice Jackson, that is exactly what you wanted when you voted against the Dobbs decision. And let's not forget Justice Sotomayor saying courts of appeal set government policy. 

Ladies, it's not that you don't the judicial branch making policy or policy decisions, taking the legitimate decision from the legislative. You only want that with your preferred legislative policies. 

Sorry, a major effort of the next Republican administration is to continue the work of the Trump presidency in appointing judges that will interpret the Constitution, and, in the wise worlds of the late Judge Robert Bork, "...where the Constitution is silent, leaves the policy struggles to Congress, the president, the legislatures and executives of the 50 states and to the American people . . . ."

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Seditious Bureaucrats

This was in  National Review and I find it interesting:

Striking against the Federal Government Is a Felony

Al-Monitor reports that “federal employees across nearly two dozen agencies plan to walk off the job Tuesday to protest the Biden administration’s handling of the Gaza war.” They have organized a group called “Feds United for Peace” and are coordinating the walkout to occur on the 100th day since Israel began its operations in Gaza. “One of the walkout organizers said that rather than quit, they felt ‘a moral obligation and a patriotic duty’ to influence change from inside,” the story says...

From the original story:

US government employees plan walkout over Biden’s Gaza policies

Organizers of the effort told Al-Monitor they expect hundreds to join in their walkout after securing commitments from individuals at 22 federal agencies.

WASHINGTON — US federal employees across nearly two dozen agencies plan to walk off the job Tuesday to protest the Biden administration’s handling of the Gaza war, according to organizers of the dissent effort who spoke to Al-Monitor. 

The group — calling itself Feds United for Peace — consists of dozens of government employees who will be observing a “Day of Mourning” to mark 100 days of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The organizers, who are choosing to remain anonymous, say they expect “easily hundreds” of others to join in their walkout after securing commitments from individuals at 22 federal agencies. 

According to a list obtained by Al-Monitor, those include the Executive Office of the President, the National Security Agency, the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs as well as US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Naval Research Laboratory. 

Others expected to join in the protest work for agencies including the Food and Drug Administration, the National Park Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. 

The planned walkout reflects mounting anger among US officials over the Biden administration’s refusal to call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, where health officials in the Hamas-run territory say more than 23,000 people have died in three months, most of them civilians. The United Nations estimates that around 85% of the population — some 1.9 million Palestinians — have been displaced. 

One of the walkout organizers told Al-Monitor their initiative “grew out of a collective desire to do what we could to influence the Biden administration’s policy on this issue…” 

Now one of the facts people, particularly regressive on the left is they are filled with Anti-Semites. They want an immediate cease fire that will leave Hamas still functional, not held to account for their actions in the attack, and still a threat to Israel. Exaggeration? Again, from Al-Monitor

Two US officials, including one working in the State Department bureau that oversees arms transfers, have publicly resigned in protest. Josh Paul, who served as the director of congressional and public affairs for the department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, cited the administration’s “blind support for one side” as being among his reasons for leaving.

One of the walkout organizers said that rather than quit, they felt “a moral obligation and a patriotic duty” to influence change from inside. They blamed the White House for policy decisions they lament, including the obstruction of cease-fire resolutions at the United Nations and weapons sales to Israel that have bypassed Congress… 

…Asked if they tried to address their concerns internally, they said, “Unequivocally, the answer is yes…”  

Two points I would like to make from these “concerned staffers.” One, their strike is illegal. from National Review:


5 U.S.C. § 7311 makes it illegal for federal workers to go on strike: “An individual may not accept or hold a position in the Government of the United States . . . if he . . . participates in a strike, or asserts the right to strike, against the Government of the United States.”


18 U.S.C. § 1918  proscribes the penalty: “Whoever violates the provision of section 7311 . . . shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year and a day, or both.”


So yes, they are breaking the law. Not that they will have any worry about loosing their job or pay. With President O’Biden in the White House, they will not face  any serious consequences. Now I was an officer of the United States for 23 years, and if I went on strike, it would be a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The specific terms are Mutiny and Sedition. The penalty is a bit stricter than  18 U.S.C. § 1918. From Article 84 UCMJ Mutiny or Sedition:

(a)Any person subject to this chapter who—

 

(1) with intent to usurp or override lawful military authority, refuses, in concert with any other person, to obey orders or otherwise do his duty or creates any violence or disturbance is guilty of mutiny;

 

(2) with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority, creates, in concert with any other person, revolt, violence, or other disturbance against that authority is guilty of sedition;

 

(3) fails to do his utmost to prevent and suppress a mutiny or sedition being committed in his presence, or fails to take all reasonable means to inform his superior commissioned officer or commanding officer of a mutiny or sedition which he knows or has reason to believe is taking place, is guilty of a failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition.

 

(b) A person who is found guilty of attempted mutiny, mutiny, sedition, or failure to suppress or report a mutiny or sedition shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.

Weakness invites more disruption. If we had a president in the White House right now, he would handle this quickly. He should tell every one of these idiots they are not going to be paid for this event, you have until 900am Eastern time to return to your post, or you will be terminated, and banned from future federal employment. See Reagan with the Air Traffic Controller strike in 1981.


 

Another point that must be made. These minor bureaucrats do not make government policy. They are there to execute the policy set by the Executive and Legislative branches. They can raise their concerns as allowed, but they cannot go on strike against it. A point made to the man who swore me into the Army, “At some point you may have an order you cannot, in good conscious, obey. Your choice, either obey the order, or resign.” So “Feds United for Peace,” actually seditious bureaucrats, make your choice. Follow your lawful government policy or resign. 

A local military academy...

In early 2023, the state of Texas took over the Houston Independent School District, as the local board was a complete disaster, for multiple reasons. The local leftist rag, the Houston Chronicle, has been outraged that the state appointed superintendent, Mike Miles, actually downsized the above school staff, and is trying the put the money into, get this, schools. 

Well, found this interesting. As a kid I was part of Air Ford Junior ROTC. LA - 62, East Jefferson High School, Metairie LA and it guided me in many efforts. I gotta say this is an interesting concept, a military academy. 

HISD to start military academy in 2024-25

Cullen Military Academy aims to help middle school students develop discipline, leadership, teamwork and physical skills, as well as Mandarin language skills and career and college exploration. Miles worked with officials at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy as he built this program to support students interested in joining the military. 

“Most Americans believe that there’s an aspect of service the military provides that’s good for society but also good for young adults. So, if it leads to a military career, especially focused on leadership, character building and academics, I don’t think there’ll be that much pushback,” Miles said. “It’s (also) voluntary. We’ve got kids with interests in all kinds of different things, so we’re promoting that, a district of choice...”

HISD Director of Junior ROTC Programs Cornell McGhee said the military academy can help prepare students’ minds and bodies for success in any career.

“There are other school districts around the country that have been doing this for years,” he said. “So, we’re hoping that community gets on board with what we’re doing and will understand that we’re not creating soldiers, we’re recreating responsible citizens that are prepared to be successful in any other career fields that they choose.”

McGhee said he has seen positive changes in the attendance, behavior and discipline of students who participate in JROTC and similar programs, and is confident those benefits will extend to the military academy... 

Mr. Miles, I wish you the best in this effort. The language skills will definitely be a plus for any endeavor the kids go onto. And having discipline in the life of a teenager is essential, especially if the kid comes from a single parent home. 


Sunday, November 19, 2023

The Holocaust Deniers Are Back

 

Someday some son of a bitch will say this never happened.

 

General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower upon seeing the NAZI death camps.

 

Earlier this year I posted on how cops must have a certain detachment to the suffering of others, and it goes well beyond compartmentalization. I recall training a rookie officer and we drove up on a car fire. The driver perished because she tried to cut in front of an 18-wheeler, struck his fuel tank, and the ignited diesel burned her car. 

 

As the firefighter finished hosing down the car, I told my trainee to look at the body. She took it well. Dealing with dead bodies is a critical part of field training, and police work in general. The need to be able to handle it. 

 

Then I told her, “Let’s get some Popeye’s for dinner.” She looked at me with a “you can’t be that f%^&ed up can you Thiac” look on her face (the firefighter was also chuckling). I explained to her a warped sense of humor is a coping  mechanism  in this profession. Otherwise, you will lose it. I’ve seen dead children (I’ve never made off color remarks about that) and it rips at you. But you must do your job.

 

Last week I was reading an article in the American Spectator on why we need to broadcast what Hamas did in Israel. 

 

 

Israel Should Make Hamas Atrocity Videos World Famous - The American Spectator | USA News and Politics

Deroy Murdock

 

The below account details atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 in Israel.

The Israeli Consulate in Manhattan recently arranged a highly disturbing but equally important briefing for about 20 journalists. Israel’s diplomats in Gotham presented 40 minutes of raw video that documented Hamas’ appalling atrocities during their unprovoked, surprise attack on the Jewish state last Oct. 7. This was the first presentation of these images outside Israel. 

A wide variety of devices captured this carnage. Hamas killers’ GoPro cameras recorded terrorist-eye views of that day’s bloodshed. Home-security, traffic-circle, and closed-circuit cameras caught the mayhem as it unfolded. Hamas’ social media posts showcased their deadly handiwork. The Israel Defense Forces also seized video proof of this handiwork from dead Hamas barbarians. Their cellphones and body cameras spoke volumes.

“It’s important to remember what happened,” said Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, as he introduced this video. “Massacre denial is like the modern Holocaust denial. This will help people truly understand our enemy: Hamas is a genocidal terror organization committed to the destruction of the state of Israel.”

These scenes begin at dawn. With the sun just over the horizon, Hamas terrorists in civilian pickup trucks crash through the border fence and speed toward their targets. They are exhilarated, as if heading to the beach for spring break. “Allahu akbar!” they cheer. Let’s kill some Jews! 

The Hamas murderers soon encounter Israelis driving along a highway, minding their own business. Hamas gunmen leap from their trucks and start shooting unarmed motorists. Without warning, these drivers suddenly feel their cars riddled with bullets. As they perish, they release their steering wheels. Their cars roll off the road.

A dash camera shows the view from inside one vehicle. As the Israeli driver cruises along, a Hamas terrorist steps into the street and opens fire. The windshield cracks, pierced by bullets. With its driver mortally wounded, the sedan veers off the highway and into a ditch.

These beasts then approach a kibbutz. A black dog responds. But this is no lunging Doberman or snarling Rottweiler. Instead, an apparent Labrador ambles forward. Its gentle demeanor suggests that it misconstrues the men of Hamas for new friends, perhaps dropping by for breakfast and then a game of fetch, with fresh tennis balls. 

No such luck.

A Hamas ghoul lifts his rifle and gratuitously wastes the poor pup with three or four tugs of his trigger…

Read the article, it’s quite disturbing. But what is atrocious and beyond words is what is linked at the bottom. I have a sense of detachment, as many first responders, soldiers, etc. have to have. But this is beyond sickening. How any human can do this to an innocent child or any human being is beyond comprehension. 

 

I’ve read how many of our Marines and soldiers behaved with German and Japanese soldiers in World War II. Not justifying it, but they dealt with an enemy that treated other humans in a sub-human manner (e.g. the Rape of Nanking, the Baton Death March, the Holocaust, etc.), they actions can be understood by the heat of battle. These were civilians living their lives and a threat to no one. Reports are that Hamas burned babies alive. In no way are the perpetrators to be called anything near human. 

 

If I had the ability, before they were brought to justice, I would have them spayed and neutered. With a rusty hack saw. Forgive me, but I have my limits. You torture or burn infants (or adults for that matter) alive, I have no issue with your pain.

 

If you can stomach it, look at the pictures. I don’t exaggerate, seeing them shook my core. I’ve seen dead children and adults, killed by accident or by deliberate actions. I’ve seen mothers cry over their dead children. I’ve smelled a body over a week old, an odor you will never forget. But never did I see evil like this. 

 

Well, not to be outdone, our future, the young on the universities, attempt to cast doubt on what we’ve seen with our own eyes. 

 

 

 

Again, if the power was within me, I would ensure this creature is fixed with a blunt object. For the sake of humanity, it must not breed. 


As difficult as it is, these images must be broadcast as far and wide as possible. We don’t know how successful the Israelis will be in their war against Hamas. But it’s not someday. It’s today. A son of a bitch is trying to say, “This never happened. Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes.” 

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

After the IDF Takes out the Hamas Trash, What’s Next?

Interesting piece on what happens after Israel takes Gaza, written by friend, mentor, soldier, and fellow bourbon and cigar consumer, Mike Ford. Enjoy, and feel free to spread.

After the IDF Takes out the Hamas Trash, What’s Next?

After the IDF Takes out the Hamas Trash, What’s Next?

Once the stalwart troops of the Israeli Defense Force finish taking out the Hamas trash, what’s next in Gaza and for the Gazans?

 It’s been over a month since Hamas launched its terror attack on the State of Israel. Some might opine that “death, is death,” no matter the motivations of the killer or how he chooses to inflict that death on his victim. In this case, no thinking, feeling person could buy that false equivalency. The Hamas terrorists have murdered well over a thousand Israeli men, women and children,  some who were infants in the crib. (Note to readers, graphic, distressing imagery below). 

Knowing a little of Israeli history and given the sheer savagery of the Hamas attacks, I have no doubt that the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) will have no difficulty destroying every bit of Hamas infrastructure. There is also no doubt that when the IDF gets done, if not unduly hindered by inept meddling by the Biden State Department, what will remain of the Hamas fighting force, will be a few low level street thugs, hiding under the skirts of women refugees in Egyptian or Jordanian camps.

So what’s next? What needs to happen when the IDF gets done taking out the Hamas trash? Prime Minister Netanyahu has some thoughts, as do the usual suspects in the Biden Administration.

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israel will take “overall security responsibility” in Gaza indefinitely after its war with Hamas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, the clearest indication yet that Israel plans to maintain control over the coastal enclave one month into a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and leveled whole swaths of the territory.

Read: A month into war, Netanyahu says Israel will have an ‘overall security’ role in Gaza indefinitely

From my foxhole, there is no way that Israel can sustain a long term occupation of Gaza, without outright annexing it.  The main obstacle to that wouldn’t be Israeli capability, but rather the distorted manner in which necessary Israeli security actions are presented to the World by the leftists and their media enablers. Israel as an occupier would be prohibited from using the lawful tools it needs, to maintain order and stability. Enter-an international occupation and supervisory organization and military force.

The Gazan’s need two things: A stable government along with internal security and protection from groups like Hamas. 

Israel, on the other hand, needs a neighbor that doesn’t pose a threat to its infants in the crib.

The bumbling Biden Administration has  actually and quietly proposed a U.S. force to fill the security role. (Hat tip: Nick Arama at RedState )

Biden administration ‘holds secret talks on stationing American troops in Gaza’ after Hamas is defeated – but US officials fear deepening political peril after Israel shelled a refugee camp

That’s a non-starter. It would be patently absurd to put U.S troops into a peacekeeping situation such as this. There is no way they would be viewed as an unbiased arbiter.

I’ve also heard back-channel info that I cannot yet confirm, that there might be the possibility of the Egyptians and Israelis cooperating in such a venture. Such an international, ad hoc organization would be just the trick. The organization would be composed of mostly Arab contributions from countries who have given diplomatic recognition to Israel. Ideally, Israel should also be of the participants in order to to look after its own interests. 

Whether or not Israel is included in such an ad hoc politico-military stability organization, it’s imperative that the two biggest stakeholders, other than Israel, have a position of primacy in this effort. Without Egypt and Jordan involved, this effort would fail, as would the involvement of the corrupt organization known as the United Nations.

Having Egypt, Jordan and other friendly Arab nations ramrodding the rebuilding, governance and security effort will have multiple benefits. Most importantly, is international perception. It will be much more difficult to chastise Arab nations doing peacekeeping among other Arabs. This is a rare opportunity. The Biden State Department should quietly but intensively, advocate for this among the 3 primary stakeholders, Israel, Egypt and Jordan.

If they cannot, we will see more of this…much, much more.

WARNING: GRAPHIC & DISTURBING

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