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Sorry boys.  No posts tonight.  Power outage.  Return ASAP.

Reason.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a case that asks whether the Fourth Amendment’s usual warrant requirement should be waived when the police conduct a warrantless home search while carrying out a so-called “community caretaker” function, such as when the cops perform a “wellness check” on a potentially troubled or injured person. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, one of the Court’s biggest Fourth Amendment hawks, raised a few objections to giving the cops that much leeway to enter the home without a warrant.

The case is Caniglia v. Strom. In 2015, Rhode Island police paid a “well call” on 68-year-old Edward Caniglia after his wife reported to authorities that he might be suicidal. The couple had gotten into a fight the night before and she had left to sleep elsewhere. When she couldn’t reach him the next morning, she called the cops. The officers who visited the house had Caniglia taken to the hospital in an ambulance, where he was examined by a nurse and a social worker and discharged the same day. In the meantime, the police entered Caniglia’s home without a warrant and seized his handguns. The case centers on Caniglia’s claim that the warrantless search and seizure violated his Fourth Amendment rights.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit ruled in the favor of the officers in 2020, holding that the “community caretaking” exception to the Fourth Amendment was sufficient to cover the matter at issue. The community caretaking doctrine, the 1st Circuit maintained, “is designed to give police elbow room to take appropriate action.”

Sotomayor took issue with the lower court’s judgment. “I am deeply concerned about the 1st Circuit’s claim that there is no requirement that officers must select the least intrusive means of fulfilling community caretaking responsibilities,” she told Marc Desisto, the attorney representing the Rhode Island officers and their superiors. For example, “why couldn’t they ask the wife” for permission before entering the house? Why didn’t the officers speak to a social worker or a psychiatrist? “How do we limit [the police] from substituting their own” judgment in such matters? Sotomayor demanded. “In this situation, there was no immediate danger,” she said, yet the police “decided on their own to go in and seize the gun.”

Quite obviously, I don’t concur with the notion of anyone as “community caretaker.”  The community doesn’t need a nanny.

But at least she is giving guff to the notion of limitless search and seizure.  Why aren’t the other justices doing that?  The entire first circuit court of appeals should have been brought in naked to the proceedings, beaten senseless, and then put in stocks in the community square for siding with the police for such a communist undertaking as that.

David Codrea:

Or as lead researcher Dr. Kate Allsopp concludes:

“Although diagnostic labels create the illusion of an explanation they are scientifically meaningless and can create stigma and prejudice.”

Liberty advocates concerned about due process-denying gun confiscations empowered by “red flag laws” should see the danger of this, when even the experts can’t agree on the basics.

As we’ve noted before, the number of psychiatric experts we can trot out to show that the various mental “diagnoses” don’t correspond with propensity to violence is virtually limitless.

Or as reader Menckenlite observed concerning guns and mental health?

Control freaks love psychiatry, a means of social control with no Due Process protections. It is a system of personal opinion masquerading as science. See, e.g., Boston University Psychology Professor Margaret Hagan’s book, Whores of the Court, to see how arbitrary psychiatric illnesses are. Peter Breggin, Fred Baughman and Thomas Szasz wrote extensively about abuses of psychiatry. Liberals blame guns for violence. Conservatives blame mental illness. Neither have any causal connection to violence. The issue is criminal conduct, crime. Suggesting that persons with legal disabilities are criminals shows the nonsensical argument of this politician and his fellow control freaks. Shame on them.

But there is no shame among pols who trot out red flag laws.

WSOCTV.com:

“Nowhere in the Bible does it tell us that we should not protect individuals,” Rev. Don Stewart said.

[ … ]

It’s a decision the church said it wrestled with

[ … ]

Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker said the chaos of an active shooter situation would be tough for an officer, let alone for a civilian, to deal with.

“I’m not a big fan of having private people inside churches or schools that are armed simply because first responders will not know who is the bad guy and who is the good guy,” Swecker said.

This is a remarkable and sad tale on the state of affairs within the Christian community, but also a recapitulation of what we already know about law enforcement.

First of all, if the church “wrestled” with this decision, the church has a poor teacher.  Framing this as being allowed to do something not expressly forbidden in the Scriptures is wrongheaded way to look at it, and theologically ignorant.

We’ve discussed this many times before, but it bears repeating.

The Holy writ is a unity, with Christ as the scarlet thread running throughout.  The words of the O.T. are no more in contradiction with Christ than the balance of the N.T.  There is progressive revelation and development of the covenant, but there isn’t any embarrassing contradiction.  We needn’t turn to obscure passages or tangential concerns to justify Biblical self defense.  As we’ve noted before, the basis for it is found in the Decalogue.

I am afraid there have been too many centuries of bad teaching endured by the church, but it makes sense to keep trying.  As I’ve explained before, the simplest and most compelling case for self defense lies in the decalogue.  Thou shall not murder means thou shall protect life.

God’s law requires [us] to be able to defend the children and helpless.  “Relying on Matthew Henry, John Calvin and the Westminster standards, we’ve observed that all Biblical law forbids the contrary of what it enjoins, and enjoins the contrary of what it forbids.”  I’ve tried to put this in the most visceral terms I can find.

God has laid the expectations at the feet of heads of families that they protect, provide for and defend their families and protect and defend their countries.  Little ones cannot do so, and rely solely on those who bore them.  God no more loves the willing neglect of their safety than He loves child abuse.  He no more appreciates the willingness to ignore the sanctity of our own lives than He approves of the abuse of our own bodies and souls.  God hasn’t called us to save the society by sacrificing our children or ourselves to robbers, home invaders, rapists or murderers. Self defense – and defense of the little ones – goes well beyond a right.  It is a duty based on the idea that man is made in God’s image.  It is His expectation that we do the utmost to preserve and defend ourselves when in danger, for it is He who is sovereign and who gives life, and He doesn’t expect us to be dismissive or cavalier about its loss.

And concerning John Calvin’s comments on this subject:

We do not need to prove that when a good thing is commanded, the evil thing that conflicts with it is forbidden.  There is no one who doesn’t concede this.  That the opposite duties are enjoined when evil things are forbidden will also be willingly admitted in common judgment.  Indeed, it is commonplace that when virtues are commended, their opposing vices are condemned.  But we demand something more than what these phrases commonly signify.  For by the virtue of contrary to the vice, men usually mean abstinence from that vice.  We say that the virtue goes beyond this to contrary duties and deeds.  Therefore in this commandment, “You shall not kill,” men’s common sense will see only that we must abstain from wronging anyone or desiring to do so.  Besides this, it contains, I say, the requirement that we give our neighbor’s life all the help we can … the purpose of the commandment always discloses to us whatever it there enjoins or forbids us to do” (Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 1, Book 2, Chapter viii, Part 9).

If you’re willing to sacrifice the safety and health of your wife or children to the evils of abuse, kidnapping, sexual predation or death, God isn’t impressed with your fake morality.  Capable of stopping it and choosing not to, you’re no better than a child molester, and I wouldn’t allow you even to be around my grandchildren.

It’s not that the Scriptures don’t expressly forbid self defense, but rather, they command it on your behalf and on behalf of those who cannot do so themselves.  It is an ordinance from the Almighty.  This is true whether the state approves of your self defense or not.

As for Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker, he is an evil man.  His position is that for no other reason than potential confusion among respondents to the crisis, he opposes self defense.  He’d rather see dead bodies and have Hazmat on the scene to clean up the blood than see confused LEOs when they get to the scene of a shooting.

It takes a special kind of hardness of heart to say such a thing.  He will suffer for this belief one day, but until then, ignore and even avoid such men.  They are dangerous and deadly wherever they go, whatever they do.

Tampa Bay Times:

Ron DeSantis told a gun rights advocacy group that people should not need a permit to openly carry a firearm in public, according to the group’s lawyer and a release sent out by the organization this week.

Eric Friday, the general counsel for Florida Carry, said he met with DeSantis in Kissimmee while the Congressman was there for the Republican “Sunshine Summit” in June, which featured a debate between DeSantis and his rival in the governor’s race, Adam Putnam, as well as prominent speeches from prominent Republicans like Ben Carson.

DeSantis’ position was originally touted in a roundup earlier this week of various lawmakers’ stances on gun issues based on conversations they had with the group.

[ … ]

“What Congressman DeSantis said is he doesn’t understand why you need a license to exercise a fundamental right in the first place,” Friday said in an interview with the Times/Herald. “He did not make a commitment to support open carry or unlicensed carry. He didn’t say he would he would push for it in the Legislature (if elected governor).”

“We were very pleased with his answers and very pleased to hear him express support,” Friday added.

If he’s merely throwing scraps from the master’s table and refuses to push for this or say he supports open carry, then why is Friday pleased with DeSantis?

Am I missing something here?

And as for our God-given right of open carry, how is this proceeding in the other more liberal states in the country, like California, Hawaii and South Carolina?

South Carolina?

Well, gentle friends, the hour has struck and the Captain is soon to retake his rightful place.

Hopefully he will find no cracks in his crystal egg.

As has been the custom, we begin with a quiet recitation of A. Shepard’s Prayer.

I hope my musings this week have been to your satisfaction.

I just put down the thoughts that came to me.

Obviously, my style is different front Mr. Smith’s. (Also,he knows how to use WordPress). I readily give way to his expertise on many subjects. My attempts were mainly devised to get you to consider things.

I doubt I could claim expertise in anything. I do have knowledge, along with scars and aches and pains.

I envy the tongue of the Bard:

“If we are mark’d to die, we are enough

To do our country loss; and if to live,

The fewer men, the greater share of honour.

God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.

By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,

Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;

It yearns me not if men my garments wear;

Such outward things dwell not in my desires.

But if it be a sin to covet honour,

I am the most offending soul alive.

No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.

God’s peace! I would not lose so great an honour

As one man more methinks would share from me

For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!

Rather proclaim it, Westmorland, through my host,

That he which hath no stomach to this fight,

Let him depart; his passport shall be made,

And crowns for convoy put into his purse;

We would not die in that man’s company

That fears his fellowship to die with us.

This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.

He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,

Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,

And rouse him at the name of Crispian.

He that shall live this day, and see old age,

Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,

And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”

Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,

And say “These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.”

Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,

But he’ll remember, with advantages,

What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,

Familiar in his mouth as household words—

Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,

Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester—

Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.

This story shall the good man teach his son;

And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,

From this day to the ending of the world,

But we in it shall be rememberèd—

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;

For he to-day that sheds his blood with me

Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,

This day shall gentle his condition;

And gentlemen in England now a-bed

Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,

And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks

That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.”

I did not want to trust that to my inadequate skills with linking.

This next, however, I must.

There is a tradition within a group to which I once belonged. I believe it continues to this day. A verse is sung on the Sabbath in remembrance of comrades departed.

I have encouraged that twice in my web of friends (see what I did there?).

Once for a man who had given much knowledge.

Once for a young woman taken far, far too soon.

Please, take a glass in hand.

And listen.

And remember.

[My apologies on having to copy and paste that in order to listen. You can also search for The High Kings Parting Glass].

edit: It worked!! It FINALLY worked!!

Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash. Wherever you are.

The week is nearing its’ end. Soon this place will be reclaimed by the rightful owner. But until then…

As is our habit, we start once again with a quiet recitation of A. Shepard’s Prayer.

Long days make for long weeks. My day begins at 1AM when I get up and tend to animals. I leave shortly after 2 on my 65 mile drive to work.

I return home, traffic willing, around 430PM. I tend to animals, then to myself (there’s a wife in there someplace) and retire, hopefully, before 7PM. Rinse and repeat. That pretty much is my week.

But Friday. Friday is special. Not only is it the end of my work week (OK, my paycheck earning work. Plenty to do around the farmstead on the weekend) but it is the day of THE FRIDAY FISH FRY!!!

Those of you who have never experienced it are probably staring at this quizzically. Those that live in WI take it so for granted that it’s difficult to comprehend what a unique phenomenon it really is until you reflect on it.

A wonderful peek at it can be found here

http://tdhtales.blogspot.com/2017/03/fish-fry.html.

[Hot damn, I think I did that right!]

So, how does a glimpse into my journey to another quadruple bypass operation fit into this week’s theme? [I really hope this blue underlining goes away when I post this. Damn, tried to fix it and now everything’s underlined].

To me, the fish fry is something to look forward to. [OK. Underlining gone but it’s still blue. Sigh]. A little mental diversion to help “get through the week.” We all have, or at least I hope we all have, some thing that we look forward to. Maybe not as dramatic as a cast away clinging to hope and life but some thing/thought to have as a goal or mental diversion.

If/as things fall apart I believe things to look forward to will be critical to our mental health and wellbeing. Please remember that I’m not talking about getting so caught up in a day dream fantasy that a monkey drops a rock on your head and removes you from the equation. Just a little something that helps you keep going.

My wife’s stepdad was in the 1st Cav in Vietnam. He kept a picture of his muscle car in his helmet. He had left the car all tarped up and ready for his return when he left. The thought of that car kept him going through his tour. When he rotated home he actually met one of his brothers who was heading over to start his tour. They talked briefly. Bob’s brother, Lee, mentioned that nothing special was going on at home and that all was pretty much the same as when he had left. They parted ways, each continuing on their journey. Lee left out the part where he had taking Bob’s car out of storage and totaled it. Oh well. Life goes on.

Until tomorrow.

Well, made it past the halfway mark with no pitchforks and torches visible on the horizon. We’ll take that as a good thing.

As is our habit, we start once again with a quiet recitation of A. Shepard’s Prayer.

As I’m sure most of you know the months of summer do far more than bring forth a bounty of corn and beans. They bring forth the ubiquitous rummage/garage/sale here signs that beckon you to wreck your wallet on the rocks of their wares.

But all is not lost, my mariner of the concrete (asphalt and gravel work, so does dirt) seas of the modern world. Bargains are to be had that can greatly aid you in your survival goals at a great savings when compared to the harpies of retail.

The key to successful navigation in these areas is to have a plan. Look first for obvious items such as garden tools: rakes (garden is my preferred type), shovels (pointed or flat are my preferred) along with a miscellany of small “planting type” tools are my personal “look fors.”

Granted, having a small farmstead makes it difficult to have too many of these things. Think ahead to how many other able bodies you might be dealing with and equip for them.

Next I look for outdoor “stuff.” Hunting items, heavy duty clothing and things of that nature. Hopefully it will fit me or my wife. After that, generic sizes will do for the “others.”

Next food preservation items. Canning equipment and supplies. Both water bath and pressure. Remember, you may not have electric so I’d lean more heavily towards the stove top variety. Also you need to consider how many are in, or might be in, your tribe. With canning equipment the more you can have going the faster (and more) can get done. Dehydrators are something of a “Holy Grail” item to find. While they require electricity you can run them 24/7 and preserve damn near everything. [Remember a few days ago when we talked of training? While a class in canning and preserving food is not as “sexy” as a small unit deployed in an ambush class might be, I’ll bet you spend more time eating than fighting. Just a guess. YMMV].

I could go on but your situation will be different than mine. A person in an apartment might see little use for shovels and rakes but I know a guy that has, I’m pretty sure at least one, multiple dehydrators going constantly. He does everything.

I’m thinking he’s almost got water down…

Don’t just think rummage sales. Thrift stores are also great to search through. Looking for bargains on food alone could be a whole ‘nother post.

I’m sure you see the point of all of this now. Yeah, you’re buying something used. What do you think that new shovel will be the day after you buy it?

Please remove pants before ironing.

Management is not responsible for items left overnight.

Day 3. The journey continues.

We start once again with a quiet recitation of A. Shepard’s Prayer.

Due to popular demand (OK, a couple of comments by James) I’ll throw my two cents out there with regards to the 3D printer files kerfluffle going on.

First off, it seems that there are files out there that have been previously released. All you have to do is look for them. They’ve been out there for years. Defense Distributed may have some newer designs they wanted to release but there are plans out there for at least the Liberator.

Secondly, I’m loving all of the “pearl clutching” and anti-gun/anti-freedom moral outrage being spewed by all of the usual suspects. Once again they can breathlessly hype (and probably fund raise off of) absolutely nothing.

C’mon, people. There already are well over 300 million guns in the USA. A few more single shot homemade ones are not going to push us off of a cliff.

If you’re working the angle that you want to make one “off of the books” you’re fooling yourself. You’re already on a list if you’ve ever done anything, belonged to anything or bought anything (by means other than cash/barter) gun related. Spending a couple grand on a special machine and then ordering special materials only to have to go and buy additional components in order to complete it does not an off the books gun make. I don’t doubt that it could be done BUT I’m guessing that you’re already on a list.

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not in the least against someone doing it themselves. It’s just not for me. And, in my opinion, there are far better ways of spending your money.

One suggestion I have is to get a combination drill press/lathe/mill and have something that can do far more than just 3D printing. They can be had for less than $2,000. I know they’re not perfect but they’ll suffice unless you want to get separate, full sized stand alone machines. Besides, metalworking can be a fun hobby and a valuable skill.

History tells many stories of “hidden” firearms manufacturing in occupied areas. I have heard stories, but can’t verify, of Sten gun plans being dropped to the resistance in France during WWII so they could make them.

I also stumbled across this article during my browsing: http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/shovel-ready-ak-47-t10152.html. I don’t know who this guy is but he seems familiar.

In short, I’m loving it but it’s not for me. Maybe if you want to make me some of those Frito Bandito erasers from a few years back…

I’ll wait for the technology to get advanced to the point like in that old Star Wars tv show from the ’60’s. You know, where Kirk and Jeannie would ask the Tardis to make something and there it was. Yeah. I’m waiting for that.

Well, as far as I know Herschel hasn’t come screaming out of the woods to end this little escapade so either all is going well or he’s blissfully unaware of what is going on.

We start day two in front of the Golden TCJ Keyboard with a quiet recitation of A. Shepard’s Prayer and get right into it.

Yesterday I brought up training that is available from a plethora of instructors in a variety of areas. One thing that may bring pause in consideration of actively seeking training is what value or practical use will it be. To be honest, unless you plan on developing a program that will continually refresh and reinforce what you learned the skills you paid to learn will go away. Use or lose it, so to speak. In my opinion having a plan in place to continually utilize what you have learned is just as important as the training itself.

Sometimes the training you get can have unexpected, and pleasant, results.

A very good friend has taken a few of Mosby’s classes. Now this guy is a driven animal in his approach to this stuff. His time is too precious to waste on something that he will not be willing to use and build on.

I received an email from him with regards to an “opportunity” he had to use the skills learned from Mosby. Here are his words:

“Local PD rangemaster just invited me to use their indoor range tomorrow night with whatever hardware I want. I asked about my AK w/fmj and he said sure, why not if I get tired of their Eotech’d M-4s. Methinks word about me attending Mosby’s classes has reached the right ears. Or not…”

“Okay – that was a blast and very ego satisfying. No way around it. Turns out I was being used but in a good way. Anyone surprised about that? Anyhoo, showed up as planned dressed in Dickies and a sweatshirt and a concealed G19. Shoulder bag held the day’s work clothes, work Makarov and holster, earpro, etc that I didn’t want to leave in the car.  Got met and buzzed in and greeted by two before led into a concrete maze to the range. Trip chat was them asking about my background & interest in firearms, what training and why. My views on what a man is and being prepared to solve one’s own problems seemed to go over well enough and I asked about their interest in me. They’d heard some favorable things and wanted to see for themselves.

We get to the range and I drop the bag and grab the earpro from it. Targets are man sized armed perp pics at 75 feet. They tell me to help myself and get warmed up. I notice how little direction they give me and suspect it’s a test to see how I run on my own re safety etc. Everyone’s ears are already on so I lift my shirt, skin my smokewagon and start putting rounds in and around the head of my target. They jump back and start swearing before calming back down. It never occurred to them I might be carrying and ready to go *immediately*. Gotta say that was enjoyable to see.

To my joy I’m getting good face hits at 75 feet and the misses are within 4 inches and a number of those “misses” are upper chest and neck hits due to jerking the trigger down. We’d only gone to 30 feet max with Mosby so this was seriously pushing it for me, but I remembered the training and worked the steps in order. They look at the target and say that wasn’t bad at all. Later they tell me I’m better than all but a few in the department and those equal or better are gun nuts, present company included. Turns out this is department weapon qualification week and they wanted to show the newer officers their marksmanship borderline sucks and there are civilians out there who can and will put pistol rounds in their face at 75 feet before they can draw.

Next up are the carbines, again at 75 feet. They’re all zeroed so hits are quick and easy. Eotechs are nice but irons are plenty at that close range. Easy as it is, several officers need hours to qualify and some never do (with no real consequences due to affirmative action and the union). I pointed at holes in the ceiling downrange and asked if those were what I thought they were. He shook his head and said ‘fraid so. There’s more but you get the idea. All involved made friends and left friends and a great time was had at least by me and I was given two full medbags – probably a result of my mentioning the TC3 training I got with the pistol class and how I’d spent a bunch of my money to fill out my very inadequate kit. I doubt they’d have done that if they thought I was an asshole at the end.”

So, there IS value in the training you get but only if you have a plan to keep your skills fresh and take advantage of opportunities as they may arise.

Please note the generally poor marksmanship of the department’s officers. These are paid professionals. Unless they have a personal interest in the shooting arts they have no real motivation to try and excel at it. My friend, with Mosby’s training under his belt (and his desire to excel) out shot the majority of officers on a fairly large department. He was the equal of their best.

Let that sink in.

[Sorry about the font change after the quote. Monkey just pressing buttons. I’m also forced to use my phone because I have had no luck getting my computer to work with WordPress. Sigh.

Mongo just pawn in game of life…]

Until next time.