It has been said that when we go to war we are always prepared to fight the last war – not this one. World War I was a great example of that. The brave cavalry regiments who were decked out in their brightly colored costume like uniforms and flashing sabres seemed to be heading to the stage of a Broadway musical rather than the trenches of WWI. The pomp and pageantry of the 19th century did not fare well against the weaponry of the 20th century. We are now in a war with groups of Islamic radicals like ISIS, el-Qaeda, Boko Harem and others. I believe we are in trouble because we are treating them like the nation state enemies of the past. When we listen or watch news broadcasts, reference is always being made about progress against the ISIS attempt to reestablish the Caliphate near its historic location in what is now modern day Iraq and Syria. The Caliphate is an Islamic religion and political state ruled by a Caliph. The Caliph’s power was absolute in all matters religious and political.
The bad news is this ideological war must be viewed in generations. There are many ways to invade a country. Most of the time we picture an operation like the WWII invasion of Normandy. A more insidious way is to slip into a country one by one with the long term goal of overwhelming the welcoming county, either by force or politically. The goal of overwhelming the country may lie hidden for decades. The seeds of scorn for the welcoming country’s religious, society and political systems are passed from generation to generation. Meanwhile, soldiers in the ideological war penetrate the political system and the media with the goal of deflecting criticism away from their activities as long as possible. They know that in the United States and Europe there are those who are so weak that they will believe the most unbelievable explanations to avoid any kind of conflict.
The idea of the “lone wolf” self-radicalized terrorists, like those in Orlando, Fort Hood, San Bernardino, Chattanooga and other places are not isolated incidents. The seeds of disdain have been festering for years in the ideological subculture and are indications of the increasing strength of the jihadist movement in the United States and around the world. Right now, we are seeing the fruits of the radical Islamist movement in Europe with the election of a Muslim mayor in London and the impending takeover of the government in Brussels.
Facing such a threat is never a very pleasant thing to do but it is certainly better than the consequences of doing nothing. As I have said before, the front in this new type of war may be the car next to you, it may be the person at the table across from you or the person who lives down the street. This is not a war that is being fought “over there.” This is a war we are fighting here. The enemy is not at the gates; the enemy is inside the gates. Prepare yourself accordingly.
On Monday the United States Senate debated four gun bills under the guise trying to stop events like those that occurred in Orlando, San Bernardino, Fort Hood and other places. None of these proposals passed in the Senate. None of the proposals, had they passed, would have stopped anything but law abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights. The other problem of course, deals with Terror Watch lists, No Fly lists, and who knows what other type of list the government is keeping. How do you get on, and get off those lists? Since when does some government bureaucrats have the authority to take people’s constitutional rights away with the stroke of a pen? If you notice, the lefties are all talking about the danger of right-wing Christians. Guess who would be on that list if they had half a chance?
What I did find interesting was that almost immediately after the Senate adjourned, I started receiving fund raising notifications from left-wing organizations requesting money to fight those nasty pro-gun organizations and politicians. They were very well done, and so quickly too. You don’t suppose this was planned in advance by Diane Feinstein, Dick Durban, and the rest of the liberals do you?
The liberal media relishes in telling everyone how easy it is to buy an AR15. Just to prove the point, Chicago Sun Times reporter Neil Steinberg set off to purchase an AR from a suburban gun store. Everything was going well until has background check showed he had a history of domestic abuse and alcoholism, and he was denied. I suppose the most embarrassing part was that the incident was covered on national news. Not only did the system work, it also gives us a lot of background information should any of us accidentally read one of Steinberg’s columns.
On Saturday, June 18th, we held our 14th Annual NRA Day at the ISRA Range. The day went very well; the guests, volunteers, vendors and weather were great. In five hours, we gave over 1100 guests a class in gun safety and they got to shoot the firearms of their choice. Including all of the volunteers, Boy Scouts, vendors, guests and staff, we were in the neighborhood of 1600 plus attendees.
This Sunday, we have our first Glock League Match of the season. For all of you Glock enthusiasts, this is a great time. Each league match is 50 rounds. Please show up at the ISRA Range between 8:00 and 8:30am. This year, we will have matches for the “baby Glocks” (like the 42 and 43). I hope to see you there.
Thanks for being a member.
