Westward Ho!

On October 20, 1803, the Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase Treaty by a vote of twenty-four to seven. The agreement, which provided for the purchase of the western half of the Mississippi River basin from France at a price of $15 million, or approximately four cents per acre, doubled the size of the country and paved the way for westward expansion beyond the Mississippi.

View Down the Mississippi from Ft. Snelling, Minn. [between 1880-99]. Detroit Publishing Company. Prints & Photographs Division

Spain had controlled Louisiana and the strategic port of New Orleans with a relatively free hand since 1762. However, Spain signed the Treaty of San Ildefonso in 1800 under pressure from Napoleon Bonaparte, a secret agreement retroceding the territory of Louisiana to France.

News of the agreement eventually reached the U.S. government. President Thomas Jefferson feared that if Louisiana came under French control, American settlers living in the Mississippi River Valley would lose free access to the port of New Orleans. On April 18, 1802, Jefferson wrote a letter to Robert Livingston, the U.S. minister to France, warning that, “There is on the globe one single spot, the possessor of which is our natural and habitual enemy. It is New Orleans…”

Napoleon, faced with a shortage of cash, a recent military defeat in Santo Domingo (present-day Haiti), and the threat of a war with Great Britain, decided to cut his losses and abandon his plans for an empire in the New World. In 1803, he offered to sell the entire territory of Louisiana to the United States for $15 million.

The Heart of the Rockies, Long Lake & Snowy Range, Near Ward, Colo. William Henry Jackson, photographer, 1901. Detroit Publishing Company. Prints & Photographs Division 

Robert Livingston and James Monroe, whom Jefferson had sent to Paris earlier that year, had only been authorized to spend up to $10 million to purchase New Orleans and West Florida. Although the proposal for the entire territory exceeded their official instructions, they agreed to the deal. The Louisiana Purchase Treaty was dated April 30 and formally signed on May 2, 1803.

The bounds of the territory, which were not clearly delineated in the treaty, were assumed to include all the land between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, at that time known as the Stony Mountains. Just twelve days after the signing of the treaty, frontiersmen Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, younger brother of Revolutionary War officer George Rogers Clark, set out on an expedition to explore the newly acquired territory.

The purchase of the Louisiana Territory and the Lewis and Clark expedition marked the beginning of a century of conquest. As explorers, speculators, adventurers, and settlers pushed the territorial boundaries of the United States westward toward the Pacific coast, the notion of America as a nation always pushing toward new frontiers took hold in art, literature, folklore, and the national psyche.

October 20

1774 – The Continental Association, a nonconsumption and nonimportation agreement against the British Isles and the British West Indies, is adopted by the First Continental Congress.

1803 – The Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.

1818 – The Convention of 1818 is signed between the United States and the United Kingdom, which settles the Canada–United States border on the 49th parallel for most of its length.

1941 – Thousands of civilians in German occupied Serbia are murdered by Nazi soldiers in the Kragujevac massacre.

1944 – Liquefied natural gas leaks from East Ohio Gas Company storage tanks in Cleveland and then explodes, leveling 30 blocks and killing 130 people.

1947 – The House Un-American Activities Committee begins its investigation into Communist infiltration of the Hollywood film industry

1973 –  President Nixon fires Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after they refuse to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who is finally fired by Solicitor General, Robert Bork.

1976 – On the Mississippi river in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, the Luling–Destrehan Ferry George Prince is struck by the Norwegian tanker SS Frosta, killing 78 of the 96 passengers and crew aboard the ferry with no casualties on the tanker.

1977 – A L & J Company owned Convair CV-240 aircraft, leased by the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, runs out of fuel enroute to Baton Rouge Louisiana and crashes while the pilots attempt an emergency landing in a field near Gillsburg, Mississippi, killing 6 of the 24 passengers aboard, 3 of them, members of the band.

1981 – Two police officers and a Brink’s armored car guard are killed during an armed robbery carried out by members of the Black Liberation Army and Weather Underground in Nanuet, New York.

1991 – Starting from an incompletely extinguished grass fire in the Berkeley Hills, a massive firestorm breaks out on the hillsides of northern Oakland, and southeastern Berkeley, California killing 25 people and destroying more than 3,000 homes, apartments and condominiums.

2003 – The Sloan Great Wall, a cosmic galactic filament structure formed by a giant wall of galaxies, is discovered within the region of the constellations Corvus, Hydra and Centaurus, by astronomers studying data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at Princeton University

2011 – Libyan rebel forces capture and kill dictator Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown of Sirte.

Don’t tell me I only need 10 rounds….

Auburn homeowner shoots at 3 armed men during attempted burglary

AUBURN, Wash. — A homeowner in Auburn fired multiple shots at three armed men attempting to break into their home early Thursday morning.

According to the Auburn Police Department (APD), officers responded to a report of a non-injury shooting at a home on the 31000 block of 117 Place Southeast around 2 a.m. Thursday. A resident at the address told responding officers three people wearing masks attempted to break into the home.

Security video from the home shows three armed men wearing masks walk up to the home, open the screen door and start kicking the door. One of the men can be heard in the video yelling, “Seattle police.”

Two of the men continued to try and kick in the door before the third suspect was able to kick the door open. The APD said the homeowner was armed and “quickly started firing shots at the intruders through the door.”

Multiple shots were fired before the suspects fled from the home.

Surveillance footage shows three masked individuals attempting to break into an Auburn home on the morning of Oct. 19, 2023. (Video Courtesy: Auburn PD)

One of the men can be seen in the video wearing a grey sweatshirt or jacket, grey sweatpants and what appear to be blue or black shoes.

Another suspect can be seen wearing black pants and a black or blue jacket. The third suspect can be seen in the video wearing brown pants and a black sweatshirt or jacket. All three of the men were wearing masks, and at least two of the men appear to be wearing gloves.

The video shows all three of the men were armed with a pistol.

No other suspect information has been released at this time.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the APD tip line at 253-288-7403.

BLUF
The bottom line: think about what you will say to police in the aftermath of any use of force incident. Don’t get caught flat-footed and say something that will later be used against you in a court of law…criminal or civil.

Personal Defense Tip: Don’t Just Ask For An Attorney In the Aftermath of a Defensive Gun Use.

If you haven’t thought about what to do and say after a use of force incident, you really should. After all, you don’t want to avoid victimization by a criminal attacker only to be later victimized by the criminal justice system.

If you don’t know what to say to responding officers (and their buddies, the investigating officers), ask to speak to an attorney before answering any questions. Yes, investigating officers may seem like they are on your side. They may even promise that you won’t go to jail if you just “answer a few questions.” But there’s really only one thing you should say . . .

I want to speak to an attorney and have him or her present with me before I answer questions.

Yes, you can answer questions like your name and date of birth, but aside from that, if you don’t know exactly what to say and how to say it, shut up. Except, of course, when you’re repeating, “I want to talk to an attorney before I give any statements or answer any questions.”

Make that your mantra, even if you believe it was a clear-cut case of self-defense.

In today’s climate, politically-motivated prosecutions happen on a regular basis. That’s hard to believe in this day and age, right? Here’s another proclamation from Captain Obvious:  not all prosecutors are big fans of gun owners or armed self-defense. In fact, it’s almost as if some Soros-funded prosecutors are on the side of violent criminals.

Continue reading “”

I think that if we had to fight WWII today we would not win.

I believe that, were we to fight a war like WWII today, we would not be able to win. I don’t say that because we lack the weapons or the skills. I say it because I believe that we would fight with our hands voluntarily tied behind our backs. I base that on a few things.

One is the chart that can be found here. I can’t seem to copy it, so you’ll have to follow the link to see it, but it shows the results of a poll that demonstrates enormous generational differences in the answers to the question of whether Israel’s military response to the Hamas attack is fully justified. It goes from 81% agreement from those 65+ to 27% agreement from those who are 18-34 years old.

And then of course there is the woke agenda of so much of today’s military.

Another reason I doubt we could fight WWII today is that our young people no longer believe in evil – unless it’s the evil of those who would oppose abortion, or misgender someone, or have the gall to be white and not apologize in the required manner for their privilege. That is, they cannot recognize true evil when they see it, because the principles that have been drilled into them are as follows:

(1) Privileged people are guilty and the oppressed – as defined by the left – are always innocent no matter what they do.

(2) One cannot and should not judge a culture – except the culture of the West.

(3) History itself doesn’t need to be learned; just leftist ideas and principles.

(4) Well-meaning elite people can fix anything without bloodshed.

(5) All killing is bad unless it’s done by the underprivileged, in which case it’s a shame but understandable. Or maybe not even a shame.

(6) War never solves anything (see this). They don’t understand that some wars are for survival against an enemy bent on your subjugation or obliteration, and that those wars sometimes are – very very unfortunately – total wars. In total wars innocent people die, but something is indeed solved.

NOTE: Please also see this relevant piece.

Missouri State Senator to host self defense event

In an effort to empower the community with the knowledge and skills necessary to protect themselves and their loved ones, Senator Jill Carter announced that on Sunday, October 22nd an event focused on self-defense will be held.

Topics covered during the event will include:

1. Situational Awareness: Experts in self-defense will share insights and practical techniques for enhancing situational awareness, which is a critical component of personal safety. Attendees will learn how to recognize potential threats and make informed decisions to avoid dangerous situations.

2. Responsible Firearm Ownership: For those who choose to use firearms as part of their self-defense strategy, the event will feature knowledgeable firearms instructors who will emphasize the importance of safety, legality, and proper training. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about firearm safety practices.

3. Demonstrations and Hands-On Training: Practical demonstrations and hands-on training sessions will be provided to help attendees develop skills and build confidence in self- defense. These activities will cover basic self-defense techniques, use of pepper spray, and firearm handling under the guidance of experienced instructors.

4. Expert Speaker: The event will host a local expert in self-defense, personal safety, and firearm safety who will deliver engaging talks and answer questions from the audience.

By promoting situational awareness and responsible firearm ownership, the event aims to empower individuals to protect themselves and their communities. This event is geared toward individuals of all backgrounds and levels of experience, especially those who are curious about self-defense and those seeking to gain knowledge on firearm laws and safety.

The activities being at 12 noon and run to around 5 pm. Attendees are encouraged to come with an open mind, a desire to learn, and a commitment to promoting safety.

If you are interested in attending the event contact curt@jillforsenate.com.

 

Democrats now want US split into ‘blue’ states and ‘red’ states

Liberals laughed when conservatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), called for dividing the United States into red and blue states because of national disunity and partisanship.

But they’re not laughing now. In fact, about a third of Democrats believe a political break from conservative-leaning states is needed.

In a survey of 2,008 voters conducted by the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, 31% of “Biden supporters” want Democratic-controlled states to secede from the U.S. to form their own country.

Among voters who back former President Donald Trump, 41% support secession.

What’s more, large groups of both think it’s time to end democracy.

“Disturbingly, nearly one-third (31%) of Trump supporters and about a quarter (24%) of Biden supporters at least somewhat agree that democracy is no longer a viable system and that the country should explore alternative forms of government to ensure stability and progress,” the analysis from the center said.

Backing up reasons for secession, the analysis found that people generally are becoming more politically divided despite an inauguration promise made by President Joe Biden to unite the country.

Consider these results:

  • A majority of both Biden (70%) and Trump (68%) voters believed electing officials from the opposite party would result in lasting harm to the U.S.
  • Roughly half (52% Biden voters, 47% Trump voters) viewed those who supported the other party as threats to the American way of life.
  • About 40% of both groups (41% Biden voters, 38% Trump voters) at least somewhat believed that the other side had become so extreme that it is acceptable to use violence to prevent them from achieving their goals.

The survey found that on most topics tested by the center founded by Larry Sabato, people are split, as they are on the choice of Biden or Trump in the 2024 campaign. The center said that in a head-to-head election, Biden leads Trump 52%-48%. A CNBC survey also out Wednesday found Trump leading Biden by 4 points, 46%-42%.

He has a point from ignorance. Willful of otherwise, I neither know, not care. He can’t figure out that it’s because they’re not ‘brothers’ to any of the Arabs. They’re violent grifters, like leftover beached pirates. They were taken in by Jordan and then started a civil war. That example was not lost on the rest of Araby.

Benjamin Buzek MBA ‘22 Earns the 2023 Sergeant Major Larry L. Strickland Educational Leadership Award from AUSA

Sergeant Major Benjamin Buzek MBA ‘22, a dedicated special operations non-commissioned officer, has been honored with the prestigious 2023 Sergeant Major Larry L. Strickland Educational Leadership Award for his remarkable contributions in creating educational avenues for non-commissioned officers (NCOs) within the U.S. Army. Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer presented this distinguished award to Buzek during the award ceremony held at the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C. on October 9.

When SGM Buzek earned his bachelor’s degree, he did so while balancing the demands of active service and parenthood. As he explored options to further his education and pursue an MBA, he wanted to do so without compromising his role as an active-duty soldier. Recognizing the need to expand educational horizons for enlisted personnel, he took it upon himself to pave a groundbreaking path in collaboration with William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.

For years, the Major General James Wright MBA cohort at the Mason School of Business had been offered to active-duty officers through a partnership with the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). However, a similar educational opportunity for active-duty NCOs was notably absent. Buzek worked through his chain of command to secure the necessary permissions, allowing him to enroll in the MBA program at the Mason School of Business, thereby setting a precedent for future NCOs.

SGM Buzek firmly believes that the ever-evolving nature of warfare demands a higher level of education for service members of all ranks, enabling them to make informed and strategic decisions in the heat of combat. He underscores the importance of having educated NCOs working alongside officers, as the modern battlefield operates at a rapid pace. “In today’s battlefield, the command team of officers and NCOs have to move at the speed of light because the enemy is moving that quickly,” emphasized Buzek. “So, I think it’s incredibly important that our force is educated, and our NCOs get the time to go to school.”

Since his graduation from William & Mary in August 2022, two other NCOs have successfully earned their MBA through Buzek’s innovative initiative. While the program presently has limited eligibility, SGM Buzek remains unwavering in his commitment to expand it further, ensuring this invaluable educational opportunity becomes accessible to more soldiers.

October 19

202 BC – At the Battle of Zama, in modern northern Tunisia, Roman legions under Scipio Africanus inflict an overwhelming defeat of the forces under Hannibal Barca, leader of the army defending Carthage.

439 – The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, defeat the roman garrison and occupy Carthage in North Africa. (bad date for Carthaginians)

1386 – The Universität Heidelberg holds its first lecture, making it the oldest German university.

1469 – Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country; Spain. (and 23 years later at the completion of the Reconquista, provide the financial capability to permit the Spanish crown to fund the first voyage of Columbus)

1512 – Martin Luther receives his doctorate of theology at the University of Wittenberg

1789 – John Jay is sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States.

1864 – While Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. Jubal Early are preliminarily successful in a surprise attack against Union forces under Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan at Cedar Creek near Strasburg, Virginia, they are ultimately defeated near Middletown, ending the campaign through the Shenandoah valley against Washington D.C.

1900 – Max Planck formulates his scientific law of black body radiation

1935 – The League of Nations places economic sanctions on Italy for its invasion of Ethiopia and deposing Ras Täfäri Mäkonnän Emperor Haile Selassie into exile.

1943 – Streptomycin, the first antibiotic remedy for tuberculosis, is isolated by researchers at Rutgers University.

1944 – U.S. forces land on Leyte island to begin the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation

1950 – Chinese People’s Liberation Army forces defeat the Tibetan Army at Chambo, resulting in China annexing and occupying Tibet.

1956 – The Soviet Union and Japan sign a Joint Declaration, officially ending the state of war between the countries that had existed since August 1945.

1987 – The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points, the highest one day percentage drop at that time.
The U.S. Navy conducts Operation Nimble Archer, attacking 2 Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf in response to Iran’s missile attack 3 days earlier on Kuwaiti flagged MV Sea Isle City.

2004 –  Corporate Airlines Flight 5966, a British Aerospace Jetstream 32, crashes on approach to Kirksville Regional Airport, in Adair County, Missouri, killing both pilots and 11 of the 13 passengers aboard.

2005 – Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity.

Second Amendment matters in a time of crisis
The importance of good guys with guns

Hamas attacked as Israelis were wrapping up the seven-day Jewish festival of Sukkot on Oct. 7. As many as 1,200 Israelis and some Americans were murdered, thousands wounded, and hundreds more taken hostage. Hamas terrorists went into civilian areas and attacked defenseless people who were walking down the street or shopping in stores.

A Sept. 20 Jerusalem Post headline prophetically warned: “Israelis should carry guns on Yom Kippur, police say.” But as of 2022, only 148,000 Israelis carried permitted guns in public for protection — just 3% of the adult Jewish population. Twenty years earlier, more than 10% of adult Jews in Israel had permits.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called the recent police statement dangerous. He echoed sentiments common among Democrats in the United States: “Calling the citizens of Israel to come with weapons to the synagogue on Yom Kippur is not a security policy. It is dangerous populism.”

Concealed carry is much more widespread in the United States than in Israel. In 2022, 8.5% of American adults had permits. Outside of the restrictive states of California and New York, about 10.2% of adults had permits. And these numbers don’t even account for the fact that there are now 27 constitutional carry states where it isn’t necessary to have a permit to carry.

California, with one of the lowest concealed handgun permit rates and the strictest gun control laws in the country, shouldn’t hold itself out as a model for the rest of the country to follow. The periods after 2000, 2010 and 2020 show a consistent pattern: California’s per capita rate of public shootings is always much greater than in the rest of the country.

On Sunday Oct. 8, the day after the attack, Israel radically changed its policy on who could carry guns publicly. “Today, I directed the Firearms Licensing Division to go on an emergency operation in order to allow as many citizens as possible to arm themselves. The plan will take effect within 24 hours,” Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir posted on X.

In response to terrorist attacks for decades, Israel put more police and military to protect people, but they found that no matter how much money they spent, they couldn’t cover all the possible targets.

Before Israel began letting civilians carry handguns in the 1970s, terrorists committed attacks in Israel almost entirely with machine guns. Afterward, terrorists usually used bombs.

The reason was simple: Armed citizens can quickly immobilize a gun-wielding attacker, but no one can respond to a bomber once the bomb explodes. Still, armed citizens have occasionally succeeded in preventing bombings.

Like their Israeli counterparts, American police recognize their own limitations.

“A deputy in uniform has an extremely difficult job in stopping these attacks,” said Sarasota County, Florida, Sheriff Kurt Hoffman. “These terrorists have huge strategic advantages in determining the time and place of attacks. They can wait for a deputy to leave the area or pick an undefended location. Even when police or deputies are in the right place at the right time, those in uniform who can readily identify as guards may as well be holding up neon signs saying, ‘Shoot me first.’ My deputies know that we cannot be everywhere.”

Police1, the largest private organization for law enforcement officers, surveyed its 749,000 members and found that 86% of them believed that casualties from mass public school shootings could be reduced or “avoided altogether” if citizens had carried permitted concealed handguns in public places. An incredible 94% of mass public shootings occur in places where civilians are banned from having guns.

And 77% of Police1 members supported “arming teachers and/or school administrators who volunteer to carry at their school.” No other policy to protect children and school staff received such widespread support.

When a life-threatening crisis strikes, there might not be time for police to arrive. Amid such a massive assault by Hamas, it was simply impossible for the Israeli police and military to protect all civilians.

Unfortunately, some lessons are learned the hard way. If only more Israelis had been armed at the time of the attack, more of them would be alive today.