Lots of news lately about people “getting involved”. Here’s something to consider.

18 May 23

“(1) Stay out of saloons and brothels (the two functions were generally combined within the same building), and (2) don’t join posses”

Old West maxim for long life

A fight avoided is better (by far) than a fight “won!”

LEOs get paid to confront dangerous people. Non-LEOs don’t, nor is there any legal expectation that they step-forward and take some kind of (maybe forceful) action in a dangerous circumstance in which they are otherwise not involved.

Your lawyer will always recommend that you not voluntarily get involved with other people’s business, particularly with people you don’t know and in circumstances where you know few details.

When you do, a “happy ending” is unlikely!

In general, when the fight “comes to you,” through no invitation of your own, and you take reasonable (sometimes forceful) steps to protect yourself and avoid physical harm, you’re on fairly firm legal ground.

Conversely, when you voluntarily “go to the fight,” your case for legitimate self-defense begins to unravel!

Of course, protective/defensive actions you may take in any dangerous circumstance will mostly depend upon a serious conversation you have with your own conscience, and it is my suggestion that you have that conversation now, “left of bang!”

I tell my students, “I’m not here to tell you what to do. I’m here to tell you what is going to happen when you do!”

Any use of force, particularly deadly force, even the mere display of a deadly weapon in public, will likely have serious negative consequences- legal, emotional, financial.

When acutely necessary in order to preserve your life and health, you should certainly use that type and amount of force that is reasonably necessary, but such use of force needs to cease when the threat is clearly abrogated.

For example, subsequently chasing after a fleeing (former) threat is the kind of indiscretion that gets people into legal difficulty!

“Fear” is considered a legitimate motive for the use of force. “Anger” is not!

There are no guarantees in any event, but as I said above, most use-of-force incidents in which you might

become involved are probably avoidable.

It is surely “in your best interest” that they are avoided!

/John

After I left law enforcement, one of the hardest things I had to do, was not to do anything. It wasn’t my job anymore. But I learned, finally, sort of, a little.

My Life Law

Once upon a time, long long ago, in another land, I sat with a large number of other young men.

We were in an aircraft hangar, it was zero three hundred (3 am to you civilians), it was September, it felt it was about one hundred degrees, and we’d all been on airplanes for twelve or eighteen hours.

All we wanted to do was eat, and get some sleep. Instead, we had to sit through an “orientation” before we could do anything.

A military orientation is boring at best, mind numbing at worst, and this one was exceeding the requirement at all levels.

But there we were, trying to stay awake and at least look like we were trying to pay attention. All of a sudden, in the middle of somebodies canned lecture, a tough looking Tech sergeant walked up to the podium and very loudly announced; “All right. Listen up!”

And we did. This was what is known as the “command” voice, and tech sergeant Ryan had it and knew how to use it.

One by one we looked up and he waited until he had everyone’s attention.

“Understand this”, he started; “from here on a lot of things can happen and life will get pretty tough. You can get hurt. You can get dead. Any number of really nasty things can happen.”

Nobody had any trouble paying attention. He had it all.

“But if you learn nothing else from this night, learn this; if you never give up, you can never be beaten. You can come in second or dead last. Makes no difference. You don’t give up, you can’t be beaten.” And he turned around and walked away.

At the time I didn’t realize how important that speech would be to me and the rest of my life. I was nineteen years old; a very very long way from home, and like every other young man in that building, more than a little scared.

Over the years I’ve told this story many times. 

My kids and wife are more than a little tired of hearing it. So are most of my friends and more than a few of my enemies.

In my life I have faced my share of adversity, and I’ve always kept this little speech in mind.

“If you don’t give up; you can’t be beaten.”

It’s my life law. I don’t give up.

Ever

Lesson to learn: A 23-year-old man lost his arm Sunday after an alligator attacked him behind a bar in Florida, authorities said. The man was attacked behind Banditos Bar, which is located near a pond in Port Charlotte, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said. Now how he ended up in that gator’s pond isn’t known. The lesson of the story, stay in the bar. Especially in Florida.

No good deed: A good Samaritan who stopped his car to help a family of ducks cross a road in California was struck and killed by a teenage driver, police say. The incident occurred on Thursday in Rocklin, California, when the male driver parked his car at the intersection of Park Drive and Stanford Ranch Boulevard when we saw a family of ducks attempting to cross the busy streets. But when the man, identified as 41-year-old Casey Rivara  got out and tried to shepherd the ducks across the road, a teenage driver who was headed eastbound on Stanford Ranch Boulevard ended up hitting the man as he attempted his good deed. No word on the ducks. No good deed goes unpunished. But don’t let that stop you, do them anyway.

Congratulations: When the dust settled at last weekend’s WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo in Corpus Christi, Texas, a Big Island cowboy was the last steer wrestler standing. Trisyn Kalawaia beat out 47 other riders to finish first, and he had the fastest time. “My best time down there was 3.75. That was in the final round. It was definitely worth the trip. It was a good deal,” he said. The Waiakea High School graduate is in his final year at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, where he competes in collegiate rodeo. This is the first year he’s touring with his pro card.

CNN’s Christiane Amanpour has been criticized recently for saying that an Israeli mother and two daughters who were murdered in a terror attack in April had been killed in a “shootout”. Apparently, she was unaware a “shootout” requires both side to be armed. The incident she is referring to was not a shootout, but the triple murder of Lucy Dee (48) and her daughters Maia (20) and Rina (15) were murdered by Palestinian terrorists while on a drive to Tiberias during the Passover holiday. Maia and Rina died at the scene; Rina fought for her life for several days before succumbing to her wounds. Chrissy, baby, your personal biases are really showing.

Wait..what?: In the last couple of weeks, 30 tons of ammonium nitrate went missing, 50 U.S. Senators are given “satellite” phones in case of a “catastrophic  event”, the FDA suggests the internet “could” go out this week, a empty U-haul crashes outside of the White House with a Nazi flag in it. Conspiracy? One time is chance. Two times is bad luck. Three or more is enemy action.

Baseball? : The Dodgers announced earlier this month they will give their “Community Hero Award” to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an activist group of “queer and trans nuns,” before their June 16 game. “This is an anti-Catholic hate group of homosexual men that dress up as Catholic nuns and engage in blasphemous and sacrilegious activities such as blessing themselves with sex toys, pole dancing on a cross, and inverting the words of Christ saying ‘go and sin some more,’” said Brian Burch, the president of CatholicVote, a conservative political advocacy group. Hey Dodgers, I love baseball. I loved taking my kids of baseball games. I loved watching games with my grandkids. I will NOT EVER attend another dodger game. EVER!!!         

Oh crap: an American-born and naturalized Swiss singer, dancer, actress and author. Widely referred to as the “Queen of Rock and Roll”, she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the ”Ike and Tina Turner Review” before launching a successful career as a solo performer. In 1991, Ike & Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ike was incarcerated and Turner did not attend. Tina was the poster girl for a “never ever give up” attitude. For so many many reasons, she will be missed.

Not much msm coverage: Did you know, Sam Brinton, formerly hailed as the first “non-binary” senior federal official as head of nuclear waste management has avoided jail or prison, despite two guilty pleas for luggage theft at airports in Las Vegas and Minneapolis? I knew he had been arrested and charged but didn’t see any coverage of his pleas. Now, with his arrest as a fugitive accused of a third luggage theft at Reagan National Airport in Washington, he is about to experience life as a jailbird. I wonder, since he is a “furry lover”, if some nice fellow prisoner will “adopt” him. You know, like a stray kitty or puppy. Snicker snicker

Under the radar and unreported by msm: Quickly but quietly, Big Pharma and various state governments are working to inject beef and dairy cattle with mRNA “vaccines.” The practice has been happening with pork since 2018 and beef is next on the agenda. Jason Nelson, CEO of Whole Cows, has been watching the developments closely. His Texas company, which specializes in shelf-stable freeze-dried meat for long-term storage, has vowed to never allow gene therapied cattle to enter the food supply through their products.  “I’ll shut down the company before we ship a single bag of mRNA-injected meat,” he said. That IS the correct response. Too bad it’s too late and too little.

It’s okay, he’s white:Actress Cate Blanchett revealed that she and her producing partner, Coco Francini, have set a rule for hiring crew. “We made a rule, basically, for every single member of the crew that for every position you must interview a woman, and you must interview a person of color,” Francini said. To me, this sounds like prejudice against any whit male. Isn’t that racism?

Don’t let TRUMP steal another election. Demand voter identification for everyone.

Headline: “World’s Elites Scheme At Secretive Annual Bilderberg Meeting”.Key leadership from companies like Microsoft, ChatGPT, and Google are convening with prime ministers, royalty, bank governors, army generals, and top US officials at the 2023 Bilderberg Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal to strategize about global affairs. Artificial intelligence is the focus of the 69th annual secretive Bilderberg meeting. The year’ guest list, which is by invitation only, also includes establishment politicians like twice-failing Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. By what measurement, other than her own mind, would “Failure Abrams” be considered an “elite”. Anyone? Please?

Land of the free: Remember just a short time ago you had to show ID AND a vaxx proof to get a freakin’ beer at a bar? I do.

Reminder: The longest filibuster in U.S. history was 75 days. It took place in 1964 when DEMOCRATS tried to block the Civil Rights Act. The single person longest filibuster was on August 28, 1957, Strom Thurmond, a DMEOCRAT, was intended to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Anyone else see a pattern here?

It’s about time: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the 150th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Tuesday by acknowledging mistakes the force has made in the past, and expressing hope for change. In a statement, the force says it plans to use the sesquicentennial to share the RCMP’s efforts to create a more modern organization that engages in authentic reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and ensures the safety of all Canadians. It has been  claimed the first Mounties were British army wipeouts, shattered veterans of Afghanistan and Africa, and borderline criminals.

It’s good to have friends: Hunter Biden cried poverty at his Arkansas child-support hearing earlier this month — despite flying to and from the courthouse aboard a luxury private jet owned by his close friend Kevin Morris. The 2001 Dassault Falcon 50 is registered to Plato LLC, for which Morris is the principal, California business records show. Wow, the guy is sooo poor he has to use someone else’s private jet.

Gas, Hilo Hawaii 5/20/23.

What are you paying?

How’s that sit with the tourism office: Nearly half of hotel rooms in New York City today are filled with newly arrived border crossers and illegal aliens, living rent-free at the expense of local taxpayers, says Mayor Eric Adams (D). Send the bill to Uncle Joe.

Something go boom: Some 60,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate, a chemical used as both fertilizer and a component in explosives, went missing as it was shipped by rail from Wyoming to California last month, prompting four separate investigations. A railcar loaded with 30 tons of the chemical left Cheyenne, Wyoming, on April 12. The car was found to be empty after it arrived two weeks later at a rail stop in the Mojave Desert, according to a short incident report from the explosives firm that made the shipment. A short reminder, this is the substance used in the Oklahoma federal building bombing. And that was nowhere 30 tons. Makes me nervous.

This train goes only 1 direction: Subway choking victim Jordan Neely was laid to rest on Friday and eulogized by the Rev. Al Sharpton — who told a packed church that “when they choked Jordan, they put their arms around all of us.” Neely’s death and the subsequent charges filed against Penny have ignited a firestorm of controversy over whether the Queens resident had a right to lay hands on Neely after the homeless man started ranting and threatening people on the train. Hey Al, I aways thought a eulogy was given by someone who knew the deceased. Just asking? And just an aside, people spent more $$ on the funeral than anyone ever spent on Neely himself. That just means he’s more important as a dead symbol that he ever was as a live person. Sad ain’t it.

Hell Yes: 1960’s: All the oil will be gone in 10 years. // 1970’s There’ll the another “ice age” in 10 years .// 1980’s Acid Rain will destroy all the crops in 10 years. // 1990’s; The ozone layer will be depleted in 10 years. // 2000; The ice caps will be melted, and the oceans will flood the shore in 10 years.   NONE OF THESE HAPPENED. But they ALL resulted in more and higher taxes. AWAKE YET???

Judging by past results: In a stunning allegation, Former deputy national security adviser under former President Donald Trump, K. T. McFarland,  said that the FBI, Justice Department, and CIA are planning to rig the upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential election. “We now have black-and-white evidence that the FBI interfered in the 2016 election. When they failed to elect Hillary Clinton, they set out to destroy the Trump administration,” said McFarland. In other words, they stole 2016 and 2020, what makes you think they won’t 2024?

Call it suicide by tik tok: I keep seeing these tik toc “challenges” that appear to be more like suicide challenges. The “Cha Cha Challenge (suicide by auto), the “Blackout Challenge (suicide by hanging), the “Dry Scoop Challenge (suicide by poison) and now the “Trespass Terror” challenge (suicide by stupid). If you come busting into my home uninvited, you will not leave. Period. One can almost believe this tik tok crap is made to weed out the lower end of the gene pool.

And you thought Kimmel was bad: A 34-year-old woman, reportedly surnamed Shi, admitted to police that she had posted “inappropriate” comments about Chinese soldiers. Shi’s post was in reaction to  the stiff punishment delivered to Li Haoshi, also known as House, over a joke about two dogs chasing a squirrel reminding him of one of Xi Jinping’s military slogan. After an audio recording of the joke went viral, Beijing police launched an investigation under a 2021 law which criminalized insulting China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army. It is reported she was put in administrative detention, which allows police to hold someone for up to 15 days without charge for a minor public order offence. Wow, talk about no sense of humor.

I didn’t notice any changes: Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has signaled in recent days that she doesn’t know where she is going and doesn’t know where she’s been. Unable to ignore or conceal the 89-year-old’s mental deterioration any longer, her handlers have finally admitted that the California Democrat’s alleged case of shingles had a more profound impact on her body and mind than previously indicated. How could they tell? She seems “Feinstein normal” to me.

Bravo ladies: The women who won second and third place at a Colorado cycling race refused to show up to the podium for photo ops after a man claiming to be a transgender “woman” won a race in the women’s category on Sunday. Colorado resident Lesley Mumford, who claims to have “transitioned” to a woman in 2017, won the top spot in the women’s category at Sunday’s 100-mile Desert Gravel Co2Ut. Still, he stood on the winner’s stand-alone when the runners-up refused to attend the medal ceremony. “I have no idea why so many people bailed before the podiums, but they did,” Mumford wrote as a caption to a photo showing him standing alone on the winner’s stand. First, I applaud the actual women who refused to accept this travesty. And second, is he really that dense?

I Will Never Give Up 

“I will persist until I succeed. I was not delivered unto this world in defeat, nor does failure course in my veins.

 I am not a sheep waiting to be prodded by a shepherd, I am a lion, and I refuse to walk, talk, nor sleep with sheep. I will hear not those who whine and snivel, for their disease is contagious. Let them join the sheep.

The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny. I will persist until I succeed.

The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, only rarely at the beginning. And it is not given unto me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal.

Failure I may encounter at the thousandth step, yet success hides behind the next bend in the road. Never will I know how close it lies unless I take another step.

If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not difficult.”

Jerry’s Good-bye

I spent most of one year with my folks in Las Vegas. It was the year before Pop died and when I found out my wife and mother cannot occupy the same house for very long.

It was a Sunday morning and I was sitting on Mom’s back lanai having some coffee when I noticed a single raven land on the top of the back wall/fence.

Seeing ravens was not unusual for the area, but seeing a single raven was sort of unusual. Normally they fly in groups. But there it was, a solo raven, sitting on the wall, looking at me, looking at him.

It was probably 2 or 3 minutes when 6 or 7 more ravens landed on the wall, but separate from that first one by several feet. There was some caw cawing, or whatever sound ravens make, and the group flew off. The single raven sat there for a moment, and then he too took flight and I could see him join the group.

At that moment the phone rang and my mom told me it was Julie. I answered and my wife tells me “Honey, Monarch Jerry was killed this morning. He was riding back to the clubhouse and slid on a metal plate on Dillingham Blvd. He hit a wire or something and they said he died at the scene. Dallas just called me.”

I took a moment, and then told her of the raven and what had just transpired. I then said, “I think that was Jerry saying Good-bye.”

A few months later I related this story to the Monarchs at their clubhouse. It got real drunk out that night.

A sad Good-Bye: One of the all time greats of professional wrestling  “Super Star” Bill Graham, 79. Graham, whose real name was Eldridge Wayne Coleman, was born on June 7, 1943 in Phoenix AZ. Graham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004. Graham’s “flashy fashion style, over-the-top interviews and bodybuilder physique created the archetype for a generation of Superstars that followed in his footsteps. He will be missed.

Verry interesting : Right now there are about 20,000 Border Patrol officers trying to protect out northern and southern borders. We all know how that’s turning out. There are also about 79,000 IRS agents, a large part of which is coming up for retirement in the next 6 years. The 87,000 agents asked for by Uncle Joe will basically just be replacements for those leaving. But still, we have 4x as many people looking at your taxes, as we have protecting the border. Seems upside down don’t it.

More please:  Openly genderfluid” Sam Brinton, the MIT grad who served Joe Biden’s administration in a key nuclear role before being fired, was reportedly arrested Wednesday as a “fugitive of justice.” Montgomery County, Maryland, enforcement officers took Brinton into custody at his home, police logs show. He is currently in jail and being held without bond. Since Sam identified as a furry, will her go to the pound? Need to see more of these arrests.

Think about it: When NASA started sending astronauts into space they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens did not work in zero gravity. To  fix the problem, NASA spent over 10 years and $165 million dollars developing a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, on almost any surface and at temperatures from below freezing to over 300 C. The Russians used pencils.