Congressman: Justice Dept. Wiretapped the House of Representative's Cloak Room

The wire tapping scandal goes further than just the AP.

Stalinesque, isn't it?

Read more here.

The Hazards Of A Militarized Police Force

The Captain's Journal addresses some issues with the militarization of our police force and why this movement is dangerous.

You will never be trained like a U.S. Marine who has spent every day for a year and a half in pre-deployment workup to do a combat tour of Iraq. Because you will never be trained in this manner, your tactics are dangerous, all of the time, and in all situations. I don’t care how many times you have inexperienced Soldiers spend a week with you doing CQB drills. With the standdown in Iraq and Afghanistan, they oftentimes know as little as you. These tactics place people in danger when there are better alternatives.

Now for the next step. Nor should you be trained like my son.  It isn’t within your province to do this.  The militarization of the police and police tactics in America is an effort to sidestep Posse Comitatus.  It’s a way to have a standing army police Americans rather than have the existing standing army do the policing of Americans.  It’s a typical progressive, statist trick.

Go here to read the rest.

The sheeple are cheering for them as they shout, "save us!"

Even when they 'accidentally' shoot an innocent 'suspect' or shoot our dogs when they raid the wrong house.

We're all in occupied territory.

Gun deaths down 49% since 1993: Pew

Compared with 1993, the peak of U.S. gun homicides, the firearm homicide rate was 49% lower in 2010, and there were fewer deaths, even though the nation's population grew. The victimization rate for other violent crimes with a firearm--assaults, robberies and sex crimes--was 75% lower in 2011 than in 1993. Violent non-fatal crime victimization overall (with or without a firearm) also is down markedly (72%) over two decades.

More guns, less crime.

But facts don't matter to the gun grabbers.

Read the rest here.

Ground Broken On The DHS Security Complex

Rendering of future DHS Coast Guard headquarters, with green roof designed to capture and reuse water.

Washington notables broke ground on the future home of the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday, symbolically starting construction on the biggest federal building project in the Washington area since the Pentagon 68 years ago.

The project will bring together more than 15,000 employees now scattered in 35 offices in the region, placing them on a 176-acre campus strewn with historic buildings in a long-neglected corner of Washington, five miles from the Capitol building.
 
Department leaders hope the $3.4 billion consolidation will help the department fulfill its core mission -- protecting the homeland -- in ways big and small.
 
"It will help us hold meetings," Secretary Janet Napolitano said. "It will help us build that culture of 'One DHS.'"

I thought Øbama said we were out of money, hence the sequester?

Read the about this giant sinkhole here.

At least now they'll all be in one place.

Video: Making Authority Question Themselves

h/t Curtis for the video below.

Always question 'authority'

Put them on the defensive.

Throw them off balance.

Get inside their OODA loop.

Resist!

May 1st - Victims of Communism Day

The Smallest Minority reminds us:

Today is the fifth annual Victims of Communism Day, a day to remember the people murdered by their own governments in their quest to achieve a "worker's paradise" where everyone is equal, where "to each according to his needs, from each according to his abilities" is the beautiful dream lie.  R.J. Rummel, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Hawaii, has calculated that the total number of victims of Communism - that is, the domestic victims of their own governments - in the USSR, China, Vietnam, North Korea and Cambodia is 98.4 million people.  For all Communist governments during the 20^th Century, he puts the estimate at approximately 110 million.  And this wasn't in warfare against other nations, this was what these governments did to their own people - "breaking eggs" to make their utopian omlette.

Read the rest here and click on the links.

Don't think it can't happen here.

Mosby - Heresy: An Introduction to Combat Riflecraft

Combat riflecraft is not a sport. It’s not a game. The fighting rifle is not, contrary to the whining pleas of the morally bankrupt, a “sporting arm.” It is, like an axe, a tool, specifically designed and engineered for one purpose. The axe is designed to chop wood; the fighting rifle to kill people. The fact that the axe is sometimes used for sporting applications such as lumberjack competitions or axe-throwing does not change it’s fundamental purpose–nor the fighting rifle.

Good stuff.

Read it all here.

Part 2: AAR – SUT/Patrolling/Logistics Course – April 19-22, 2013

In Part 2 I will discuss the TC3 aspect of the class. Part 1 of the AAR can be found here.

The most important lesson about treating combat injuries is this:

The best medicine on the battlefield is fire superiority!

You don't treat anyone until the fight is over. You stop the enemy from shooting at you either by killing them, or forcing them to flee. When it is safe, then you can attend to the injured. If you have to move an injured person, you move them while continuing to engage the enemy, and if the injured person is able to do so, they should be engaging the enemy while being moved as well.

Without going into all the specific details of TC3 (Tactical Combat Casualty Care), I'll discuss the hands on portions we covered. You can download a copy of the US Army TC3 Handbook for all the nitty-gritty details. However, don't rely on this alone...without the proper hands on instruction, you won't understand the context and could end up doing more harm than good. Get trained first!

First Mosby went through everyone's IFAK to make sure they had the proper gear. Not everyone did. He had the list of required items listed on his blog. Make sure you have what's listed when you attend his class.

He showed us the HALO Chest seal for sucking chest wounds and discussed its purpose and proper use. During this portion, he also discussed the proper use and application of the 14 gauge ARS for Needle Decompression when treating a life-threatening tension pneumothorax.

The first thing to do for an injured person is to stop life-threatening hemorrhaging if tactically feasible. This is accomplished, in most cases, with your handy-dandy CAT tourniquet. Make sure you have the real deal and not the cheap ineffective knock-offs. You keep tightening it until the blood flow stops. Leave it on.

The class was instructed on the proper usage and application of the CAT. We were timed on getting one on ourselves as well as getting one on our partner. Untreated arterial bleeding will kill you in less than 3 minutes and you will lose consciousness in 60-90 seconds, so arterial bleeding must be stopped ASAP!

The proper use and application of gauze to stop bleeding from a gun shot wound and promote clotting was discussed. Students were taught how to properly dress a wound using an Israeli Battle Dressing. The debate on using Celox or Quick Clot impregnated gauze basically came down to preference. Even regular gauze works just as well if properly packed into a wound. One concern with using Celox is that it contains Chitosan, a shrimp shell derivative that could be fatal to someone with a shellfish allergy.

The importance of ABC (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) was discussed.

An effective airway must always be maintained. If the patient is unconscious or risks going unconscious, a Nasopharyngeal airway (NPA) insertion will be necessary. If this is not an option, due to severe maxillofacial damage, move on to a surgical cric. (this is beyond the scope of this AAR but was discussed in great detail)

A couple students volunteered to allow a NPA to be inserted in their nose.

I won't go into the details of how this was achieved because I'm not qualified to teach this and I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. But suffice to say, it was not a difficult procedure to execute properly although it was humorous at times.

As you can see in the illustration above, the purpose of the tube is to provide and artificial airway in the event that the natural airway becomes blocked.

Afterwards Mosby discussed the proper way to start an IV in the event of, or to prevent  Hypovolemic shock and even allowed 2 students to actually attempt it on himself. What other instructor would ever do that?! The man is dedicated!

If you have an injured person that has a high probability of not surviving, even with medical treatment, don't treat them. Do what you can for pain but don't waste your finite resources on treating a dying man.

"It's called triage. It's is a mother fucker, and it sucks...but it's necessary."
- Mosby Maxim #35 -

Mosby recommended that we get the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook along with a good human anatomy & physiology book.

In a SHTF scenario, you may have to rely on yourself for medical treatment. Get the books now and get familiarized with it. Practice conducting a surgical cric on a chicken neck. Practice suturing on a chicken breast. Shoot a roast and practice packing the hole with gauze and bandaging it.

Get medical training and Practice! Practice! Practice!

A good place to start would be to enroll in a CERT class near you.

The sooner you get trained, the sooner you'll be ready.

Part 1: AAR – SUT/Patrolling/Logistics Course – April 19-22, 2013

One day after class ended, I’m finding it difficult to disseminate the sheer volume of information that was presented. It was like quenching your thirst with a fire hose at full blast.

This will be a little bit different than my previous AAR. I won't be going into the details about what we did as much. Instead, I will try and share what I learned that hopefully will be beneficial to you. I'm going to break this up into parts as well.

I would like to thank the host of the class and his wife for allowing us to use their land for training and for providing us with 3 delicious square meals a day. That allowed us to get in more class time by not having to stop and prepare our own meals. In addition, it tasted light years ahead of any MRE. It also provided ample opportunity for creating a stronger team cohesion as we ate around the campfire.

As has been previously stressed, PT before hand will help tremendously. This time around, my endurance was much stronger and I was able to recover very quickly. Do PT. It does make a difference. Also not eating Wendy's Chili Cheese Fries the night before helps as well.

The SUT portion of the class was a more condensed version of the previous SUT class I attended. However, despite this, Mosby was able to teach the same information.

Things learned via observation and demonstrations:

• Don't use the digital pattern ACU's if you can avoid it. Mosby doesn't call them I SEE YOU for nothing.
• In a side-by-side comparison against natural terrain, ACU digital did not blend. You'd be better off wearing earth toned street clothes.
   
• Don't show up to class with every item of your gear, from your hat to your boots, in black.
• You can't hide well dressed in black, day or night...you end up looking  like a Tactical Timmy.
   
• Secure your CamelBak at the bottom so when you dive for cover, your forward inertia doesn't cause it flop on top of your head and over your eyes, obscuring you vision.
• As hilarious as this was to observe, in a real life situation, this could get you killed.
   
• Make sure the ruck you use can also hold your sleep system.
• Attaching your sleep system to the bottom of your ruck ends up hitting you in the back of the legs as you walk and causing a shift in balance with every step that you have to work harder to counter-act in addition to slowing you down.
   
• Make sure you purchase a quality ruck that won't burst at the zipper
• A busted zipper tends to allow your items to fall out as you patrol.
   
• 3-point slings are a hindrance
• Going prone with a 3 point sling slows down your target acquisition.
   
• Don't take your Ranger Buddy's word that his chamber is empty. VERIFY!
• Twice, a round was found inside a supposedly empty chamber in someone's rifle. Make sure you remove the magazine before racking the slide to empty the chamber. Then have it independently verified.
   
• For training purposes, wrap a strip of neon colored tape around your magazines
• I did not and lost a full magazine. Someone else did and found theirs.
   
• Keep your bolt carrier wet to prevent malfunctions.
• A couple of rifles started to malfunction regularly due to the muddy/dusty conditions until a liberal amount of oil was applied. Clean your rifle in the field whenever possible.
   
• Paint your rifle
• It's a tool. Paint it to match your surroundings and break up its shape. Krylon - $4. Black rifles pop out and are very easy to spot in a field environment due to their un-naturally straight lines.
   
• Ditch the sunglasses.
• They reflect the sun like a beacon for the enemy, and are easily identifiable even if the rest of your face is not.
   
• Use camo face paint liberally.
• Break up the shape of the human face. The human face is extremely easy to identify. Reapply as necessary throughout the day.
   
• Boonie hat trumps baseball cap.
• Baseball hats are easy to identify due to their un-natural rounded shape. Boonie hats allow for the attachment of foliage to break up the shape of the human head.
   
• When stalking, slow movements on your belly are best.
• Mosby was able to crawl up to our patrol base with out being detected despite our best efforts and 360° security. In our defense, it was dark.
   
• Stay in the shadows and use micro-terrain to navigate.
• When the patrol signals to stop, move to the shadows, don't stand in the open.
   
• Don't be afraid to modify your equipment if it will make it work better.
•  Those of us with leg holsters learned how to modify them to ride up closer to our hip, thus allowing easier access to our sidearm. Ditch the top strap and shorten the drop strap to make the holster sit higher.
   
• If you can hide from human eyes in daylight, you can hide from NODs at night.
• NODs are not magic. Hiding from them is easier than trying to hide from eyes in the day.
   
• Rain ponchos come in handy.
• A short rain decided to stop by. Ponchos kept us dry. In addition, they can be used to construct a shelter.
   
• Cold weather sleep systems really work.
• Make sure your sleep system works for cold weather.
   
• A Casualty blanket can come in handy.
•  If your sleep system is not adequate, you can wrap a casualty blanket (reflective side in) around you to reflect your own body heat back on yourself.
   
• Dig a hole, crap in it, then cover it up.
• Some person(s) apparently didn't know, or didn't care about basic field hygiene methods for disposing of your crap. Not only was this unsanitary, and evidence of your presence for enemy units to locate, it was disrespectful to the land owner.
   
• When contact is made, ditch your ruck while prone.
• A ruck on your back in the prone makes you easier for the enemy to spot you and kill you. Practice getting it off in 5 seconds or less while prone. It can be done.
   
• When going prone, pay attention to where you will land.
• A few people landed on cactus. I happened to land on spot that pushed my magazines on my war belt up into my ribs as I landed. Cracked two ribs. Be careful, but be quick.
   
•  Practice. Practice. Practice.
• Your speed will improve as well as your movements and proficiency.
   
•  Bigger isn't always better.
• There were three .308 rifles in the group, which meant more frequent reloads and less lead being thrown downrange at the enemy.
   
•  Always look around to see what your team is doing and communicate.
• The lead patrol team failed to notice the other patrol teams signal to stop and kept on marching.
   

More later, as time allows.

Part 2 here.

Notice: Posting Will Resume Soon

Been off the grid at Mosby's SUT/Patrolling/Logistics class.

If you have a chance, you NEED to attend one of his classes.

Regular posting will resume soon.