From: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com (roc-digest) To: roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: roc-digest V2 #299 Reply-To: roc-digest Sender: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk roc-digest Friday, November 5 1999 Volume 02 : Number 299 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 5 Nov 99 10:35:22 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: FBI relies upon witch's authority to define cultic behavior (3/4) (fwd) On Nov 05, D. D. wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Religious Genocide and "Toleration" The ancient Hebrews appear to have invented religious genocide : killing the priestesses and priests of the competing deities worshipped within their own population, then the clergy of all the local tribes. For good measure, they also killed the conquered tribe's adults and boys, keeping only the little girls whom they could rape and brainwash into the new religion of Yahwehism (and their new roles as slaves to men). The history of what became known as Judaism is a history of sanctimonious religious terrorism -- practiced right up to the time when their weapons were taken away from them. While they were a conquered people, the Jews believed fervently and sincerely in religious freedom, but whenever they had land again, that freedom vanished for all but themselves. Fifteen centuries of Christian oppression made religious freedom again a cherished ideal, but as soon as there was a chance for another Jewish state, fundamentalist Jews were quick to oppress the non-fundamentalist Jews and the gentiles then in residence. The results have been the current mess you can observe on your TV news every night. Let's not overlook the equally charming history of Islam -- another desert monotheism that started by committing religious genocide against local Paleopagans, enslaving their women, and slaughtering and oppressing "unbelievers" whenever possible. They, too, have promoted the ideal of religious freedom and toleration whenever economic or political fortunes have been against them, only to toss those ideals out the window when Islam was in power. You may examine modern Iran, Afghanastan, or any other nation in which fundamentalist Moslems are in power for current examples. That brings us back to the Christian fundamentalists and a bloody history with which most Neopagans (and other western non-Christians) are only too familiar. More men, women, and children have been enslaved, tortured, raped, mutilated, and murdered in the name of Jesus Christ than in the name of any other deity in recorded history. Christians have oppressed Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, Pagans, and each other throughout their centuries of power, preaching religious intolerance as the word of Jehovah whenever they had the military, political, or economic power to make it stick -- and then piously preaching brotherhood, peace, and toleration when they didn't. The various sayings to be found in their scriptures give monotheists a choice of which "Trinity" to worship. They can follow the Unholy Trinity of anger towards the unbelievers, hatred of "sin" (ie. different moral beliefs and those who live by them) and fear "of the Lord" (meaning, fear of deviation from the One True Way), on the one hand; or a somewhat holier one of peace (from the spiritual serenity their beliefs are supposed to give them), love for all humanity (as supposedly being fellow children of the "same" god), and hope for a new world (here or in their Heaven). Because of the dualism inherent in conservative monotheism, however, individuals and sects tend to flip-flop between these extremes. The liberals and the oppressed among them stress the positive side of their scriptural message, while the conservatives and those in power stress the negative side. Of course, the conservatives often use the positive vocabulary when proselytizing, and both the liberals and the conservatives routinely describe each other as not being "real" members of The Faith. This gives both varieties "plausible deniability" for ancient and modern crimes committed in the name of The Faith. Why Neopagans Frighten Fundamentalists Do fundamentalist monotheists hate Neopagans more than they do the members of all the other competing religions around these days? Well, not all of them do. Most of the Moslems in the world, for example, have never heard of us. Their fundamentalists are too busy fighting Christians in Lebanon, Jews in Israel/Palestine, Hindus in India, Buddhists in Indonesia, Marxists in Afghanistan, authors in England, and liberal Moslems at home, to pay any attention to what is in essence a Western religious movement with no appreciable presence in the Islamic world. I'm sure though, if a Neopagan movement starts up over there, the Islamic fundamentalists will be quick to kill them. Most of the fundamentalist Jews aren't paying any attention to Neopaganism either. We're just one more non-Jewish religion that their kids are straying off to, and we're viewed as a form of "craziness" rather than evil. Of course, some rabbis have noticed that many Neopagans are "offering our cakes to the Queen of Heaven," just like the Caanites whom their predecessors slaughtered so many years ago, so we are causing some additional fear and loathing. It's the Christian fundamentalists, however, in whom we inspire the greatest anger, hatred, and fear. They routinely denounce Buddhism, Taoism, the New Age, and all other competing belief systems, just as they have always done, but seem to save their greatest vituperation for occultists in general and Neopagans (especially Witches) in particular. As most Neopagans know, Christian fundamentalists are constantly publishing and broadcasting blasphemies against our deities, slanders against our members, and half-truths and outright lies about our beliefs and practices. Over and over, they strive to convince the general public, the media, and the civil governments that we are devil worshipping murderers, rapists, child abusers, and even cannibals. Their kids beat up our kids in school, their adults vandalize our stores and temples, shoot bullets through our windows, and manipulate the courts to remove our children from us. Why? What is it about Neopaganism that makes Christian fundamentalists so desperate that they will repeatedly violate their own "Ten Commandments" to try and stop us? There are a number of theological reasons why fundamentalists of any monotheistic persuasion would find Neopaganism disturbing; after all, we disagree with them about almost everything they consider important. But so do the Buddhists, the Taoists, the Hindus, and most of the other "new" religions on the American religious scene. The real reasons for the severity of fundamentalist attacks on the Neopagan community are, as usual, not theological at all. We believe in magic -- that anyone can learn to do miracles. That makes their Christ (assuming he ever actually lived -- still an open question among non-fundamentalist historians) merely another famous magician among many. This destroys the main body of "evidence" for special claims of his divinity and thus for the fundamentalists' special position as holders of The Only Truth. Neopagans believe in pluralism and multiplicity -- making us very hard to pin down and define, and bringing up dreaded "feminine" ambiguity. Worse, we worship goddesses, our women have places of honor and leadership, and gay and lesbian people are seldom discriminated against. These attitudes threaten both the male egos that control fundamentalism and the inherent sexism of their way of life, and present the terrifying danger that fundamentalist women and girls (not to mention any gay men and boys unlucky enough to be born into fundamentalist homes) might find our religions far more attractive than their own -- which, of course, many do! Perhaps worst of all, those of us who call ourselves Pagans, Druids and Witches have deliberately chosen to identify ourselves with the victims of conservative monotheism -- with the millions upon millions who have suffered at their hands down through the centuries. While reincarnation has not been officially accepted belief in monotheism for the last thousand years or so, a certain wave of fear must still pass over the fundamentalists when they realize, however subconsciously, that we just might be their victims come back from the grave to haunt them for their crimes, and that this time when they try to silence us, they will fail. But silencing us is something that they must at least attempt -- and not only because we are a healthy, growing competitor in the marketplace of religious ideas. As a pluralistic, decentralized, feminist, ecological, and democratic collection of religions, we represent the future of faith in a world of ever-increasing change and diversity. Fundamentalists know that the world is changing and that they cannot control the changes. They are horrified of the future and anything that reminds them of it. Neopaganism combines a revival of old deities that the fundamentalists have been taught from childhood were "demonic," with patterns of belief and practice that fit perfectly with the new global culture now emerging. The Fundamentalists have no psychological options left. They either have to cure themselves of the dysfunctional personalities that have made them fundamentalists, or (being dualists) try to silence us. Guess which tactic they usually choose? The Religious Reich and Christian Reconstructionism In recent years, the United States and other western countries have seen the rise of what I call the "Religious Reich," led by fundamentalist Christian men with literally theocratic agendas. That the Republican Party has become an unholy owned subsidiary of fundamentalist preacher Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition has become obvious to nearly everyone in politics -- including the Internal Revenue Service, which on June 10th, 1999 c.e. finally revoked the CC's tax-exempt status. What many Americans don't know, however (until it's too late), is that the Religious Reich focuses as much attention on taking over local school boards, town halls, and county governments, as it does on grabbing for power on the statewide and national levels. This is part of their long-range theocratic plan for America, which they call, "Christian Reconstructionism." They want to take over enough state governments to call for a constitutional convention (they are only a few states away from that goal). At such an event they could legally scrap our current Constitution and the entire Bill of Rights, replacing them with their own twisted vision of "Biblical Law." If they succeed in taking over America because the rest of us were too lazy to fight them and too cynical to bother voting - or if their cherished "cultural collapse" should occur -- they fully intend to institute the death penalty for being homosexual, for having or performing (or assisting someone to have or perform) an abortion, for living in "sin" (including all "unconventional" partnerships, lovestyles, and family structures), for practicing "witchcraft" (any minority religious, metaphysical, astrological or New Age belief system), and for having or distributing "pornography." I know it sounds unlikely that anyone could think this way in modern times, but remember, their predecessors have been terrorizing "unbelievers" for centuries, slowing down only when they lost political power. Today they're close to regaining the secular power they lust after, thanks to gaybashers, anti-feminists, Klu Klux Klanners, dozens of right-wing millionaires, and thousands of Fundamentalist preachers, Catholic priests and Orthodox rabbis who see their livlihoods and power threatened by sweeping global change. They depend on the votes of millions of modern "Know-Nothings" who are terrified of the future and willing to vote for whoever their preacher/priest/rabbi tells them to. One excellent book that will give you the lowdown on the Christian Coalition's founder and plans is The Most Dangerous Man in America? by Robert Boston. It's a pretty scary book, at least for anyone who cherishes their freedom pof conscience. Don't believe me or other "liberals" on this topic? If you want to know the sordid details, straight from the Religious Reich's own messiah, just read The Institutes of Biblical Law, by Rousas John Rushdoony, the ayatollah of Christian Reconstructionism, or as his publisher describes him, "the president and founder of Chalcedon Foundation, an educational organization dedicated to Christian reconstruction of every area of life and thought." That's your life and your thought they want to "reconstruct." Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed, and all their right-wing fundraisers praise, quote and follow Rushdoony, who lays out his plans and goals as clearly as Adolph Hitler did in Mein Kampf. Read it and you'll see why I use the phrase "Religious Reich" insead of "Right." Whether you are a moderate or liberal Christian or Jew, a Hindu, Taoist, Unitarian, Pagan, Agnostic or Atheist -- whether you are gay, straight or bi; male, female, or undecided; if your lifestyle, beliefs, or political [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Nov 99 10:36:19 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: FBI relies upon witch's authority to define cultic behavior (4/4) (fwd) On Nov 05, D. D. wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] views are even the slightest bit different from those of the Religious Reich -- you are a target. Let's not make the same mistakes that German democrats and liberals did in the 1930's. Let's make sure that Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Robert Heinlein's Revolt in 2100 both remain fiction, by getting off our comfortable rear ends, stepping away from our keyboards, and exercising our citizenship rights while we still have them. How Fundamentalists Define "Religious Freedom" In their quest for absolute power, spokespersons for the Religious Reich often use the language of the civil liberties movements, in fighting what they perceive as "government interference" in their practice of religion. Some Neopagans say that we should work with such "friendly fundamentalists" in a common quest for religious freedom. I urge caution and further investigation of individuals, groups, and their motives, before doing so. While Supreme Court rulings interfering with the practice of minority belief systems are offensive, and the Religious Freedoms Restoration Act was well worth supporting, we should not be fooled by fundamentalist references to "religious freedom." Their complaints about "unconstitutional government interference" with religious practices are actually about the fundamentalists' loss of their traditional -- and very unconstitutional -- privileges. For three hundred years, religious zealots have been shoving their theology down our throats, usually with the connivance of the civil government. Where do you think most of our laws about sex, drugs and gambling originated? From "blue laws" that close stores on Sundays to mandatory (monotheistic) prayers at graduations, conservative Christians have dominated the public American culture since shortly after the Revolution. But over the course of the last few decades courts and legislatures have gradually taken away one after another of the fundamentalists' special privileges. Organized prayer is no longer allowed in schools, evolution is taught in biology classes, big city kids can learn about safe sex and birth control methods, etc. -- all of which upsets the Religious Reich terribly. The Religious Reich complains that the existence of rights for secular people (including the right not to be subjected to fundamentalist opinions) violates their rights as spreaders of the Gospel. They argue that the separation of church and state is itself a violation of the first admendment freedom of religion clause, i.e., that they have the "right" to use the government to promote Christianity as long as they aren't pushing any particular denomination of it. Often they attack the ACLU for its pro-separation stand, despite the fact that the ACLU has done more to fight for freedom of religion than any other organization in American History. The Christian Reconstructionists of the Religious Reich would prefer that America was a fundamentalist theocracy in which they would have every one of their old privileges back, and a number of new ones as well (with only fundamentalist Christians eligible to vote, run for office, or teach in the schools, for example). No matter how friendly, reasonable and ecumenical they may occasionally act towards non-Christian groups, on the day they decide they don't need us anymore they will cheerfully rip our throats out. Does that sound paranoid? Perhaps. But remember -- we know their track record. Fundamentalists have never supported religious freedom for anyone but themselves except as a temporary tactic. They are going to have to be a lot more convincing if they expect us to be able to trust them. I suppose they could start by publishing apologies for, and retractions of, all the lies that they have published and broadcast about us over the years, signed by all the national leaders of the Religious Reich (most of whom have told those lies). I'm not going to hold my breath waiting, however. Real Religious Freedom Organizations I highly recommend that Neopagan and other liberal religious people be prepared to take magical action to defeat the magical malpractice of fundamentalist "prayer warriors" and to prevent unconstitutional and dishonest plots by the Religious Reich by casting Spells for Democracy. But magic/prayer is always most effective if it is backed up with physical action. Fortunately, those of us in the Neopagan community who are looking for genuine religious freedom groups to join do have some trustworthy choices. There's always People for the American Way (2000 M St. NW, #400, Washington DC 20036). This group has pluralistic, feminist, and democratic biases fully in keeping with Neopagan polytheology. They have been keeping tabs on the Religious Reich for over fifteen years and their website contains a wealth of information the fundamentalists would rather you didn't read. I'm a member and I recommend them. The other major force fighting the Religious Reich is Americans United for Separation of Church and State (1816 Jefferson Place NW, Washington, DC 20036), a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization of moderate and liberal Christians, Jews, Unitarians, Atheists, Agnostics, and yes, a few of us Pagans! You can visit their website or send email to their net liason at hays@au.org. Their phone number is 202-466-3234. Their newsletter, Church & State is an excellent source of news and advice on the fight against theocracy. I'm a member and I recommend them. Also worthwhile is The Freedom Writer, a newsletter published by the Institute for First Amendment Studies. IFAS was founded by ex-fundamentalist minister Skipp Porteous (author of Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore and other works) and attorney Barbara Simon. This publication, now available online, focuses on the activities of the Religious Reich, exposing fraudulent ministers, anti-Semitism, censorship campaigns, etc. There are also frequent news clipping about civil liberties victories. Those of you who were once fundamentalists might also be interested in IFAS' former publication turned webpage, Walk Away,written by and for ex-fundamentalists. You can send IFAS email at "ifas@berkshire.net" or snailmail at Box 589, Great Barrington, MA 01230. Their phone number is 1-800-370-3329. For keeping tabs on trends throughout the American religious scene, I can recommend Religion Watch (Box 652, N. Bellmore, NY 11710, $19.95 year USA). The editor, Richard P. Cimino, does an excellent job of reporting trends in both mainstream and minority religious movements, albeit with a moderate Christian bias. Of course, for civil liberties activism in general, there is no beating the American Civil Liberties Union. I'm a card carrying member and proud of it (even if that does mean I can never be elected President). Controversial as the ACLU is, and disgusting as some of their clients have been over the years, they remain the largest and most effective defense against all those forces (including the fundamentalists) who would trash our Bill of Rights. There's a group called Americans for Religious Liberty (Box 6656, Silver Spring MD 20906), founded as a front for the Humanist Society, but I can't recommend them. The Humanist Society is an association for atheists, agnostics and scientolators -- people who sneer at all religions equally. If you can put up with the kind of folks who run sleazy "debunking" groups to attack psychics and parapsychologists, you might find ARL worth investigating. Ask them about their platform in which they advocate keeping "pseudoscience" as well as religion out of the public schools. If Neopagans are going to support civil liberties and anti-discrimination groups, which I obviously think we should, then we had better be selective in our choice of allies. It's usually the fundamentalists themselves who oppress our civil liberties. We'll be much better off setting up our own groups, or supporting organizations that are genuinely neutral in matters of religious belief. I don't think that we can or should trust "friendly" fundamentalists. After all, deeply hath sunk the lesson they have given and shall not soon depart. Copyright © 1990, 1999 c.e., Isaac Bonewits. This text file may be freely distributed on the Net, provided that no editing is done, the version number is listed, and this notice is included. If you would like to be on the author's personal mailing list for upcoming publications, lectures, song albums, and appearances, send your snailmail and/or your email address to him at PO Box 1021, Nyack, NY, USA 10960-1021 or via email to ibonewits@neopagan.net. - --- The premise of the Project Megiddo report is that people who exhibit strongly held religious beliefs are a threat to the rest of society. If you profess a belief in absolute "good" and absolute "evil;" a belief in an absolute right and an absolute wrong; if you believe that Christ will return to earth in a fierce display of absolute authority, then you are likely on someone's list of right wing extremists with a pre-disposition to committing terrorist acts. The PM report is little more than an attack on fundamental religion in general, and specifically an attack on Christianity. Be leery of any organization which professes to be "Christian" and does not vocally challenge the catagoric insinuations made about Christians contained within the FBI's Project Megiddo report. This is the report which relies upon the writings of professing witches for its authority against Christians. - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Social security is the bane of individual liberty. - SAM ====================================================================== Don't believe anything you read on the Net unless: 1) you can confirm it with another source, and/or 2) it is consistent with what you already know to be true. ====================================================================== Reply to: ====================================================================== To subscribe to the free Scan This News newsletter, send a message to and type "subscribe scan" in the BODY. Or, to be removed type "unsubscribe scan" in the message BODY. 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Host of the "FIGHT THE FINGERPRINT!" web page: www.networkusa.org/fingerprint.shtml ====================================================================== [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Nov 99 10:48:53 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Jeff Coopers Commentaries - Nov/99 (1/2) (fwd) On Nov 5, R. Lunn wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Posted by Barry Needham Date: Thu, 4 Nov 1999 09:11:59 -0800 - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Attached is the latest issue of Jeff Cooper's Commentaries. Comments can be sent directly to Jeff at: Jeff Cooper Gunsite Ranch Paulden, Arizona 86334. As usual, I would be happy to forward any comments from our international readers. These Commentaries are also available on the web. In fact, all of the Commentaries, from the end of the old Gunsite Gossip, are available. The url(s) for this are: http://www.cybersurf.co.uk/JeffCooper/ http://wwww.concentric.net/~mkeithr/jeff/index.html http://www.powernet.net/~eich1/jeffcooper/ Enjoy, Barry. ============================================================= Jeff Cooper's Commentaries Previously Gunsite Gossip Vol. 7, No. 12 November, 1999 Thanksgiving If we wish to lead a good life, we should count our blessings continuously. But in this country, we set a day aside decreed by George Washington in order to give proper thanks for the blessings of liberty bequeathed to us by those extraordinary men who were not afraid to put their lives on the line for the cause. It seems clear that our liberties are more endangered at the turn of the XXI century than they were two hundred years ago. It is tragic to note that large numbers of American citizens are deeply uninterested in liberty, which is the thing most worthy of all for fighting for. The socialist promises security in return for the surrender of an increasing portion of liberty. As Franklin put it, the coward deserves neither. I ask myself this question frequently, and ponder about whether I am worthy of my ancestors. Whenever I quail at the thought of the Left triumphant, I try to give myself a moral shot in the arm by reading the inspiring words of those "Dead White Males." As of now, we still have a firm hold on the legal structure of our liberties, which is, of course, The Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. The people in Washington frequently find this annoying, as well they should. The Constitution was specifically designed to annoy the central government. It is critical, however, that the people, and particularly our legislators, understand this. As it is proclaimed at the Alamo Monument, "Freedom isn't free!" There is a price, and historically that price has been paid more often in blood than in cash. This idea is frequently labeled "extremist" by the Left, and it may indeed be so, but this nation was founded by extremists, and what we may be thankful for at this Thanksgiving holiday is the fact that extremists made this country "the last, best hope of earth." * * * We hope that you are enjoying a notable hunting season. May all that wild meat in your freezer serve to keep you healthy, happy, and grateful for the good things in life! * * * The change-over in policies here at Gunsite proceeds with appropriate deliberation. One cannot undo seven years of degeneration by a mere stroke of the pen. I wish I could provide you with a quick and simple analysis of the local scene, but I cannot do that at this time. The best thing we can say right now is that the previous owner is gone completely, and that is cause for rejoicing. * * * We have sometimes felt that a garbage-mouth is evidence of a paltry vocabulary. Some recent social observers, however, have said that this use of unimaginative obscenity in speech and writing is simply a function of conformity -- doing what everybody else is doing. When children are properly raised they eschew conformity. Legend has it that when Alexander of Macedon was a boy, he never did anything that all the other boys did as a matter of principle. Peer pressure should be spat upon at an early age -- by both mothers and fathers. * * * Reports of successes with the Steyr Scout keep right on pouring in. It is not an exaggeration to claim that the weapon is a triumph of design. It will apparently take some time for the press to find out about the Scout, but gun writers as a group tend to be set in their ways, and it will take a lot of field work, well away from both the office desk and the bench rest, to establish across the board what is obvious to those of us now on the inside. In the 376 version, the situation is not so clear. I have been asked politely by the factory not to refer to the weapon as a "Dragoon," but then the piece in my possession has the word "Dragoon" stamped clearly and brightly on the receiver. This 376 Steyr cartridge is a compact bruiser and not a piece for the faint of heart. Magnum ballistics in a 7-pound rifle introduce certain stress problems which were difficult to anticipate. The tendency for the butt magazine well to flex open on recoil was unexpected -- at least by me. If you mount the butt properly into your shoulder and take the thrust from midpoint to the heel, all is well. If, on the other hand, you mount the piece too high and take the thrust with the toe, you may drop the magazine out. The 376 ammunition may be something of a problem for some time to come. It is important to remember that this cartridge is not for deer. The Dragoon, or whatever you call it, is absolutely not a deer gun. The 308 is a deer cartridge, but the 376, while it will certainly kill a deer, is an exaggeration for such purposes. Unless your proposed target weighs a thousand pounds or more, you are far better off with the original 308. (It has been suggested that we advertise the new piece as "No gun for a lady." This may sell 300 examples within the week.) * * * When our good friend and colleague Bob Brown was recently asked his age in the course of an interview, his reply was, "I am so old that I can remember when the Kennedy's killed their women one at a time." * * * I guess it is not surprising that military heroic reputation is largely a function of publicity. Everybody knows who Alvin York was because Theodore Roosevelt wrote him up in fine style. Very few know of Sam Woodfill, who pulled off a very similar individual feat within a week of York's act, and also received the Medal of Honor. Likewise, everybody knows of Carlos Hathcock's achievements as a sniper in Vietnam, but very few know of Charles Mawhinney, who was also a sniper in Vietnam and ran up a slightly higher score than Hathcock (103 to 93). Hath-cock had a book written about him, but Mawhinney did not. It is wrong to be competitive in these matters. Both of these Marines did splendid jobs, and the one does not rate precedence over the other. It is just to point out that you are a hero only if people say you are. If you do not get the notices, you do not lead the parade. An interesting sidelight on Mawhinney has to do with remounting his sight. When he took some leave, he left explicit instructions that no one was to mess with the zero on his rifle. When he went back to duty, he discovered his instructions had been disregarded and proceeded to miss on his first two shots. Moral: "When you get a good zero, leave it alone." I thought everybody knew that, but obviously I was wrong. * * * To the family we recommend "Understanding Firearm Ballistics" by Robert A. Rinker, Mulberry House Publishing, Apache Junction, Arizona, 85217. * * * A "busybody war" is one which is fought in order to straighten out the morals, ethics, practices or religion of another group of people. Defensive wars are morally justified, and we can even put down reasons for wars of conquest, but "nanny wars" are disgusting. The American Civil War is an example of one, as is the Boer War in South Africa. In both these cases, the more powerful side fought basically for the purpose of changing the lifestyle of the other. Losers fight well in these busybody wars, as morally they should. What the invader thinks when he attacks to make sure that "those other people" part their hair on the right side is not always easy to discover. ("Charge! Get in there and give it your best to make sure these creeps clean up their act!" Men rarely choose to die for reasons like that.) * * * I should not brag about it but I cannot resist this: A correspondent recently told me that when he discovered some of my writings he sought to amass the entire series of works on the grounds that "truth is addictive." Gee wheez, wow! * * * Neighbor and colleague Colonel Bob Young recently dug up a curious piece of professional history that certainly came as a surprise to me. It turns out that the 4th Commandant of the Marine Corps, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Gale, was dismissed from the service by a general court martial for what must be seen as generally disreputable behavior. Apparently he was a drunk and a roughneck and a dedicated lowbrow who did not conduct himself as an officer and a gentleman, openly frequenting brothels and generally helling around. On one occasion before he was commandant, Gale took offense when one of his Marines was clapped in irons by a naval officer without consulting Gale. Waiting until both officers were on liberty, Gale called out the naval officer and killed him. Anthony Gale is the only Marine commandant of whom we do not have a portrait in Washington. It seems he was a little too much of an "Old Marine" even for the "Old Corps." * * * As an amateur of semantics, I am increasingly annoyed by the use of the word "tactical" as an adjective to apply to everything from fishing tackle to potato soup. Some people obviously believe that if you paint anything black, that makes it "tactical." Perhaps if you paint it red it would become "strategic." I once did a little book called "Fighting Handguns" for Petersen Publications. Perhaps it is time to redo the pictures and captions and retitle it "Tactical Handguns." * * * The new Marine Corps is something else again. Our current Commandant, General Jones, has decided that the Marine Corps should be a "kinder and gentler" organization in order to encourage kinder and gentler recruits to stay in as career Marines. I am sure the General knows what he is talking about, but we Globe, Eagle and Anchor dinosaurs do [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 5 Nov 99 10:52:28 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Jeff Coopers Commentaries - Nov/99 (2/2) (fwd) On Nov 5, R. Lunn wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] not fancy the Marine Corps as a soft organization. When I was on active duty it was said, "If you want to learn a trade, join the Army. If you want a clean bunk every night, joint the Navy. If you want to fly, join the Air Force. If you want to fight, join the Marines." Times have changed. * * * When I asked for audience participation on the matter of the fossa, I had no idea my audience was so large. Everybody from here to there has been writing me to explain about the fossa. In this age of communication, I now have a stack of letters setting me straight. I do appreciate this kind assistance, but I must say that source material in The Age of The Internet is difficult to assess. I hear people tell me now that the fossa is a civet, which it is not. I have been told in no uncertain terms that its claws are retractable or are not retractable, according to which item you saw. I have been told that it is a variety of mongoose. A term I enjoy most is "the panther of Madagathcer." It seems obvious that people do not know as much about the fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) as they thought they did. I was attracted to the beast because, of course, ferox means fierce, or ferocious, and that certainly arouses one's curiosity. (As did Ursus horribilis in an earlier age.) We have so much interest now in this beast that I am thinking of organizing the International Fossa Foundation, in which we can all be called "Founding Fossas." Let us hope to hold regular meetings at Tananarive with prizes for those members who ferret out the most fearsome fossas. Many thanks again for all of those who leapt into the breach! * * * I would like to think that nobody knows, but somebody must have. In a previous issue I quoted Rousseau when I meant Voltaire. Hush my little old mouth! * * * At the 1999 SHOT Show, I ran across the major-caliber titanium pocket revolver from Taurus of Brazil. At 19 ounces in 45 Colt it took my fancy, and it was made almost entirely of titanium, which is strictly Star-wars stuff. I have been trying until quite recently to get my hands on a personal copy of this piece, but without success up until last month. I now have my own "Super Snubby," which I suppose might be called the "Titan." The piece was offered in 44 Special and 41 Magnum, as well as 357, for obscure reasons. But in 45 Colt, it is pretty fascinating. It includes a 5-shot cylinder that rotates to the left, a right-hand twist in its 2-inch barrel, and (get this) a key lock on the hammer! (Let's see now: if you want to make sure your gun will not shoot, do not load it. If it is a self-loader, simply take it apart. If you suspect some mean little kid will find the ammunition and load it without your authorization, simply swing out the cylinder and put a cheap padlock around the top strap. This hysterical striving to avoid litigation at any cost -- even the cost of appearing a blithering idiot -- seems to be a curse of the times.) But let it pass. I think the Titan is much fun. Its trigger action is almost unworkable, but can be modified by any competent gunsmith, since both hammer and trigger are of steel, as are the ejector rod and star. Also the barrel includes a steel sleeve. Obviously titanium, while pretty spectacular in some ways, does not replace steel in others. As you might suppose, the recoil of a 19 ounce revolver in 45 Colt is noticeable. However, the designer incorporated a set of very comfortable over-sized soft rubber stocks, which obviate damage to the fingers, though they can do nothing to soften the blow. Thus the Titan -- the Super Snubby. Good fun! * * * Our good friend and host Johannes Roller of Vienna has proposed a classical menu for our forthcoming feast of bison (when as and if). He suggests glazed onions, sauteed mushrooms, potatoes Duchesse, and a particularly sound Cabernet. As with the classic recipe for "Jugged Hare," the opening instruction is "First catch your hare." We will do our best. * * * Sam Colt must be turning in his grave. Referring to the recent cowardly behavior of the Colt Company, one commentator pointed out that the Colt Company invented the "six-shooter." Let us correct that. The Colt Company did not invent the six-shooter. Sam Colt invented the six-shooter, and went down in history as the man who made all men free and equal. I did a research paper on "Sam Colt as a Progressive Industrialist" when I was back in graduate school. It was well received, and I think I will dig it up again in honor of the occasion. * * * Family member Joshua Robinson, son of family member Art Robinson, recently had occasion to repel cougars up on their establishment in Oregon, using his personally owned Scout rifle. We will ask for details and get back to you. * * * I believe you have noticed that these middle aged richniks who wander around conventions and tournaments and such, are usually accompanied by conspicuously beautiful girls, whom they refer to as "nieces." We recently caught a photograph of Donald Trump at some occasion with his current "niece," who appeared in the picture to be quite up to the assignment. We see that Trump is thinking of running for president. It would certainly be amusing if he actually got there and moved into the White House with the nation's "First Niece." * * * At the Gunsite Reunion just past, we introduced the drill known as the "Guatemalan Steak House," which is a competitive exercise which I took from life down in Guatemala some years ago. A young lady in the audience, Diana Torres, asked in all innocence why people in these circumstances seem to want to kill each other. Now, that is indeed a deep question, and I must think about it sometime and try to cover the subject in print. I guess we will have to start with Genesis. * * * As someone has pointed out, while Karl Marx advocated the achievement of the "classless society," he never quite made it. Now, however, we have indeed reached a society in which nobody has any class. * * * Statistics from the California Department of Justice tell us that in the years 1994 through 1997 84.9% of homicides committed in California were committed by "non-white" perpetrators. Any conclusions drawn from this figure depend upon what sort of person is defined as "non-white." Categories in the table list: White, Hispanic, Black and Other. I assume that "Other" suggests Oriental ancestry, but if "Hispanic" means "Mexican," certain problems arise. The people we know of in California as "Mexican" are primarily a mixture of European and Indian, though in what proportions we cannot say. The difficulty here is that a large number of Mexican citizens have no trace of Indian blood at all -- witness such stage personalities as Dolores del Rio, Cesar Romero, and Margarita Cansino (Rita Hayworth). When we start basing our conclusions on something known as "race," we had best be very sure of our scholarship. * * * You may remember that at the 1998 Reunion at Whittington, family member Marc Heim of Switzerland distinguished himself by breaking four out of five clay birds in the air with his Scout rifle. Breaking those clays with a rifle is a good trick, and doing it even once is very satisfying. If you can bring off two out of five, everybody applauds. Four out of five, however, is so outstanding as to be worthy of a medal. In the decades during which I have taught marksmanship, I have run into some truly great performers, and Marc is right up there with the best. * * * It has been suggested that it is impossible to take seriously a man who is wearing an earring. Having cast through that matter with some care historically, I am forced to agree. Even scouring the steppes of Central Asia or the wilds of Borneo we still do not discover earrings in the ears of men of importance. Contradictory opinions will be entertained, naturally, but best be sure of your sources. * * * Reports we get from the wars in the Caucasus (Chechnya and Dagestan) tell us that the Russians have been learning many interesting things about this sort of warfare. The weapon of choice for infantry, as we approach the turn of the century, is unquestionably the rocket propelled grenade (RPG). When available, which is most of the time, it seems to have pretty much replaced the squirt gun for close range anti-personnel use. Beyond that, we discover that aimed rifle fire has been staging something of a comeback. Handheld full auto-fire has decreased in both effectiveness and importance. The matter of morale continues in all aspects of warfare. A man fights better when he is convinced that God is on his side, and a man fights best in defense of his own home territory. These wars in the Caucasus are effectively religious, since while the invading Russians are nominally atheist, the defending Caucasians seems to be sincere Moslems. The predominant motive of the Russian trooper is to get out of this mess and get home to Moscow, while the predominant motivation of the Chechen or Dagestani is to kill the unbeliever. The Russians find this intensely irritating and it causes Yeltsin to give forth with angry bluster about "extermination." All this is very interesting, but it does not arouse one's enthusiasm. * * * I suppose you are all aware of the fact that a Texas hamlet down on the Mexican border has taken civic action to secede from the United States. This is the municipality of El Cenizo, which has passed ordinances rejecting U.S. border control. Secession is basically a federal matter (remember the war we fought about that), but first I'd like to see what Governor Bush the Younger plans to do about this. * * * Family member Mike Baker contributes the following observation from Florida. When asked for an essay on "Good Government" in high school, the winning response was as follows, to wit: "Good government! Good government! Sit! Stay!" * * * Please Note: These "Commentaries" are for personal use only. Not for publication. - -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP Personal Privacy 6.0.2 iQA/AwUBOCG+SaNvVgasqrT0EQJX6ACg1Jb3G5CibeIn9la+mIKYm9NkAX8AoPMr buLG/EFuUKkT7GHPQbr7iLCP =UgOt - -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Molon labe Barry Needham barry@needham.vip.best.com Pager: 1-888-530-5814 PGP 5.0 key available on request barryn_p@pager.sgi.com [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- RKBA! ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** RKBA! - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ End of roc-digest V2 #299 *************************