A friend shared this with me and gave me permission to use it. It is… thought provoking. – – – – – It was a beautiful spring morning in mid-May. As the CEO pulled up to his reserved spot in front of the headquarters building, he took particular notice of all the flowers blooming in…
Good Friday. Black Friday. Easter. Thanksgiving. Christmas. Open enrollment. Stock market fluctuations. School starting. End of school year. Back to school shopping. Tax exempt week. When does your car’s inspection expire? The registration? When do you need your oil changed? How much is gasoline today? Is the stock market up or down? How’s that affect…
Just recently I read an article reporting on a medical study that involved what age a person’s brain fully developed. Apparently, it used to be believed that the average human brain reached full growth at about the age of 12. However, while that is the reported age a brain reaches full size it continues to…
There was a point in my life where I didn’t care much what time it was and being on time for an appointment or late by a few minutes didn’t matter much. Then came the Army and a couple decades of police work and fatherhood, etc. Time matters. Being on time matters. Having a device…
Originally published January 2, 2006 Not that long ago I saw a humorous story about a military unit that was loading onto a commercial aircraft for transportation to Iraq. The Colonel in command had the (embarrassing) job of telling the soldiers that they had to turn over all fingernail clippers, lighters, matches, and other small,…
Originally published July 27, 2009 Yes, I am being exceedingly arrogant. I have spent the past six years now writing equipment reviews and a large number of them have been about knives. Fixed blade knives, folding knives, “survival” knives, combat knives… all kinds of knives. For all that I have yet to find what, in…
This article may not apply equally to all generations who read it. It will not necessarily apply equally to military veterans versus those who haven’t served. Keep in mind, as you read, that the purpose is to identify two different outlooks toward fighting and the challenge that can face law enforcement professionals as they have…
Author’s Note: This article was originally published in June of 2008. There are references in it to ‘recent events’ and the reader needs to understand those recent events were recent in June of 2008. But you should still remember there and the observations still all apply. – – – – – – – – –…
Author’s Note: This was originally written in June of 2007 – 15 years ago. It is still as applicable today as it was (I believe) when I first wrote it. Yes, there are some political outlooks herein and if you disagree with them, that’s cool. We’re all entitled to our opinion. – – – –…
Fair warning: This is going to be a short rant about assumptions people make pertaining to age. Just recently I had someone tell me that I should, “Grow up and act your age.” My first reaction was to tell them to pay attention to their own behavior. After all, if they felt I was so…
Author’s Note: Republished almost 16 years after I originally wrote it. Still just as applicable today as it was then. As I type this it’s Sunday afternoon, November 12, 2006. Two days ago, November 10th was the Marine Corps’ Birthday (231st). Happy Birthday Marines! I’m proud to have to call my older brothers on that…
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Originally published in late 2007 / early 2008 and now reposting again in light of the latest SCOTUS ruling that essentially makes the entire country a “shall issue” nation. Seems applicable for discussion about gun control… again. – – – – – – – – – –
I’d love to take full credit for this idea, but I can’t. I came across this concept in a Facebook advertisement of all things. That said, I took at look at what they had included in their “Water Bottle Survival Kit,” and saw some redundancies, and I also thought of some things I thought they…
This entry is a combination of an updated version of two blogs I wrote about 15 years ago. They have to do with reliance, self-reliance and how America’s original values (at our founding) may be related to them. These have been edited only to make them current-society appropriate.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I wrote this article about 15 years ago. It seems appropriate to republish given recent events. In July we saw Elisjsha Dicken stop an active shooter in a mall. Prior to that we saw an armed member of a church stop a shooter with well placed shots. Historically speaking, active shooters stopped by…
“It’s not how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and still keep moving forward.” Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in, well, Rocky Balboa.
Throughout the course of my law enforcement career it has constantly caught my attention how many of my fellow officers – most especially the ones that seem to perform on the street in ways that demand respect – have played contact sports. Given that most of my contemporaries are 45 years of age or older,…
Most recently I had a conversation with a gentleman who is a Marine, a veteran police psychologist and an avid supporter of self-defense. The conversation started because I had been asking questions about families and the environment set dependent on whether the family itself – that being the mother and father (or other primary care-givers)…
Not long ago I was on a long drive and as the miles passed, I began to ponder fear, our human reactions to it, how different those reactions can be even between people of similar backgrounds, etc. My thoughts came to focus on Various reactions to fear anyone can experience, and Motivations for some of…
Criticism:1. the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything.2. the act of passing severe judgment; censure; faultfinding.3. the act or art of analyzing and evaluating or judging the quality of work Critique:1. A critical review or commentary, especially one dealing with works of art or literature.2. A critical discussion of a specified…