The London Daily Mail reaches back in time to hit a nerve that’s a lot closer to reality than the genre of “alternate history.” The question is, what if Axis forces had invaded the United States during World War II?  Explore the disturbing possibilities here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2032699/What-Nazis-invaded-America-Maps-published-1942-Life-issue-detailed-plans-Hitler-invasion-U-S.html
​There are obvious reasons why the Nazis never got close to landing an invasion force on the East Coast of the United States: Hitler bit off way more than he could chew on his Eastern Front.  Even in Europe, Hitler’s own generals talked him out of invading contiguous Switzerland, because they knew that nation’s disciplined armed citizenry would devour the invaders.  Every village had a rifle range, every able-bodied adult male had an army rifle, ammunition, and the skill to use it, and within 24 hours the mountain passes would be dynamited by the defenders. It would have been “invader motel,” as it were… “They check in, but they don’t check out.”
​America’s West Coast was much more vulnerable to the Japanese, particularly after the devastating sucker punch of Pearl Harbor, but we know now that they never seriously considered following up with a boots-on-the-ground invasion.  And it is clear that one reason is, they knew the level of citizen resistance they would meet in “the Nation of Riflemen.” One of their military leaders allegedly said, “There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.” Hyperbole, perhaps…but certainly at least a rifle in every American farmhouse, and at least one around every corner of every city street. Circa 1960, one Japanese naval officer told an American counterpart why they had not invaded the Continental US: they were not fools, he said, to set foot in such quicksand.
​When there are still Americans who lived the memory of that terrible war – while there are still Holocaust survivors among us – it is sad indeed to see how many obvious lessons have been lost in so short a time. Thank you, Daily Mail, for reminding the world of the value of an armed citizenry to national security.
                           

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In a world where people go to movies with titles like “Alien Versus Predator,” life has apparently imitated art. From an Internet friend, a veteran lawyer who spends a lot of time in Russia, we learn of an incident in Kamchatka where a 1500 pound bear spotted a shark of Great White size in the shallows, and attacked it as if it was a Super-Sized Filet-o’-Fish.

The shark did not take kindly to this.  The result was apparently an epic battle of big scary fish versus big scary mammal.

The fish won. The shark apparently tore a foreleg completely off the great bear, which then bled to death.

It was posted on a closed forum, populated heavily by attorneys. Interestingly enough, sympathy was originally with the bear. (So much for professional courtesy, I guess.) We erect bipedal mammals apparently tend to relate to sometimes-erect and bipedal mammals, and reflexively stick together.

Personally, I invoked the oath of impartiality and took the side of the fish, citing self-defense. The original poster – a seasoned criminal defense attorney, remember – agreed. “Mas is right,” he said. “Think of it this way – when the bear went into the water, he became a home invader.”

Alas, we on the Shark Defense Team have our work cut out for us. Opposing counsel will try for sympathy by claiming that after years of living paw-to-mouth on salmon-sized fish to feed its 1500 pound body, the bear was merely trying to Live The Dream with a fish meal the size of the star of “Jaws.”

Yes…the bear “was just starting to turn his life around.”

To win in the case of Estate of Ruined Bruin v. Shark, I expect there will be a “state of mind of the defendant” issue, so we’ll also have to bring in expert testimony from an ichthyologist to explain why the shark killed the bear “in cold blood.”

As a consultant to the defense team, I’ll also recommend that we call as a material witness Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie on the old TV show “Happy Days.” He of all people should be able to testify that it’s NEVER a good idea to “jump the shark.”

Bear (ouch) in mind that I’m going strictly on principle here. Personally, I’d be much more inclined to dine on shark filet than brown bear steak.  Last week, I taught a second-level class in the Pacific Northwest that included one student whose job description includes control of brown bears in Alaska. He assures me (I’ll take his word for it at this point) that at least on the North American side of the Bering Strait, brown bear meat tastes like rotting fish. On the other hand, I can tell you from personal experience that grilled shark tastes very much like swordfish, and is particularly delectable with lemon butter.

But, hey, you’re the jury. What’s YOUR verdict?

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As I write this, CNN News is “all Hurricane Irene, all the time,” and by the time most read it, the power will already have been shut off for a large part of New York City. A third of a million citizens there have been told to evacuate, and at this writing, nine people are dead from the storm along the East Coast.

I’m hearing the usual: people only now trying – desperately – to stockpile everything from water to candles to generators to flashlights. And of course, there’s the “it would be nice to own a gun along about now” that always seems to hit a certain kind of person a little too late.

Good luck to all in the storm’s path. Blog readers in that part of the country are invited to post here with “dispatches from the (storm) front.”

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If anyone on this green Earth needs the device colloquially called The Equalizer, it’s the physically handicapped. Suppose you’re in a wheelchair: little mobility for flight or flight. And you’re a magnet for predators, alone or in packs, as surely as a hamstrung gazelle on the veldt.

I’ve worked with lots of wheelchair-bound shooters. The crossdraw holster tends to work best; the shoulder holster works well, too, but can be uncomfortable for 24/7 wear. (At home, the guy or gal in the chair can’t get to the shotgun in the closet as fast as those of us with more mobility.) Fanny packs work and are very convenient, but relatively slow. Ditto the excellent Maxpedition pack.

Now comes a new concept from a guy who lives in a chair, Scot Shearer. It works in conjunction with your own holster. Its inventor has used it successfully in combat pistol matches against able-bodied shooters. Scot is sending one to one of my grads who lives near me and is in a wheelchair daily. We’re gonna check it out, but I’d be interested in all y’all’s take on it, particularly those of you who train folks who carry guns with wheelchairs, or are chair-bound yourselves. I know Scot will be interested, too. Check it out on YouTube, here: http://youtu.be/EkGve5G3rGI

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In a classic case of “ya just can’t make this stuff up,” I offer you the following…
 

http://news.yahoo.com/rome-police-arrest-colosseum-gladiator-gang-000250682.html

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