This is great.
Lucky for them it was, is all I will say.
Thanks to Wally for posting this on FB.
All the best,
GB
Lucky for them it was, is all I will say.
Thanks to Wally for posting this on FB.
All the best,
GB
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Autumn Is Upon Us...
...and what better way to celebrate its commencement than with a song by the Grateful Dead. No it's not a song about the fall (but in a way is about a fall); yet, I think you will see the connection in the name of the song. Anyway, the Dead were best seen at concerts in the crisp air of autumn while the leaves slowly dissolved their chlorophyll on their trip from a vibrant green to a more mellow and colorful state, at least in my opinion. So without further ado, here is Rosalie McFall by the Grateful Dead, who gave the best partying concerts in history!
Well, sorry but one further bit of ado, the name of the song, as first seen on a Grateful Dead album cover was Rosalie McFall and not Rosalee McFall nor Rosa Lee McFall as seen on the covers of albums of some other singers or in the lyrics as they appear online.
All the best,
Glenn B
Well, sorry but one further bit of ado, the name of the song, as first seen on a Grateful Dead album cover was Rosalie McFall and not Rosalee McFall nor Rosa Lee McFall as seen on the covers of albums of some other singers or in the lyrics as they appear online.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, September 22, 2014
The Autumnal Equinox...
...is just about upon us, it will arrive at 10:29 eastern time, that's just under an hour as I type. So what does that mean? It means Summer's Almost Gone.
When summer's gone, I know where I'll be sometime soon. I'll be out, on a crisp fall night, in some farmer's pumpkin field in the dark, doing what one does in a pumpkin field at that hour. Nuff said!
All the best,
Glenn B
When summer's gone, I know where I'll be sometime soon. I'll be out, on a crisp fall night, in some farmer's pumpkin field in the dark, doing what one does in a pumpkin field at that hour. Nuff said!
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, September 21, 2014
'It Is A Frog, Frog Better Thing That I Do, Than I Have Ever Done;...
...it is a far, far better repast that I go to than I have ever known.' And so, went five frogs I had in a tank in my basement for the last two days. I got six of them at a Chinese fish market, on 8th Avenue, at 58th Street, in Brooklyn on Friday.
Put them in a tank with clean water and changed the water a couple or few times over the past couple of days to let em get clean of the rather filthy water they had been in in the shop. Then today I took five of them out, stopped their clocks, pulled the skin off of their legs, cut the hind legs away from the body, split the legs where connected to one another, cleaned em, patted em dry with paper towels, rolled each in flower, rolled each in beaten egg, rolled em in seasoned bread crumbs and put em in a deep frying pan about 1/3 full of hot vegetable oil. About five minutes on side one until golden brown, flip em and about 3 or 4 minutes on the flip side until golden brown on that side and they were fall from the bone ready for my belly.
I cooked them up as a special treat for my brother-in-law the elder who turns the big 60 this week. He, my brother-in-law the younger, my mother-in-law, wife, daughter and son and my sister-in-law (my late brother's wife) are having a birthday bash for the birthday boy. The wife cooked up a nice pot roast dinner (maybe sauerbraten - not sure yet since the rite kraut is giving off a strong but yummy aroma). So far, I think only me and my brother-in-law the elder have partaken in the froggy goodness. He loved them. So did I. I am pretty sure Brendan will gulp a few down but was surprised that my younger brother-in-law declined even one. Not much of a surprise that the wife, daughter and MIL will not have any. As for the sister-in-law, she is not here yet (edited to add: yes she too declined).
A decent video, of frogs going from the catching to the cooking and eating can be seen here.
Oh yeah, in case you are wondering why I only cooked up 5 of the 6 frogs, I have given the 6th one a reprieve. It will live on, in a tank in my basement, at least until I get a hankering for frogs legs again and cook up another batch (dredged in flour/salt/pepper and sautéed in butter next time, I think). Chances are though, if I keep it for my next frogs' leg dinner, I'll be keeping it for quite awhile and it likely will live to a ripe old age for a frog. That's because the last time, before this, that I made frogs' legs was at least four or five years ago, so the odds are in the frog's favor of living a long life of froggy bliss until it dies of old age and goes to frog heaven long before I cook them again.
All the best,
Glenn B
 |
| One thing is for sure, there was not much of a chance I could go out and catch frogs of this size anywhere near me in New York. They were a handful and their legs were a tasty mouthful. |
 |
| There were some nice looking fat legs on these babies and that made for great eats. |
 |
| Man oh man was that ever some froggy goodness. Golden brown, fall off of the bone done and absolutely delicious. |
Oh yeah, in case you are wondering why I only cooked up 5 of the 6 frogs, I have given the 6th one a reprieve. It will live on, in a tank in my basement, at least until I get a hankering for frogs legs again and cook up another batch (dredged in flour/salt/pepper and sautéed in butter next time, I think). Chances are though, if I keep it for my next frogs' leg dinner, I'll be keeping it for quite awhile and it likely will live to a ripe old age for a frog. That's because the last time, before this, that I made frogs' legs was at least four or five years ago, so the odds are in the frog's favor of living a long life of froggy bliss until it dies of old age and goes to frog heaven long before I cook them again.
All the best,
Glenn B
Don't Feed The Bears...
...is good advice when you are in bear country just as don't feed the fish now also seems to make a lot of sense. At least that is, don't feed the fish with your body parts! This has got to be a whole different way to catch tarpon and judging by his seemingly already bloodied arm, I would think it was not the first fish that tried to eat him that day.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, September 15, 2014
It's Time To Get Another Bird Feeder...
...because since we took ours down a couple or a few years back, I have come to miss scenes like these right under it.
Yes, I was more than happy to feed all sorts of birds that visited our backyard. Some ate seeds and some ate the birds that ate the seeds - all thanks to me hanging a bird feeder from an old dogwood tree in my back yard.
A bird feeder will also give my dogs some good exercise. Mimi, our medium sized mutt, likes to catch them on the wing, as they take off. Then Roxie fights her for possession and if she gets the bird - down the hatch it goes. That was pretty much the excuse we sometimes give for getting rid of it, the dogs were getting the birds and the other half did not like it, not one bit (pun intended).
Really though, I think it had more to do with the pigeons that started to frequent our yard just a short while before we finally got rid of the bird feeders. That, I think, was really what made up our minds to remove the feeders. As far feeding the birds, we could have put up with almost anything: the cost of the seeds, seed hulls all over the place, weeds growing from uneaten seeds, a flock of up to maybe 100 birds chirping away outside our window, bird shit on the patio furniture, birds of prey swooping down and killing birds in the yard and then eating them right there, our dogs chasing and sometimes catching and eating birds - anything - that is except a flock of rats with wings that kept coming by. Had we lived in a more gun free state, we would have been eating squab and that would have solved the problem. As it was, I had to get rid of the feeders.
Lately though, I miss all the birds - that is except for the pigeons - and I especially miss those hawks. I may just have to chance the return of the pigeons by putting in a new feeder, I can always take it down again if they come back.
All the best,
Glenn B
Yes, I was more than happy to feed all sorts of birds that visited our backyard. Some ate seeds and some ate the birds that ate the seeds - all thanks to me hanging a bird feeder from an old dogwood tree in my back yard.
A bird feeder will also give my dogs some good exercise. Mimi, our medium sized mutt, likes to catch them on the wing, as they take off. Then Roxie fights her for possession and if she gets the bird - down the hatch it goes. That was pretty much the excuse we sometimes give for getting rid of it, the dogs were getting the birds and the other half did not like it, not one bit (pun intended).
Really though, I think it had more to do with the pigeons that started to frequent our yard just a short while before we finally got rid of the bird feeders. That, I think, was really what made up our minds to remove the feeders. As far feeding the birds, we could have put up with almost anything: the cost of the seeds, seed hulls all over the place, weeds growing from uneaten seeds, a flock of up to maybe 100 birds chirping away outside our window, bird shit on the patio furniture, birds of prey swooping down and killing birds in the yard and then eating them right there, our dogs chasing and sometimes catching and eating birds - anything - that is except a flock of rats with wings that kept coming by. Had we lived in a more gun free state, we would have been eating squab and that would have solved the problem. As it was, I had to get rid of the feeders.
Lately though, I miss all the birds - that is except for the pigeons - and I especially miss those hawks. I may just have to chance the return of the pigeons by putting in a new feeder, I can always take it down again if they come back.
All the best,
Glenn B
Lagniappe's Lair - Another Blog Added to the Blogroll
Lagniappe's Lair was added over on the right sidebar, under the header TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM.
The link is: http://lagniappeslair.blogspot.com/
All the best,
Glenn B
The link is: http://lagniappeslair.blogspot.com/
All the best,
Glenn B
There Is Another Blogshoot Upcoming...
...this one is going to be in West by God Virginia and I cannot wait to get there and have some shooty goodness fun even if it is going to take 5 - 6 hours to get there. It's not until November 1, so there will be a bit of a wait but that's going to allow me some time to stock up on some ammo and to get my guns ready for the shoot. Well, I guess the guns are already ready, I just have to decide which ones to drag along. I am hoping my son will come with me - if nothing else that will make dragging along the guns all that much easier.
More info on the blogshoot here:
http://lagniappeslair.blogspot.com/2014/09/blogshoot-invite-again.html
All the best,
Glenn B
More info on the blogshoot here:
http://lagniappeslair.blogspot.com/2014/09/blogshoot-invite-again.html
All the best,
Glenn B
Still Makes Me Want To Puke
So what ever happened to that guy, Nidal Hasan, anyway? Has Obama awarded him the medal of honor or made him a cabinet member yet!
A hat tip to Rich McN for sending me that one.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Is It Time For A Crusade Within America?
I am not about to answer that question, I'll let you decide for yourselves but it is obvious to me that deadly jihad is taking place within our borders. In fact, it could not be any more obvious than a reported confession given to police by an alleged Islamic cold blooded killer who reportedly admitted he shot and killed one American in NJ shortly after he was suspected of killing two others in Washington State. Apparently it was all, or at least the one in NJ was, committed in the name of Islam. So, why are the main stream mud slinging media and the authorities keeping mum on this or even trying to make it look like robbery or car jacking was the motive when they evidently know in fact that Islamic extremism and revenge by way of jihad were the motives.
Watch the embedded video but also make sure to click on the links below to see two other videos that give the suspect's admitted motives for the killing. Those two videos at the links differ markedly in how the murder of Brendan Tevlin is described. By the first video, you may get the idea he was carjacked and robbed. But when you watch the other two at the links - you will see it as the suspect reportedly confessed to the police and the motive sure wasn't robbery.
Now watch the videos at these inks. See:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/3781823352001/was-teens-murder-an-act-of-domestic-terrorism/?intcmp=obnetwork#sp=show-clips Watch the embedded video but also make sure to click on the links below to see two other videos that give the suspect's admitted motives for the killing. Those two videos at the links differ markedly in how the murder of Brendan Tevlin is described. By the first video, you may get the idea he was carjacked and robbed. But when you watch the other two at the links - you will see it as the suspect reportedly confessed to the police and the motive sure wasn't robbery.
Now watch the videos at these inks. See:
and see:
http://video.foxnews.com/v/3781823352001/was-teens-murder-an-act-of-domestic-terrorism/?intcmp=obnetwork#sp=show-clips
This apparent cover-up and the crimes committed by this guy are almost unbelievable and may well lead, maybe even should lead, to a crusade coming about in America.
All the best,
Glenn B
Meanwhile At A Local Watering Hole...
...the 911 call for shots fired was due to:
1. A drunk with a gun
2. A drunk cop with a gun
3. An drunken idiot who handed a gun to another drunk
4. All of the above
Off-duty New York cop reportedly shoots two after struggle over gun outside bar | Fox News
If I recall correctly, and this is from like 15 years ago, the suspects in over 90% of all 911 calls in New York City about someone in a bar with a gun (other than someone committing an armed robbery) are found to be a drunken cop. Then again who else could it be unless it was an armed criminal. For the most part, the only people in NYC with guns are criminals and cops and if the above statistic is right - even the criminals seem to know better than the cops that alcohol and gunpowder do not mix.
All the best,
Glenn B
1. A drunk with a gun
2. A drunk cop with a gun
3. An drunken idiot who handed a gun to another drunk
4. All of the above
Off-duty New York cop reportedly shoots two after struggle over gun outside bar | Fox News
If I recall correctly, and this is from like 15 years ago, the suspects in over 90% of all 911 calls in New York City about someone in a bar with a gun (other than someone committing an armed robbery) are found to be a drunken cop. Then again who else could it be unless it was an armed criminal. For the most part, the only people in NYC with guns are criminals and cops and if the above statistic is right - even the criminals seem to know better than the cops that alcohol and gunpowder do not mix.
All the best,
Glenn B
I Beg To Differ...
...but I must contradict what it says in this poster:
There really was a movie made with a title like that, while not the same exact wording, it translates to the exact same meaning. Click on the link to end your suspense:
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, September 12, 2014
Never Take Having Both Hands and Both Arms For Granted...
...because if and when you lose one or both due to some foolishness on your part - you may just get an itch you can't scratch, a really bad itch at that! How bad?
Imagine not being able to scratch one like this - that would be absolute agony!
All the best,
Glenn B
My Paycheck - My Luck
Got my first check from my new job today. I worked two days in the pay period but got paid for only one. Just my luck! They also took out much less than I asked for federal taxes. I am working on getting it corrected. Still, I have a little extra cash, or will have it once I cash the check, and that is a good thing.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
5.11 Tactical - Taclite Pro Pants - A Review
I guess it was at least 4-5 years ago, when I was still working for DHS, that they issued us a bunch of duty gear. Among it all were a couple of pairs of 5.11 Tactical Taclite Pro pants, series number 74273. At the time, I figured they had to be absolute crap as was most of my issued equipment that had been issued to me since the Customs & Immigration investigative offices were merged in ICE (now Homeland Security Investigations) under DHS. I was wrong.
Actually, these are some of the best BDU or tactical type pants I have ever owned. (I usually buy Tru-Spec, cotton BDUs which I also like a lot.) Luckily for me, the government allowed me to keep them on my retirement almost three years ago and I still wear them. In fact, I wear them frequently. To date, the only issues I have with them is that one has a hole in the right side slash pocket, probably because for a while there I did something I don't always do and carried a pistol in that pocket, one pair also has a worn spot in the fabric where they were abraded by something or other, and both pairs are worn ragged at the bottom where they have dragged on the floor or ground while I was wearing flat soled shoes with them on, they are little long on me. In other words, they have held up very well in five years of medium to heavy use. The only problems were caused by me and I could certainly have prevented them from wearing out at the bottom by either having them altered or by not wearing flat soled shows while wearing those pants. Oh, there is on other issue, they have begun to get stained. The stains are probably mostly gun oil but the pants were pretty stain resistant over the years I have had them and that stain resistant quality seems to have worn off. I think they were Teflon coated or something like that and I guess it comes off over time and through many washings. Anyway, I think just 4-5 years or so without my pants getting stained is a damned good run.
As for the pants themselves, they are 5.11's style 74273 - Taclite Pro Pants. They are made of a 65/35 polyester-cotton blend. They appear to be ripstop, as they have the little squares in the material, but that is not stated on the company website so, I am not sure if they are or not. The material is fairly lightweight and they are comfortable pants in the summer despite being 65% polyester. I have also worn them in the winter and although they certainly are not winter-wear, as in made to keep you warm, they okay for a fairly mild winter's day of in and out of the cold/warm like going from home to work or shopping or whatever. Speaking of work, they are dressy enough, I think, for casual wear at work in the office and rugged enough for in the shop, and actually suitable enough for tactical or other field work and comfortable for a day at the range and I have worn them in all such situations.
I suppose they live up to the 'tactical" in their name with two side cargo-like pockets with flap closures (the pockets are not expandable like true cargo pockets), a smaller pocket with flap closure above the cargo pocket on the left, two side slash pockets, two rear slash pockets, and a small open topped pocket above the cargo pocket on the right (I have used that one to hold needle nosed pliers while fishing). 5.11 says one of the pockets is a knife pocket. I figure you can use either the small flap closure pocket or the small open pocket depending on how quickly you want to get to the knife and whether or not your knife has a clip on it. The cargo-like pockets, the knife pocket and the rear pockets are secured with Velcro strips. There is also a metal ring attached to the front right side belt loop to which I imagine you could secure a key ring although I have never made use of it. Above the right rear pocket, there is a piece of webbing sown into the pants on each of its ends - I have no clue as to the purpose of it, to me it is pointless but I am not very tacticool and am on the ignorant side about such things. The pants have a snap and zipper closure with an additional internal button closure in the fly. The belt loops can accommodate at least a 1.5" wide belt and I think will take a 2" belt. The loops themselves are fairly wide too. The waistline is forgiving in that it is elasticized on the sides. Thanks to that, they are pretty comfortable pants for those of us who are, shall I say, endowed with a beer belly. I would guess they are just as comfortable for those among us with slimmer figures. For more info, go here: http://www.511tactical.com/taclite-pro-pants.html
All in all, I have got to give them this: They are one good pair of pretty rugged and comfortable pants made with tactical use in mind. The ones they make today seem to be identical (from what I can tell looking at their website) to those I was issued 4-5 years ago. Don't let their name fool you though, they are not just for tactical use and are quite suitable for everyday pants in a wide variety of situations, I think they should have been named 5.11 Practical Pants but I guess Tactical or Taclite sells better. Anyway, they get an A+ in my estimation.
All the best,
Glenn B
Note: As usual - no compensation of any kind was offered or given to me for this review - although if they wanted to throw a few pair of these pants my way, I do not think I would refuse such an offer from 5.11 (hint, hint).
Actually, these are some of the best BDU or tactical type pants I have ever owned. (I usually buy Tru-Spec, cotton BDUs which I also like a lot.) Luckily for me, the government allowed me to keep them on my retirement almost three years ago and I still wear them. In fact, I wear them frequently. To date, the only issues I have with them is that one has a hole in the right side slash pocket, probably because for a while there I did something I don't always do and carried a pistol in that pocket, one pair also has a worn spot in the fabric where they were abraded by something or other, and both pairs are worn ragged at the bottom where they have dragged on the floor or ground while I was wearing flat soled shoes with them on, they are little long on me. In other words, they have held up very well in five years of medium to heavy use. The only problems were caused by me and I could certainly have prevented them from wearing out at the bottom by either having them altered or by not wearing flat soled shows while wearing those pants. Oh, there is on other issue, they have begun to get stained. The stains are probably mostly gun oil but the pants were pretty stain resistant over the years I have had them and that stain resistant quality seems to have worn off. I think they were Teflon coated or something like that and I guess it comes off over time and through many washings. Anyway, I think just 4-5 years or so without my pants getting stained is a damned good run.
As for the pants themselves, they are 5.11's style 74273 - Taclite Pro Pants. They are made of a 65/35 polyester-cotton blend. They appear to be ripstop, as they have the little squares in the material, but that is not stated on the company website so, I am not sure if they are or not. The material is fairly lightweight and they are comfortable pants in the summer despite being 65% polyester. I have also worn them in the winter and although they certainly are not winter-wear, as in made to keep you warm, they okay for a fairly mild winter's day of in and out of the cold/warm like going from home to work or shopping or whatever. Speaking of work, they are dressy enough, I think, for casual wear at work in the office and rugged enough for in the shop, and actually suitable enough for tactical or other field work and comfortable for a day at the range and I have worn them in all such situations.
I suppose they live up to the 'tactical" in their name with two side cargo-like pockets with flap closures (the pockets are not expandable like true cargo pockets), a smaller pocket with flap closure above the cargo pocket on the left, two side slash pockets, two rear slash pockets, and a small open topped pocket above the cargo pocket on the right (I have used that one to hold needle nosed pliers while fishing). 5.11 says one of the pockets is a knife pocket. I figure you can use either the small flap closure pocket or the small open pocket depending on how quickly you want to get to the knife and whether or not your knife has a clip on it. The cargo-like pockets, the knife pocket and the rear pockets are secured with Velcro strips. There is also a metal ring attached to the front right side belt loop to which I imagine you could secure a key ring although I have never made use of it. Above the right rear pocket, there is a piece of webbing sown into the pants on each of its ends - I have no clue as to the purpose of it, to me it is pointless but I am not very tacticool and am on the ignorant side about such things. The pants have a snap and zipper closure with an additional internal button closure in the fly. The belt loops can accommodate at least a 1.5" wide belt and I think will take a 2" belt. The loops themselves are fairly wide too. The waistline is forgiving in that it is elasticized on the sides. Thanks to that, they are pretty comfortable pants for those of us who are, shall I say, endowed with a beer belly. I would guess they are just as comfortable for those among us with slimmer figures. For more info, go here: http://www.511tactical.com/taclite-pro-pants.html
All in all, I have got to give them this: They are one good pair of pretty rugged and comfortable pants made with tactical use in mind. The ones they make today seem to be identical (from what I can tell looking at their website) to those I was issued 4-5 years ago. Don't let their name fool you though, they are not just for tactical use and are quite suitable for everyday pants in a wide variety of situations, I think they should have been named 5.11 Practical Pants but I guess Tactical or Taclite sells better. Anyway, they get an A+ in my estimation.
All the best,
Glenn B
Note: As usual - no compensation of any kind was offered or given to me for this review - although if they wanted to throw a few pair of these pants my way, I do not think I would refuse such an offer from 5.11 (hint, hint).
Thursday, September 11, 2014
A Warning Shot - Is It A Waste Of A Bullet?
I fired a warning shot once in my life. It had, luckily for me, the desired effect. A guy who was in my face and threatening to kill me, and his gang of about 20-25 accomplices whom he was urging to kill me and who were starting to come through a hole in the international boundary fence, took off running for their lives back into Mexico when I fired it. That was back in the early 80's when I was a young and fairly inexperienced border patrol agent. That they would have tried to kill me there was no doubt in my mind because about 5-6 of them had been fighting with me only moments before to take a prisoner away from me. They tried to pull me into Mexico along with the prisoner. They got him but not me as I fought like a Tasmanian Tiger on steroids. They, or at least one of them, also tried to get my revolver and I would bet not to go target shooting. I managed to retain it, to get in a few good whacks and to free myself from underneath the lot of them. As I was calling for help and heded back to my vehicle, the ringleader came back into the U.S. and confronted me saying he was going to kill me and urging his compadres to do likewise. He also said I could do nothing to stop him. I knew enough not to get caught up in tunnel vision and scanned quickly. That allowed me to see a group of his amigos coming through holes in the fence and others climbing over it, about 20-25 guys in all. As he literally puffed up his chest and advanced on me, I drew and fired my Colt Border Patrol. It was the first time I ever drew a handgun in self defense.
I was pretty inexperienced at the time. Sure, I had gone through the academy and done well there. I did pretty good in firearms training considering I literally could not hit the paper of the target with all six shots from 15 yards at first. I am pretty sure I even won a marksmanship award by that point. The thing was though, no one had ever prepared me for something like this - a confrontation with an unarmed individual or mob. The only thing about this situation that I had been trained for was that warning shots were forbidden by the Border Patrol's firearms policy. As my amigo pounded his chest and came at me, I drew, took good aim, and fired. He was mere feet away. The bullet, or the force of it through the air, actually parted his hair - I swear on anything on which one can swear - I saw it. When I took aim, I wasn't aiming at him but at the side of a building in Mexico. It was as I recall, a school and this was happening at night with no one in the school. Anyway, I aimed at a solid concrete wall of the structure. My shot would have gone further over his head had he stayed put but he advanced as I was about to shoot and I just held steady and squeezed one off. I wanted to be able to put the next one into his chest if need be so my warning shot was aimed to be just above his head. As I said, he and the others fled into Mexico.
That night, I went home, some aches and pains from the beating I had taken from them when they tried to pull me into Mexico. The ones pulling me were accompanied by others who were punching and kicking me, plus I had had a pretty good fight with he guy I had taken prisoner. All I cold think of was what trouble I was in for having fired a warning shot (and my supervisor made sure to keep reminding me of it before I went home for the night). The next day, when I awoke, I had a lot of aches and pains and some small bruises. My chest was killing me. Then, I coughed. I figure that a good two to four ounces of clotted blood came up with that cough. I was off to the hospital for an X-ray. The docs told me I had a fractured sternum and bruised lungs (I don't recall the medical term for bruised lungs so that will have to do). They said they could do nothing and it would heal over time. That same day, I also got some good news. The Chief patrol Agent for our sector had given the local news paper a scheduled interview and as an opportunist included a blurb about me in it. He said, in essence, that just the night before one of his agents had to fire a fully justified warning shot to save his own life from a gang of Mexican desperados. Fully justified! Yes, that was good news.
The thing about that shot having been fully justified has haunted me ever since. Sure, I broke the rules but as the CPA had said, I did so to save my life and thus in his eyes justified that action. I tend to agree but that is not what bothers me. The thing that bothers me still is that, shortly after the incident, I realized I had fired a shot, that had it not had its intended effect of scaring off my adversary, would have amounted to a wasted bullet. At best, I had a 50/50 chance that it was going to have the desired outcome or that I would have been down one shot in the cylinder had I needed to stop my attackers. From that time forward, I pretty much realized, that unless under exceptional circumstances, a warning shot was indeed a wasted bullet even if it might have had the desired effect. Did you see how I said that. I did not say 'even if it had the desired effect' because there is no way of knowing beforehand that it would. As I said, at best, it is a 50/50 proposition that a warning shot will stop an aggressor.
On the other hand, a well placed shot into an assailant, whom you are legally justified to shoot, is much more likely to have the desired effect(s). First off, it may stop the threat to your life or limb outright. The threat to your life may end with one shot (or more) into your assailant. Secondly, even if it does not stop the threat, if you hit your target, it is likely to produce an injury that will at least somewhat incapacitate your foe and give you the advantage allowing you to stop the threat or to avoid it without injury to yourself. If there are multiple threats, them seeing the first at whom you fired upon go down can be all the warning they need and they may flee. If not, then you still have ammo left to fire at them and have not wasted any of it by firing into the air or the ground or whatever with a warning shot. In my case, had I shot the ringleader at almost point blank range, I figure he would have been out of the fight and I could have used my remaining five shots (the Colt Border Patrol was a six shot revolver) on the remaining 20-25 of his accomplices. Having the potential to put a single round into five more of my attackers instead of just four of them would have been all the better in such a situation had they kept coming if I had put down their leader. The same goes for their leader too - so make it me being able potentially to hit six of them. I like the remaining odds better than me maybe hitting only five because I had wasted a shot by firing it anywhere but into one of my opponents in what was a real life or death struggle. That one more shot into one more guy and his going down may get the rest of them to stop, or maybe it would be four shots into one other guy and the last shot into a third thug but those shots might well act not only as man-stoppers but also as a warning to the rest of them. That one extra shot could save my life. It could save yours too. Sure, you might get killed anyway with odds like what I faced but chances are, once the bad guys start going down, the others will flee. If they don't take off at the sound of shots fired and them seeing their criminal associates fall, then at least you have reduced the odds a bit of them getting you and have tilted them a bit more in favor of you surviving. One bullet can make a big difference in such a situation, so why waste it on a warning shot?
That said, there are times when you may need or want to take a warning shot. Most of the times you want to take one are probably going to be because you have never shot someone before and have that momentary doubt of whether or not a shot into your assailant is justified at the moment. There is always also that reluctance to seriously harm or kill another human being (at least among certain cultures) no matter how much of a heinous dirt-bag he or she is being. Then there are the times that you may actually need to take a warning shot - not so much to warn of the dirt-bag but to warn off innocent bystanders who may be in the line of fire. Firing a shot into the air, or the ground, or into something from which the shot is not likely to travel, might be the only feasible way to get others out of he way or the only practical way to stop the bad guy in his or her tracks without taking an overly high risk of wounding a bystander. Of course, you have to weight that risk, of you possibly injuring a bystander, against the risk of further injury or death that may be caused by the assailant. If the bad guy ios mowing down people with an automatic rifle, and you have a chance to shoot him, but there are say 10 kids right behind him (in your line of fire should you miss or if your bullet hits and travels through him) - would you take the shot to stop that threat. I, in all likelihood would shoot. Why - because the risk would be greater that the bad guy would keep harming or killing people if I did not.
There is a chance though, that in some similar circumstance, I might fire a warning shot. Say for instance that someone is threatening others with a gun on a crowded subway car and if I fire there is a distinct and good chance that if I miss my target, I will hit a bystander. I might fire a warning shot. Then again, I might just use verbal commands instead of wasting a bullet. if verbal commands fail, and if it seems as it might go either way, I may try a warning shot into the ceiling of the car again calculating the risk factors to innocents. Granted, there may not always be the luxury of enough time to try and figure out those risk factors but if there is, then do your figuring quickly - like in an instant. You have to consider one other thing about a warning shot (or even a verbal warning) - it may act not as a deterrent but as a trigger for violence or continued violence at an increased rate on the part of the armed offender or of his accomplices. Remember that most bad guys are not lone wolves. This is a lesson that should have been learned by us after the armed bystander stepped in trying to stop the armed assailant in a Las Vegas Walmart. He approached the bad guy, apparently with his own legal gun drawn, and was shot and killed by the bad guy's girlfriend/accomplice who just a moment before had been pushing a shopping cart as if she was a shopper and not a coldblooded or psychotic killer. Of course, that is another topic altogether - to get involved or not and if you do get involved then how to approach it - and being aware of your surroundings - but also I have to wonder did he give some type of warning that alerted the woman to him and gave her the chance to shoot him in cold blood. Warning shots, verbal warnings and other giveaways as to your intent and location can benefit the bad guy and that is something you need consider before giving your opponent the edge.
In any such a situation, the decision to fire a warning shot or not (or to give a verbal warning or verbal commands) is up to you and you alone. If you do decide to fire a warning shot, be ready to fire the next shot(s) directly into your assailant(s) if needed, and always try to be aware of your situation including other potential threats and try to be behind good cover before doing any of it. As for me, when it comes to warning shots, I'd rather not waste the bullet.
All the best,
Glenn B
I was pretty inexperienced at the time. Sure, I had gone through the academy and done well there. I did pretty good in firearms training considering I literally could not hit the paper of the target with all six shots from 15 yards at first. I am pretty sure I even won a marksmanship award by that point. The thing was though, no one had ever prepared me for something like this - a confrontation with an unarmed individual or mob. The only thing about this situation that I had been trained for was that warning shots were forbidden by the Border Patrol's firearms policy. As my amigo pounded his chest and came at me, I drew, took good aim, and fired. He was mere feet away. The bullet, or the force of it through the air, actually parted his hair - I swear on anything on which one can swear - I saw it. When I took aim, I wasn't aiming at him but at the side of a building in Mexico. It was as I recall, a school and this was happening at night with no one in the school. Anyway, I aimed at a solid concrete wall of the structure. My shot would have gone further over his head had he stayed put but he advanced as I was about to shoot and I just held steady and squeezed one off. I wanted to be able to put the next one into his chest if need be so my warning shot was aimed to be just above his head. As I said, he and the others fled into Mexico.
That night, I went home, some aches and pains from the beating I had taken from them when they tried to pull me into Mexico. The ones pulling me were accompanied by others who were punching and kicking me, plus I had had a pretty good fight with he guy I had taken prisoner. All I cold think of was what trouble I was in for having fired a warning shot (and my supervisor made sure to keep reminding me of it before I went home for the night). The next day, when I awoke, I had a lot of aches and pains and some small bruises. My chest was killing me. Then, I coughed. I figure that a good two to four ounces of clotted blood came up with that cough. I was off to the hospital for an X-ray. The docs told me I had a fractured sternum and bruised lungs (I don't recall the medical term for bruised lungs so that will have to do). They said they could do nothing and it would heal over time. That same day, I also got some good news. The Chief patrol Agent for our sector had given the local news paper a scheduled interview and as an opportunist included a blurb about me in it. He said, in essence, that just the night before one of his agents had to fire a fully justified warning shot to save his own life from a gang of Mexican desperados. Fully justified! Yes, that was good news.
The thing about that shot having been fully justified has haunted me ever since. Sure, I broke the rules but as the CPA had said, I did so to save my life and thus in his eyes justified that action. I tend to agree but that is not what bothers me. The thing that bothers me still is that, shortly after the incident, I realized I had fired a shot, that had it not had its intended effect of scaring off my adversary, would have amounted to a wasted bullet. At best, I had a 50/50 chance that it was going to have the desired outcome or that I would have been down one shot in the cylinder had I needed to stop my attackers. From that time forward, I pretty much realized, that unless under exceptional circumstances, a warning shot was indeed a wasted bullet even if it might have had the desired effect. Did you see how I said that. I did not say 'even if it had the desired effect' because there is no way of knowing beforehand that it would. As I said, at best, it is a 50/50 proposition that a warning shot will stop an aggressor.
On the other hand, a well placed shot into an assailant, whom you are legally justified to shoot, is much more likely to have the desired effect(s). First off, it may stop the threat to your life or limb outright. The threat to your life may end with one shot (or more) into your assailant. Secondly, even if it does not stop the threat, if you hit your target, it is likely to produce an injury that will at least somewhat incapacitate your foe and give you the advantage allowing you to stop the threat or to avoid it without injury to yourself. If there are multiple threats, them seeing the first at whom you fired upon go down can be all the warning they need and they may flee. If not, then you still have ammo left to fire at them and have not wasted any of it by firing into the air or the ground or whatever with a warning shot. In my case, had I shot the ringleader at almost point blank range, I figure he would have been out of the fight and I could have used my remaining five shots (the Colt Border Patrol was a six shot revolver) on the remaining 20-25 of his accomplices. Having the potential to put a single round into five more of my attackers instead of just four of them would have been all the better in such a situation had they kept coming if I had put down their leader. The same goes for their leader too - so make it me being able potentially to hit six of them. I like the remaining odds better than me maybe hitting only five because I had wasted a shot by firing it anywhere but into one of my opponents in what was a real life or death struggle. That one more shot into one more guy and his going down may get the rest of them to stop, or maybe it would be four shots into one other guy and the last shot into a third thug but those shots might well act not only as man-stoppers but also as a warning to the rest of them. That one extra shot could save my life. It could save yours too. Sure, you might get killed anyway with odds like what I faced but chances are, once the bad guys start going down, the others will flee. If they don't take off at the sound of shots fired and them seeing their criminal associates fall, then at least you have reduced the odds a bit of them getting you and have tilted them a bit more in favor of you surviving. One bullet can make a big difference in such a situation, so why waste it on a warning shot?
That said, there are times when you may need or want to take a warning shot. Most of the times you want to take one are probably going to be because you have never shot someone before and have that momentary doubt of whether or not a shot into your assailant is justified at the moment. There is always also that reluctance to seriously harm or kill another human being (at least among certain cultures) no matter how much of a heinous dirt-bag he or she is being. Then there are the times that you may actually need to take a warning shot - not so much to warn of the dirt-bag but to warn off innocent bystanders who may be in the line of fire. Firing a shot into the air, or the ground, or into something from which the shot is not likely to travel, might be the only feasible way to get others out of he way or the only practical way to stop the bad guy in his or her tracks without taking an overly high risk of wounding a bystander. Of course, you have to weight that risk, of you possibly injuring a bystander, against the risk of further injury or death that may be caused by the assailant. If the bad guy ios mowing down people with an automatic rifle, and you have a chance to shoot him, but there are say 10 kids right behind him (in your line of fire should you miss or if your bullet hits and travels through him) - would you take the shot to stop that threat. I, in all likelihood would shoot. Why - because the risk would be greater that the bad guy would keep harming or killing people if I did not.
There is a chance though, that in some similar circumstance, I might fire a warning shot. Say for instance that someone is threatening others with a gun on a crowded subway car and if I fire there is a distinct and good chance that if I miss my target, I will hit a bystander. I might fire a warning shot. Then again, I might just use verbal commands instead of wasting a bullet. if verbal commands fail, and if it seems as it might go either way, I may try a warning shot into the ceiling of the car again calculating the risk factors to innocents. Granted, there may not always be the luxury of enough time to try and figure out those risk factors but if there is, then do your figuring quickly - like in an instant. You have to consider one other thing about a warning shot (or even a verbal warning) - it may act not as a deterrent but as a trigger for violence or continued violence at an increased rate on the part of the armed offender or of his accomplices. Remember that most bad guys are not lone wolves. This is a lesson that should have been learned by us after the armed bystander stepped in trying to stop the armed assailant in a Las Vegas Walmart. He approached the bad guy, apparently with his own legal gun drawn, and was shot and killed by the bad guy's girlfriend/accomplice who just a moment before had been pushing a shopping cart as if she was a shopper and not a coldblooded or psychotic killer. Of course, that is another topic altogether - to get involved or not and if you do get involved then how to approach it - and being aware of your surroundings - but also I have to wonder did he give some type of warning that alerted the woman to him and gave her the chance to shoot him in cold blood. Warning shots, verbal warnings and other giveaways as to your intent and location can benefit the bad guy and that is something you need consider before giving your opponent the edge.
In any such a situation, the decision to fire a warning shot or not (or to give a verbal warning or verbal commands) is up to you and you alone. If you do decide to fire a warning shot, be ready to fire the next shot(s) directly into your assailant(s) if needed, and always try to be aware of your situation including other potential threats and try to be behind good cover before doing any of it. As for me, when it comes to warning shots, I'd rather not waste the bullet.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Another Quick Look At Some Family History
As I wrote, in an earlier post, I recently fund documentation about my grandfather Robert Oppel who was awarded a medal of valor for saving a child's life by diving into the east river to save the drowning boy. That was back in the early 1940's when Fiorello La Guardia was mayor of NYC. Tonight, I found one more piece of ephemera related to that event - a newspaper clipping showing a picture of the awards ceremony. Grandpa Oppel is the last guy in the line, the one in the suit and tie.
Now I don't know what paper that was in but I figured I'd show you both sides of the coin - or of the story - so to speak and also scanned in what was on the other side of the clipping. Remember, we were at war at the time and also remember that for the most part - we were a nation united. What a difference from todays USA wherein diversity, instead of unity, is the battle cry of about half of our citizens.
Just imagine how the leftist would whine and moan and groan if ads like that appeared in our newspapers (or online) trying us to support our country's economy during wartime and just prior to both Jewish and Christian holy/holidays.
All the best,
Glenn B
Now I don't know what paper that was in but I figured I'd show you both sides of the coin - or of the story - so to speak and also scanned in what was on the other side of the clipping. Remember, we were at war at the time and also remember that for the most part - we were a nation united. What a difference from todays USA wherein diversity, instead of unity, is the battle cry of about half of our citizens.
Just imagine how the leftist would whine and moan and groan if ads like that appeared in our newspapers (or online) trying us to support our country's economy during wartime and just prior to both Jewish and Christian holy/holidays.
All the best,
Glenn B
Ammo - Here, There But Not Everywhere
I was up in Dickson City, PA yesterday to change my storage
locker to a more secure one than the one I already had rented. While there, I
decided to turn my trip home into an ammo run. My first stop was Gander Mountain
in Dickson City, PA. They had a darned good supply of ammo and while I did not
look to see each and every caliber they had in stock I do remember these: .17HMR,
.22LR, .22WMR, .22WRF, .22-.250, .223, .56x45mm, 270 Win, 30 Carbine, .30-06,
30-30, 7.62x51mm, .338 Win Mag, 6.5mm Creedmor, 7.62x39mm, 7mm Rem Mag, .380 auto, 9mm Luger,
.40S&W, .45Auto., 12 and 20 gauge shotgun ammo, and plenty of others. They
advertised Federal 22 long rifle in both a 325 round and 525 round value pack.
I tried to get one of each since the store flier stated that customers were
limited to one of each but the salesman told me, and rather rudely at that, I could only get one or
the other – not both – and he would be happy to call over the manager (whom by
the smugness of the salesman's reply I imagine was his daddy). I took the 525 round
box and told him where he could shove it. They did not have any .35 Remington that I could find. I have to say though,
as I usually find at Gander Mtn, that despite having a lot of ammo, their
prices sucked for most of it. They did have a decent price on the 22LR though, I think it was 25 bucks and that is decent considering current pricing.
It is not worth making a drive there from Long Island for one box but if you are in the area
then it is worth stopping there to pick it up.
After that I headed to both Dick’s Sporting Goods and
Walmart in Dickson City. Neither had 22LR, .22WMR or .35 Remington and I was looking for all
three. Dick’s had a lot of other ammo though, comparable to Gander Mountain. Not being born yesterday, and figuring
that the salesman over at Gander Mountain was probably born not too long before
yesterday, I went back to see if I could get another 525 rounds of Federal
22LR. As it turned out, there was another salesman along with the first guy but
after a few minutes the first guy took a break. So, I was in like Flint and that made it
two boxes of 22LR for me – or another 1,050 rounds in total.
Then I was off to Walmart in Middletown forgetting that Dick’s was closer, in fact forgetting that there even was a Dick’s in Middletown altogether (not that it mattered). Walmart in Middletown was an utter disappointment. Their ammo shelves were in utter disarray with the wrong caliber over the wrong price stickers on the shelves. Also, there was a pretty limited supply of ammo on the shelves. They had a just about the regular variety of calibers for a Walmart but little of most specific calibers and no .35 Rem, no 22WMR and no 22LR. There was also not one salesperson anywhere in sight to help out in that department.
All the best,
Glenn B
Then I headed toward home with a stopover in Milford, PA and
another in Middletown, NY. The Walmart in Milford, PA had a somewhat fair
supply of ammo but none of 22LR, 22WMR or 35 Rem. They had the typical Walmart
assortment of .223, .308, 45, 9mm, 12 gauge and so forth.
Gander Mountain in Middletown
was a disappointment as usual because they had no rimfire except for snake-shot.
I asked a gal who worked there if they had either the 325 or 525 round value
packs they were advertising of the Federal 22LR ammo and she had to ask the gun
behind the gun counter as she seemed totally clueless. He told her that they
had absolutely no rimfire ammunition and was apparently also totally clueless. You
see, he was wrong because I had already seen their stock of .17HMR (three
brands), and their stocks of both 22LR and 22WMR snake-shot that was on some
shelves behind the counter. They had no round-nose or HP 22 ammo though, at
least none in evidence. It was a shame that the dingbat behind the counter did
not know they had any rimfire in stock but I guess that may be the fault of
management who left one guy to work alone behind what looks to be about 1/8th
of a mile of gun counters.
I had been thinking of stopping in a Walmart and a Dick’s
Sporting Goods both further south, just off Route 17, but decided that the
closer I got to NYC the less likely a chance I would have to find any 22WMR,
22LR or 35 Remington in stock. I then did something I have not done in years
and headed the long way home going east on I84, over the bridge in Newburgh,
and to the Taconic Parkway. Driving the Taconic at night was an adventure in
and of itself. I was thinking though that I had better get used to it because I
will be hunting, this year, on state land which it runs through and thus it
will be the road I use to get there.
All the best,
Glenn B
This Must Be One Scared Air Marshal...
...and who could blame him after being attacked and his assailant injecting him with an unknown substance while he was in the airport in Lagos, Nigeria. Hopefully there was nothing lethal or infectious in that syringe but something tells me that within weeks we maybe are going to find out otherwise. I hope not and wish him the best possible outcome.
See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/08/us-federal-air-marshal-attacked-with-syringe-in-lagos-airport/
All the best,
Glenn B
See: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/08/us-federal-air-marshal-attacked-with-syringe-in-lagos-airport/
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
72 Virgins Awaited...
...Iqbal in heaven after he blew himself while unsuccessfully trying to blow up a bunch of U.S. Marines. His dying thought was that upon his arrival in heaven he would be greeted by this:
As soon as he arrived in heaven, as promised, he was granted access to a bevy of virgins and was even allowed to pick out the 72 of his own choosing. Even though the virgins were ready for him, just as promised, he was just a little bit disappointed to see it was just the same old stuff he'd been getting all along from which he could choose:
(oh yes you have to scroll down to see it)
(just a bit more)
All the best,
GB
Monday, September 8, 2014
The Cold War II
I don't think he can blame it on George W. Bush but president Obama may yet find a way to weasel out of the responsibility for starting what may just become the second edition of the Cold War. Russian bombers have been reported as practicing strategic air strikes, with cruise missiles, on the US from air space near Canada. The practice runs began only after a Russian general recently pushed the Kremlin to change its classification of the United States to that of enemy.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/08/russian-strategic-bombers-near-canada-practice-cruise-missile-strikes-on-us/?intcmp=latestnews
Now let's see - who is the pansy in the White House who has been patting his own chest and rattling his umbrella while telling the Russians that he is to be obeyed as to what he says about Russia's invasion of the Ukraine but who fails to back it up with anything other than wimpish sanctions. Yes you guessed it - and it's not GWB. If this is a prelude to the Cold War II, I can only hope history correctly records who started it - Barack Hussein Obama - the worst president ever.
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/08/russian-strategic-bombers-near-canada-practice-cruise-missile-strikes-on-us/?intcmp=latestnews
Now let's see - who is the pansy in the White House who has been patting his own chest and rattling his umbrella while telling the Russians that he is to be obeyed as to what he says about Russia's invasion of the Ukraine but who fails to back it up with anything other than wimpish sanctions. Yes you guessed it - and it's not GWB. If this is a prelude to the Cold War II, I can only hope history correctly records who started it - Barack Hussein Obama - the worst president ever.
All the best,
Glenn B
Talk About Chutzpah...
...I don't think it could get more brazen than claiming you were running a prostitution ring in order to save Israel. The whoremasters who ran the prostitution ring, reportedly members of a messianic sect in Israel, reportedly were brainwashing women into believing that they would be helping preserve the future of Israel by way of prostitution. Of course, it is also reported that the holy-men turned pimps who made that claim were actually pocketing the money - but what else would you expect after all a shekel earned is a shekel saved. Being that those who ran this operation were members of a messianic sect, one has to wonder if they told the women that they would be helping the messiah come again.
See: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/07/israeli-police-arrest-messianic-jews-suspected-running-prostitution-ring-to/
All the best,
GB
See: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/07/israeli-police-arrest-messianic-jews-suspected-running-prostitution-ring-to/
All the best,
GB
Armed & Ready Citizen - Shots Fired - Vet Shoots Armed Robber During Hand To Hand Combat
Lennard Patrick Jervis probably never realized that the guy he reportedly was about to attempt to rob was a WWII veteran of the Pacific Theater. He probably never once imagined that 89 year old Robert M. Lewis was anything but an easy mark. So he reportedly walked into Lewis' jewelry store, pulled out a gat and announced a holdup at close quarters to Lewis. Lewis being no newbie when it comes to armed combat (in addition to his WWII service he also had a gunfight with an armed robber in 2010) immediately reached out and grabbed hold of Jervis' pistol, then he drew his own, a life or death struggle ensued and shots were fired by both men.
Jervis was struck by six bullets from Lewis' gun. Four to the chest, one to a wrist and another to one of his legs. Jervis also fired his gun at Lewis. Luckily, Lewis was only grazed by a single bullet. Jervis then stumbled toward the door to try to escape and asked Lewis to buzz him out and Lewis obliged; he later explained that he had had enough of Jervis. Jervis' accomplice drove him away, intent on taking him to a hospital, but she stopped at a police station along the way to seek assistance because she thought Jervis was about to die. Sadly (in my view), it is reported he is expected to live. (source)
The last time that Lewis was the target of an attempted armed robbery, he fired numerous shots at point blank range but somehow missed the dirtbag who was trying to rob him but at least he was uninjured at that time. As you can see, he improved his aim over the last four years and was on target 6 times during this attempted robbery. I am guessing he visited the range some after the 2010 incident. I have to hand it to him, he did the right thing to protect his life and his valuables; somehow I don't think calling 911 would have been of help right when he needed it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/89-year-old-lake-park-jeweler-stands-grounds-shoot/ng8cx/
Jervis was struck by six bullets from Lewis' gun. Four to the chest, one to a wrist and another to one of his legs. Jervis also fired his gun at Lewis. Luckily, Lewis was only grazed by a single bullet. Jervis then stumbled toward the door to try to escape and asked Lewis to buzz him out and Lewis obliged; he later explained that he had had enough of Jervis. Jervis' accomplice drove him away, intent on taking him to a hospital, but she stopped at a police station along the way to seek assistance because she thought Jervis was about to die. Sadly (in my view), it is reported he is expected to live. (source)
The last time that Lewis was the target of an attempted armed robbery, he fired numerous shots at point blank range but somehow missed the dirtbag who was trying to rob him but at least he was uninjured at that time. As you can see, he improved his aim over the last four years and was on target 6 times during this attempted robbery. I am guessing he visited the range some after the 2010 incident. I have to hand it to him, he did the right thing to protect his life and his valuables; somehow I don't think calling 911 would have been of help right when he needed it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Source: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/89-year-old-lake-park-jeweler-stands-grounds-shoot/ng8cx/
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Some Interesting Family History That I Just Learned
I went out to my sisters house a couple or few nights ago, to go through some of my mom's photo albums and other memorabilia with the purpose of taking what I wanted to save. My sister and brother-in-law split up and finally sold the house and have to get things out of it. Since my mom is in an assisted living facility, she has no room for it so I took virtually all the old photo albums and a few small trinkets that bring back memories.
Among the picture albums, I found some old family papers and old family photos of my maternal grandfather and his family going back two generations before him. I did not know him well, in fact only met him when I maybe was in my mid-teens, more likely in my late teens, maybe even in my young twenties; I am bad on timelines from back then, don't ask why. I visited him fairly often once we found out he lived in our neighborhood, he and my grandmother had parted ways many years before and my mother had not seen him in decades and suddenly there he was close to home. He lived only a few blocks from us. When I visited him, I did some small chores for him and we talked more of current events and jawboned more than talking his history. Anyway, among his photos was an awards brochure from the New York City Sanitation Department in 1943. When I paged through it, I saw he was awarded a medal by then mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia. I read on and found the reason why he got that medal, it was the NYC Dept. of Sanitation Medal of Valor. (Who woulda thunk that someone working for the garbage department could win a medal of valor - but he did - as did four others in that ceremony.) We don't have the medal (unless it is yet to be found) but I do have the certificate he was awarded with it, too bad it is in really bad shape, torn and missing pieces. Anyway I guess I should mention why he was awarded that medal of valor.
On September 6, 1942 (72 years ago yesterday), my maternal grandfather, Robert Oppel, was an oiler on a NYC Dept. of Sanitation tug boat in District 56, Queens. As it ploughed the waters of the East River... Heck, let me tell you verbatim how they said it, back then, using the words from the awards pamphlet:
"About 4PM on September 6, 1942, while working on a tugboat, Robert Oppel heard the screams of an eight-year old boy, who had fallen into the East River. He plunged into the water, swam over to the child and brought him to safety. He rendered first aid treatment pending the arrival of medical assistance."
My mother was 17 soon to be 18 when that happened, my grandfather was no spring chicken at the time. Judging by his photo in the booklet, I would say he was in his late 30s to mid- forties. I am not too sure but I also think he was estranged from the family by then, already for a long time. I know my mother did not think much of her father especially since he basically abandoned her and her brother and their mom many years before we found him living close to us. Yet, she was proud enough of him to save this stuff and a few other things of his as well as his family photos and some family papers dating back to the mid to late 1800s after he passed on.
My mom was also good enough to help take care of him once they were back in touch after all those years of separation. Had she not been of that ilk, I guess I would never have met him, she could just as easily have never introduced me, my brother or sister to him but she did and we all connected. Family bonds meant something back then, to most people, more than they do today to way too many. Even if those bonds were broken they could be mended again or made anew if not mended. Ironic thing is she wound up marrying a bum much worse than her father may have been to her; my father was truly a monster and thankfully left us too, but then again this is not about my father or mother but about something I only found out about my grandfather a couple of days before its 72 anniversary.
I will admit I am pretty awestruck by it. It's not everyday that you learn one of your relatives saved another person's life at peril to his own life. Pretty cool in my book. I'd like to think I'd do likewise in a similar situation. Anyway - a hat tip to Grandpa Oppel - whether he is I heaven looking down on me, or down lower and looking up at me, for whatever else he did or did not do in his lifetime. (All about which I have no clue but I'd like to know. I suppose I likely never will learn any more about his endeavors and adventures, little to no chance of that now but then at least I found out about this.) Oh well, that's it - just something of our family history that peaked my interest from out of the blue almost 72 years to the day from when it happened.
All the best,
Glenn B
Among the picture albums, I found some old family papers and old family photos of my maternal grandfather and his family going back two generations before him. I did not know him well, in fact only met him when I maybe was in my mid-teens, more likely in my late teens, maybe even in my young twenties; I am bad on timelines from back then, don't ask why. I visited him fairly often once we found out he lived in our neighborhood, he and my grandmother had parted ways many years before and my mother had not seen him in decades and suddenly there he was close to home. He lived only a few blocks from us. When I visited him, I did some small chores for him and we talked more of current events and jawboned more than talking his history. Anyway, among his photos was an awards brochure from the New York City Sanitation Department in 1943. When I paged through it, I saw he was awarded a medal by then mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia. I read on and found the reason why he got that medal, it was the NYC Dept. of Sanitation Medal of Valor. (Who woulda thunk that someone working for the garbage department could win a medal of valor - but he did - as did four others in that ceremony.) We don't have the medal (unless it is yet to be found) but I do have the certificate he was awarded with it, too bad it is in really bad shape, torn and missing pieces. Anyway I guess I should mention why he was awarded that medal of valor.
On September 6, 1942 (72 years ago yesterday), my maternal grandfather, Robert Oppel, was an oiler on a NYC Dept. of Sanitation tug boat in District 56, Queens. As it ploughed the waters of the East River... Heck, let me tell you verbatim how they said it, back then, using the words from the awards pamphlet:
"About 4PM on September 6, 1942, while working on a tugboat, Robert Oppel heard the screams of an eight-year old boy, who had fallen into the East River. He plunged into the water, swam over to the child and brought him to safety. He rendered first aid treatment pending the arrival of medical assistance."
My mother was 17 soon to be 18 when that happened, my grandfather was no spring chicken at the time. Judging by his photo in the booklet, I would say he was in his late 30s to mid- forties. I am not too sure but I also think he was estranged from the family by then, already for a long time. I know my mother did not think much of her father especially since he basically abandoned her and her brother and their mom many years before we found him living close to us. Yet, she was proud enough of him to save this stuff and a few other things of his as well as his family photos and some family papers dating back to the mid to late 1800s after he passed on.
 |
| That's the photo of him that they used in the 1943 awards pamphlet. As you can see there is also a photo of a Sanitation Dept. tug boat, I am guessing the one he served on and of what looks to be a tug crew (he may be the guy to the left). Also his Port Security card from 1955. |
I will admit I am pretty awestruck by it. It's not everyday that you learn one of your relatives saved another person's life at peril to his own life. Pretty cool in my book. I'd like to think I'd do likewise in a similar situation. Anyway - a hat tip to Grandpa Oppel - whether he is I heaven looking down on me, or down lower and looking up at me, for whatever else he did or did not do in his lifetime. (All about which I have no clue but I'd like to know. I suppose I likely never will learn any more about his endeavors and adventures, little to no chance of that now but then at least I found out about this.) Oh well, that's it - just something of our family history that peaked my interest from out of the blue almost 72 years to the day from when it happened.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, September 6, 2014
His Captor Was A Frenchman...
...as much as the guy in the following picture was in reality a Frenchman:
Note that even though held captive for months, the journalist reportedly was quoted as saying the man who held him captive and tortured him was a Frenchman. The media readily reports the suspect as such without even one tiny hint of a mention, in the linked article, that the guy is a Muslim who is an Islamist extremist or that he is a terrorist or at least a suspected terrorist.
Whom are they trying to appease by hiding that? Is it President Obama who runs along that same line. Is it the terrorists themselves. Or, is it the real French People, those whose ancestors have lived in France for millennia and who really are Frenchmen or Frenchwomen. Just because someone is born in France does not a Frenchman make him, even if French citizenship is bestowed upon someone born within the borders of France. What that makes them a is a citizen and nothing more. That a French citizen is not necessarily a Frenchman should be obvious from the loyalties and actions of those like the 'French' Muslim who allegedly kidnapped, kept captive and tortured the journalist.
So, if it is the French people that the media is trying to appease, how would it appease them by telling them that the terrorist is a Frenchman. Well, it is a way to keep the true French from joining in mass and coming down on France's Muslim population like a cleansing tidal wave full of fury and violence. If you call the responsible people what they truly are - Muslims and terrorists, then the French might realize they are a separate group within France that does not have any French interests at heart and the French may retaliate in mass. However, if you call them Frenchmen, then the French may well hold off waiting for the authorities to handle them as they would other Frenchmen because one usually feels some sort of solidarity for their own, even if their own has committed a heinous act. The thing is, Islamic Extremists should not be handled like every other Frenchman because they are not Frenchmen. They have made that obvious in France with their racism geared toward the true French, their self chose path of segregation from the French, their insistence on their own laws over the laws of France and by repeated acts of violence against the French. Sooner or later the French will realize they have had the French flag pulled over their eyes by the Muslims, the leftists and the politicians they have manipulated. Once they pull it away and open their eyes again, the Muslim population in France will be in imminent and mortal peril unless it radically changes its tune. Of course, if the French don't pull that flag away soon, they are doomed to become subservient Islam. They are on the edge and what they do in the relatively near future will tell.
All the best,
Glenn B
 |
| This guy is probably more of a real Frenchman than any Muslim currently living in France. |
So, it is being reported that: "A French journalist supposedly a captive of Muslim Extremists, for several months in Syria, but who was freed last April reportedly has identified one of his captors as a Frenchman - Mehdi Nemmouche. He is also a suspect in the murders of four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum earlier this year. Right now, Nemmouche is in custody for those killings, which took place in May, after the journalist's release (source).
Note that even though held captive for months, the journalist reportedly was quoted as saying the man who held him captive and tortured him was a Frenchman. The media readily reports the suspect as such without even one tiny hint of a mention, in the linked article, that the guy is a Muslim who is an Islamist extremist or that he is a terrorist or at least a suspected terrorist.
Whom are they trying to appease by hiding that? Is it President Obama who runs along that same line. Is it the terrorists themselves. Or, is it the real French People, those whose ancestors have lived in France for millennia and who really are Frenchmen or Frenchwomen. Just because someone is born in France does not a Frenchman make him, even if French citizenship is bestowed upon someone born within the borders of France. What that makes them a is a citizen and nothing more. That a French citizen is not necessarily a Frenchman should be obvious from the loyalties and actions of those like the 'French' Muslim who allegedly kidnapped, kept captive and tortured the journalist.
So, if it is the French people that the media is trying to appease, how would it appease them by telling them that the terrorist is a Frenchman. Well, it is a way to keep the true French from joining in mass and coming down on France's Muslim population like a cleansing tidal wave full of fury and violence. If you call the responsible people what they truly are - Muslims and terrorists, then the French might realize they are a separate group within France that does not have any French interests at heart and the French may retaliate in mass. However, if you call them Frenchmen, then the French may well hold off waiting for the authorities to handle them as they would other Frenchmen because one usually feels some sort of solidarity for their own, even if their own has committed a heinous act. The thing is, Islamic Extremists should not be handled like every other Frenchman because they are not Frenchmen. They have made that obvious in France with their racism geared toward the true French, their self chose path of segregation from the French, their insistence on their own laws over the laws of France and by repeated acts of violence against the French. Sooner or later the French will realize they have had the French flag pulled over their eyes by the Muslims, the leftists and the politicians they have manipulated. Once they pull it away and open their eyes again, the Muslim population in France will be in imminent and mortal peril unless it radically changes its tune. Of course, if the French don't pull that flag away soon, they are doomed to become subservient Islam. They are on the edge and what they do in the relatively near future will tell.
All the best,
Glenn B
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