So You Are About To Board A Plane...

...here in a commercial airport within the United States of America. It is in the post 9/11 era. In fact, the events on 9/11 were not all that long ago, so it is likely that virtually everyone with a fairly functioning brain knows about what happened that day. Those same people should also know about certain regulations and restrictions that went into effect after 9/11 to prevent hijacking of commercial aircraft. I mean this is the 21st century, we do have television, radio, email, cell phones with text messaging, the Internet, lots of news media broadcasts and so on.

Yet somehow, maybe just by some quirk of a possibly forgetful memory, or maybe by way of heinous intent, a young man reportedly attempts to pass through airport security with a pipe bomb in his carry on luggage. A man identified as Steven Nobles - as reported by Newsday.com - just yesterday reportedly forgot that he had a pipe bomb inside of his carry on luggage at MacArthur Airport in Islip, NY. A bomb he reportedly admitted having full knowledge of and which he reportedly said he made himself. One which he reportedly said he expected would: "cause a giant smoke cloud, a flash of light and hopefully a loud noise,". Wow, can you imagine a bomb doing that! He reportedly also carried, within his carry on-luggage: "... "explosive fireworks, electrical circuit boards, a battery with electrical tape and 14 ... .22-caliber rounds used in a nail gun to drive nails into concrete," ..."

So what does his lawyer say about all of this. Well what would you expect the scum of the earth to say about something like this, because I think what his lawyer said is about the same thing. As reported the lawyer said something to the effect: "Nobles, 20, had not intended to harm anyone and inadvertently placed the device in his luggage as he was returning to visit his mother after a year of working on Long Island." (that is a quote from the paper about what the lawyer said, not a quote from the lawyer.)

According to the FBI, as reported by Newsday.com, Nobles "denied" meaning to set this off on the aircraft, and said he had "inadvertently carried it to the airport".

Now come on folks, tell me and be truthful: Is it just that I am one cynical son of a gun, or does this sound like this guy boarded the plane with the quite possible intent of trying to hijack the plane, and maybe even to blow it up. I mean let's not forget that this reportedly was a pipe BOMB that was found IN HIS CARRY ON LUGGAGE. Also, let's not forget that before the bomb was found, the screeners reportedly also found a 7 inch long knife in his luggage. Okay, maybe I could forget I had a 7 inch long knife in my luggage. Heck I hunt, I fish, I carry knives on a fairly regular basis for work too. I keep knives in grab and go bags and sometimes even grab that bag for use as a carry on, but I check them before I pack em. Of course, maybe I could forget to check to see what was in there before I added more stuff. Thereby I could miss a knife that otherwise would be quite legal to own, and to use when hunting or fishing, or carving the Thanksgiving bird; you know it would be forgetting something that was otherwise legal. Yet to forget the whereabouts a homemade pipe bomb is far fetched. To forget something that is as far as I know absolutely illegal, and is potentially an extremely dangerous device, that could maybe blow up a plane and cause death and destruction of many people, and then inadvertently attempt to carry it in my carry-on luggage while getting ready to board a commercial aircraft full of other people in this post 9/11 world - well I have got to say that even with my muddled middle aged memory it would be pretty darned near impossible for me to forget something like that was in my bag. So how was it forgotten by a young man of 20?

A bomb is made to do one thing - to blow up. He reportedly brought it to a place where it had the potential to do an awful lot of damage, and he brought a knife too - both illegal items to bring onto a commercial aircraft in carry on luggage. Understandably I suppose, his family probably wants to believe him very much. His sister has already reportedly come out with a statement that her brother is a nice guy, who would not harm anyone, and that all of the stuff must have been from his job doing electrical work and she does not think it had anything to do with a bomb. Of course she apparently said that even after her brother admitted it was in fact a bomb, so she would have a very difficult time indeed of convincing me that this guy's intent was not to commit foul play aboard the plane he was about to have boarded before being stopped by authorities.

The truly sad thing is though, without further evidence being uncovered, evidence such as a written plot, a suicide note, nefarious emails, someone coming forward to say yes this man told them he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, proof of bad blood between him and the airlines, a prior criminal record for violence or other stuff like that, well then my bet is he will get off the hook with only a conviction for carrying these illegal items if in fact he is convicted at all. Yet the fact of the mater as reported so far is that it appears he attempted to board a commercial passenger aircraft carrying a knife and a pipe bomb, and other items that could possibly have been used to dangerous and possibly deadly effect. I think they should put him away for as long as possible if he is convicted.

In closing let me just say this: Thank goodness.

Oh are you wondering why I said thank goodness. Well thank goodness he did not make it to the plane. Thank goodness the headlines on my local newspaper this morning, the ones that caught my eye were what they were instead of reading: Passenger Aircraft en route to Las Vegas Blows Up in Mid Flight. Thank goodness that he did not make it through to the plane and then hijack it and fly it into a building full of office workers. Thank goodness no one was injured. Thank goodness your busy day at the airport, or your already late flight, was not interrupted by all the airports in the USA being closed down because of a terrorist attack.

Most of all folks, thank goodness (and even thank George W. Bush) for the TSA, and for the TSA screeners who discovered this stuff in this guys carry-on luggage. Thank goodness they were being pains in the ass, morons, jerk offs, scumbags, dickheads, jerks, assholes, fuck offs, nosy bastards, storm troopers, useless government employees and whatever other name by which they have been called by hundreds of thousands of irate passengers waiting to board planes. Thank goodness because if they had not been all of those things, all those things that made them vigilant hard working employees who work a truly thankless job, who delay you, who examine your luggage, who randomly search your person, who try to prevent catastrophes, well then you and I would quite possibly have awakened to have 10/16 forever branded into our little gray cells and into our hearts and souls just as we did with 9/11. Maybe the next time you fly, and one of the TSA guys or gals stop you and searches you more than another person, maybe, yep just maybe you ought to look that TSA screener right in the eyes, give him or her a big smile and say: 'Officer, thanks for doing your job and keeping us safe, I appreciate it'. And while you are at it, why not mean it when you say it.

All the best,
Glenn B

reference: http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/friday/news/ny-limac175886742oct17,0,2381010.story

Ballseye's Training and Tactics - Knife versus Gun

Okay, I am not the greatest artist in the world. In fact my artistic abilities, especially when it comes to music and drawing absolutely stink. Yet I think I have drawn up an illustration that suits the purpose of this rant, or should I say of the question I am about to pose since I will not give my ideas on it quite yet.

Here is the scenario, and my drawing (click on the drawing to enlarge it). You are at home, in a motel, at a friends house (wherever), and you are chilling out in the living room type set-up. You are just coming back from grabbing a nice cold beverage (must be a soda because you are armed) and are headed to the sofa to couch-potato out after a long day at work. You hear a noise, you look to the doorway and see a really bad boogular coming at you with a knife in his hand, raised as if to attack. You go from being in white mode to red alert instantly because you recognize the threat. There is absolutely no doubt in your mind that you are about to be skewered, nor should there be any doubt in a reasonable person's mind that such is about to occur. You are in fear for life and limb. You are armed with a handgun (yes some people do wear them at home).

What do you do? You have to do it right away!

Think quickly, and decide now!

What was it that you decided to do? Did you decide on any of the following, or did you come up with something else.

Do you freeze.

Do you comply with the demands of the bad guy?

Do you draw and fire?

Do you move backwards as you draw then fire?

Do you seek cover, if so where?

Do you attack the bad guy with hand to hand combat?

Do you throw the soda at him?

Do you run away?

Do you cry for mama?

Do you pray?

Do you do something else?

The real question is: What would you do?

Think about this, and please come up with an answer if you will, then share with all of us. This is a good way to learn the good, the not so good, and the outright bad choices one can make. We can all benefit from this.

There are some outright wrong answers as to how to survive this, and there are some better answers, but probably not a completely right answer as each can have its faults and there are just too many variables. The truth be told though, there is definitely one thing about which you should be thinking of doing in order to increase your odds at surviving this type of attack? The success of almost everything else you do very likely will depend on that one thing. Do you know what it is?

Whatever answer you come up with, don't feel afraid to leave it here. There will be no embarrassment coming from me to you.

I'll add, in a leter post (probably tomorrow or Sunday), what I believe would be my response to such an attack, a response designed to keep me alive and unharmed.

All the best,
Glenn B

My Plan 9as I posted over on TheHighRoad.org:

Yep, 8 feet sure is close isn't it. If the bad guy was approaching me fast, I woulld prepare for hand to knife combat, I would try to sidestep and move away, and try to gain distance. As you sidestep, if he is really close, you may also be able to push him away to the other side, giving you a chance to gain even more distance. You may get cut, but maybe not. If I had the room I would try to sidestep toward my gun side, keeping my gun arm farthest from him. You now are making him react to you in having to change direction to get you, this gives you an edge (no pun intended). Now where to run for you. Right in the direction the bad guy just came from, and while maybe not through the door, because others may be out in the hallway, you could still run off on a diagnoal toward the other corner of the room. Still you can run fastest in that direction because you are facing that way. Remember to that the bad guy has been sidestepped and momentum should have kept him going a step or two past you; he now has to turn around, and you have gained time and distance because of that. If the bad guy was moving very slowly, I would again prepare myself for hand to knife combat, and if I thought of it I would sidestep to the left and rear, move that chair out, if only because it would create distance between us. He cannot come through a chair, he has to come around it, or over it to get me and that is more distance. Then I would continue trying to make distance between us as fast as I could do so. As he tries to go around it to the left, I would sidestep right and run, and the other way around if he went right. Or if need be I would go backward to the door behind me (least preferable route of escape here in my mind) but better than standing your ground.As you make distance, anything that you can put between the two of you without sacrificing a wound is good. If you can get behind real cover at a good distance from the bad guy, do so. Then draw and fire. Why not draw as you are running, that is okay too if you have gained enough distance but not before. Yu may still need bnoth hands for combat, or to move items between the two of you, or to open a dor, or whatever. Enough distance for a draw would be, in my opinion, equivalent to about 27 feet no cover, and 21 feet with cover. Remember though, it will be hard to tell if you have made that distance or not while under attack so practicing, and measuring after each practice scenario would be of help in preparing you for this.Bear in mind, if you move backwards, and draw as you do so, then fire, chances are he will cut you pretty badly if he knows how to use a knife. If you stand your ground and draw you are most likely going to get hurt really badly. If you go to groud with legs raised in front of you and try to draw and fire, chances are you will be cut badly, and maybe even shoot yourself. Even if you drill this exercise from 21 feet, you are not shooting at a real bad guy when you drill. Pumped up with adrenalin, a bad guy who is intent on hurting or killing you has momentum. Even if you could shoot such an assailant multiple times, chances are that his momentum would carry him to you, and you would be cut badly. Do not believe even for a moment that a cut has to happen. Do not allow yourself to be cut because you foolishly believe it inevitable. Use the bad guys momentum against him if you can. If you can gain distance, do so. Distance is your friend, and maybe even your life saver. Remember that distance is sometimes created without you moving, such as moving an object between you, but that distance is usually quickly covered even though it slows the bad guy a bit, so you have to move as you block his path. Also remember another way to create more distance is to sidestep and make the bad guy have to change direction. Again quickly overcome, so you have to keep moving if practical. You can move faster to the side than you can to the rear, and then you can move even faster straight ahead as he passes you (remember he has momentum too).If you have a friend willing to train with you, try this out. See how it works for you. You may still get cut, but your chances of not being cut, and of surviving probably have been increased. Also bear in mind that each situation will be different. You need to be able to improvise, training regularly and changing it each time will help with this.

New Stuff...

...that I have gotten recently and that has me a happy camper is something I figured I would share with all of you in a post with pics. As most of my readers probably know by now I am into herps (reptiles and amphibians), and into guns (shooting and self defense wise, not gunsmithing or tinkering), and hunting & fishing. My recent acquisitions have to do with all of those interests.

The first thing I want to show you is a knife I bought recently. I was not too sure if I would keep it for myself, or if I was going to give it to my son on his birthday, but I have decided this one is a keeper for me, and probably eventually will become his. Who knows, I may yet get him another for his birthday, but I think I have a better present in mind right now.

As for the knife, it is a Spyderco, Bill Moran model. I had wanted one with a drop point blade but that was not available, so I got this one. Now that I have it I like this blade more than the drop point with its more classical lines. That is about all that is classical on this knife though. The polymer handle (or whatever it is) is pretty decent in the hand. The sheath is molded plastic (or again whatever), and the knife fits into it snugly. The sheath is adjustable to be carried in several positions. Not a bad investment, I think, at only about $55. Now I have a nice accompaniment for my pistol as it sits on my belt with the knife. The blade will come in handy on hunting and fishing trips, and I hope i never need it for self defense; but in that last regard I follow the motto of the Boy Scouts: "Be Prepared".

My next acquisition was free. I got it tonight (Sunday night, it is now Monday morning by 5 minutes or so). It is a Thayer's Kingsnake. Well truth be told, I sold or gave this snake to someone about 4 years ago. I may have bred the parents to produce this one, I cannot recall right now. I know I had some that were jet black, and yes they can produce young that look like this. My friend Bill V dropped it off with me tonight. He liked this snake a lot. So much so that he actually saved this snake from death's doorstep one day a couple of, or a few, years back when another kingsnake he kept it with began to constrict and eat it (that is why they call them kingsnakes, they eat other snakes). The way he brought it back was by placing a straw into its windpipe and giving it artificial respiration. Bill is a NYC Fireman and knows how to save lives, even an animal's life. He recently started school for a second career, and has little time left to do anything else. So he has cut back on his snake collection. It was difficult for him to give this one up. Nice snake, to bad he did not get it to me on Friday, I could have taken it to Saturday's LIHS Reptile Expo and probably made him some money with it. If you are not into snakes you probably cannot figure how someone would want to pay money for one, but this one is worth at least $150, maybe $250 in this one's condition. These kingsnakes are also known as the variable Kingsnake because that when they are born they can be one of several color and pattern variations from jet black to orange with saddles to the one shown, to a tri-colored phase, and others in between. This phase is one of my favorites.

My other acquisitions, 5 of them, all came to me Saturday at the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. I was so busy while there that I did not even realize, until someone just about knocked me on the head, that one of my animals displayed in the judged show had won a first place ribbon in its category (tortoises), a first place trophy in the more general category of Turtles/Tortoises, and the Best of Show trophy for all the animals in the judged show. I have been an LIHS member for about 17 or 18 years now, and while my animals, and Brendan's animals, have sometimes won best in a specific category, or best in a more general category, we have never won the Best of Show before. If indeed I have been an LIHS member for 18 years now, what a nice coincidence that I won the Best of Show for the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. The sad thing is that I fell asleep early tonight, a long nap, and only woke up after my chance of playing the pick 3 number for the NY Lotto was over for tonight. I would have played 018. Maybe tomorrow. The man whose name shown is on the plaque on the trophy was a past president of the society, and a friend. A great guy, and a man who knew how to keep people interested in the LIHS. It was under him that our membership reached into the hundreds.

Oh yeah, the trophy was for my female Hermann's Tortoise. I have had it about 3 or 4 years now. Got it as a little one from another society member. It sure has grown up to be one good looking tortoise. I must admit while I am thrilled to have won, it is also humbling. You had to see the competition; and you have to realize that the guy who has won for the last few years in a row decided to drop out of the competition to give some of us other members a chance. I owe a lot to him, to the guy from who I got the tortoise, and to the tortoise and Mother Nature. Without all of them doing their parts, then maybe there would have been no trophy for me.

All the best,

Glenn B