Of Gods and Men -- New Movie

I have not seen Of Gods and Men, but after reading a review from Christian-oriented MovieGuide and watching the clip below, I knew a significant percentage of my readers would want to know about it. According to MovieGuide, there are 3 obscenities, no profanities, moderate violence, and zero sex or nudity in the movie.

The film depicts an actual event in Algeria, the Muslim invasion and massacre of the inhabitants of a monastery.

.46 Caliber Air Rifle Lethal at 100 Yds.

A member of my church sent the link to this video to my pastor, who then passed it on.

If you want to see what they used to pump the reservoir up to 800 lbs., then you may be interested in watching these two videos:

Girandoni, part 1

Girandoni, part 2

The actual pump & rifle construction are shown in video #2.

Intent, Selflessness, Resolve

When your opponent senses that he is up against a true Warrior, one who is projecting the following; I’m fighting for a righteous purpose.  I’ll kill you if I have to.  I don’t care what happens to me and I will fight to the death.  Then your opponent knows immediately the price he is about to pay for his mistake.  And the moment he senses that, and knows that he is up against a 10 foot tall fire breathing dragon, his resolve will crumble and you will prevail. (Ernest Emerson, "Ferocious Resolve and Loss of Self")

The Home Defense Shotgun

My barber is not the only firearms expert to tout the shotgun as the best choice for a home defense weapon. Loads that will not not penetrate walls still have terrifying stopping-power.

Since my wife -- who is left-handed -- has recently felt the need for a long arm that she can use around the homestead, I've been looking around for a suitable shotgun. Here's what I've settled on:

It's the Ithaca Model 37 Home Defense Shotgun. It came into production in 1917 as the Remington Model 17, and after the patent ran out -- in 1937 -- Ithaca picked it up and marketed it as the model 37.

Some reasons for the choice:

1. Ejects from the bottom, so my left-handed wife and her right-handed husband can both use it conveniently;
2. Designed by John Browning, who also designed the Model 1911, the Browning Automatic Rifle and the Colt Woodsman Pistol along with a host of other excellent firearms;
3. Proven track record in the U.S. military, NYPD and LAPD;
4. My barber's hearty recommendation.

In an email, my barber said, "It's perfect . . . . Get the Ithaca!"

In more general comments about a home defense shotgun, he said:

ALL home-defense shotgunning should be done with low-base 8shot shotgun loads.  the cheap ones work as good as the expensive ones.  with this light load,and the weight of the shotgun,felt,and managed recoil is minimal.  that goes for big guys like us,too! 

So, it looks as though we'll be getting a Model 37. It's not cheap, but IMHO, it's top of the line in design and workmanship, which makes it a bargain for the price. 'Nuff said.

10% Discount on 4Sevens Flashlights

A while back, I reviewed the Quark AA2 flashlight by 4Sevens. It has become part of my standard gear when I'm out and about.

Today, I received the following notice from 4Sevens:

From today through the end of February, we're offering 10% off your purchase of all 4Sevens flashlights and accessories!

Simply use the code LUMENLOVE when checking out to redeem your discount!

So, if you've been waiting for the right moment to add a quality tactical flashlight to your gear, this may be it. Here's the link, and don't forget to enter the discount code when you order:

4SEVENS

Alternative to Arming Yourself

Don't want to defend yourself from gun-toters? Just create a gun-free zone, and they'll be honor bound to comply.

It's absurdly simple . . . or maybe just absurd. Thanks to the folks at 2nd Amendment TV for the video below.

Dust Bunnies in My Model 1911?

For many years, I have field stripped my Government Model 1911 in order to clean and lubricate it. On my last visit to my barber, he showed me how to remover the firing pin and extractor for a more thorough cleaning of the slide.

The following youtube video takes it all to the next level: complete disassembly. Before you start taking your favorite handgun apart (and if the gov't model isn't your favorite, then shame), here are a couple of considerations.

1. Watch the whole video series through at least once, to be sure you want to do this and to make sure you follow the steps properly when you start disassembly;
2. If you've never cleaned your weapon at this level, don't be surprised at the crud you encounter (would you believe I found dust bunnies around the mainspring?)

Music: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

This post is not on any topic relevant to this blog's theme, but I do enjoy bluegrass music, and if you like the music from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" then you'll like "Down from the Mountain" (below).

The Remake of True Grit

For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him. (Luke 14:28-29)

I was unenthusiastic about the remake of True Grit with Jeff Bridges playing the role of Rooster Cogburn. I liked John Wayne's portrayal, and remakes in general usually don't impress me.

Two things changed my mind:

1. A movie review that said the remake follows Charles Portis's novel (which I have read) more closely; the review also mentioned that it begins by quoting Proverbs 28:1;
2. My barber -- who loves John Wayne and doesn't like Jeff Bridges -- told me that this is a must-see movie.

If my barber says I must see it, then I must see it. Merrianna, Laura & I watched it while we were in Illinois, by using some passes given to us by my newest son-in-law.

Well, after watching it, I will say that my barber was absolutely right. The film follows the book much more closely than Duke's version, and I think it's better for it.

(spoilers follow)

As the movie opens, Mattie Ross narrates that only the grace of God is free Everything else costs something. 

Above everything else, she wanted justice for her father's murder. What does justice cost in this world marked by sin?

Would you give your right arm for real justice? How about your left arm? 

At the end of the movie, we see Mattie's empty left sleeve. She did literally give up her arm to bring her father's murderer to justice.

It reminds me of the listener who remarked to the musician after a virtuoso performance, "I'd give anything to be able to play like that."

To which the performer replied, "Would you give eight hours of practice every day for twenty years?"

Or, as one motivational speaker said, "You can have anything you want, but you cannot have everything you want." You must choose, and you must pay.

If the lesson I drew from the remake seems a little stark, let me also hasten to say that I laughed more at this movie than at some comedies. Most of the characters are . . . well . . . characters.

Another of my sons-in-law sent me a link to what I consider a rather insightful review of the new True Grit. Here is the link:

Narrative and the Grace of God: The New ‘True Grit’

Violent Rhetoric

Self Defense Instructor: Now try a kick with your right leg.


(Student performs kick with left leg.)


Self Defense Instructor: No, I meant your other right leg.

The maze-dream media have beat to death the idea that violent rhetoric from the right caused the attack on Rep. Gifford. So, let's take a look at an analysis of violent right-wing rhetoric.

(Caution: the following video contains some expletives. Minor children please let a parent preview this before you watch it yourself. "Honor your father and your mother.")



When he was talking about violent rhetoric from the right, no doubt Bill Maher meant the other right, better known as the left. Now watch this video from a left-wing rally held January 30 of this year.

(Sadly, this one also contains some bad language.)



Does calling for the torture and murder of Supreme Court justices qualify as violent rhetoric? Call me cynical, but I believe anyone at a Tea Party rally who called for the lynching of federal officials would probably be cooling his heels in a prison cell right now.

As for me, I don't want to challenge anyone to a duel or cut off anyone's toes and make him eat them, or lynch anyone. I do want to remain armed & vigilant precisely because of such weirdos as appear in these vids.

The 2nd Amendment & the Militia

The following quote comes from an article at Pajamas Media entitled "What Guns Would the Founders Ban?"

The militia is not a relic to be retired along with the fife and drum. It is the way the community defends itself against all comers — both against those actions that are overtly criminal and those hiding behind the color of law.

It is the armed citizen that holds the line when the police run away and the National Guard fails. It is the militia that overthrows tyranny. Sadly, it is also a fact that the lack of a properly armed citizenry has allowed tyranny to sometimes prevail.

It is only logical that, to remain the nation the founders intended us to be, “we the people” should be armed and equipped similarly to our professional soldiers. The founders would approve of the citizenry and the military being armed with small arms that use the same ammunition, magazines, and optics as those used by our military professionals.

Doubtless, the modern civilian AR-15 rifle and its variants are the modern “militia guns” the founders would approve of today. These semi-automatic firearms, which best accord with the militia function the founders recognized, must be regarded as the contemporary firearm best protected by the Second Amendment as written and conceived.

The most common magazine issued with these firearms holds 30 rounds of ammunition. For these and similar firearms, this is not high but standard capacity. Any attempt to ban such magazines would cut directly against the clear intent of the Second Amendment.

The people are the militia, and the militia — not the government — is the ultimate guardian of this nation’s liberty from one generation to the next.

Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You?

(Personal note: I'm slated to train a group of tutors for our church's brand new literacy ministry this afternoon. I'd appreciate your prayers for me as I teach, and for them as they learn how to teach others to read.)

Violence breaks out in Mexico and in other Latin American countries. It is spreading through the Middle East. You may find it in Detroit (link courtesy of my barber) and other U.S. cities.

Is it coming soon to a neighborhood near you? What will you do when seconds count, and the police are only minutes away?

My pastor forwarded the following message from Samaritan's Purse. Read it and ask yourself what you'd do if the state of affairs became this bad right here at home.

Pre-prayer and Prepare.

The media is full of reports of turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa. Uprisings have rocked the governments of Egypt, Tunisia, and Jordan. Angry crowds are protesting in Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, and Yemen. South Sudan has voted to secede from Sudan, and demonstrations have broken out in the capital city of Khartoum.

This is a critical time of unrest and uncertainty, and Christians need to join together in prayer for this volatile region.

I've probably spent more time working in this part of the world than any other. Over the years, Samaritan's Purse has helped hundreds of thousands of suffering people with medical care, food, and other aid. We have helped train and equip hundreds of pastors, distributed thousands of Bibles, and even built over 400 churches in Sudan. More than 2.5 million children in the Middle East and North Africa have received shoe box gifts from Operation Christmas Child.

Please join with us in praying for the Christian minorities who could face increasing persecution in the days ahead. Pray that God will use these current crises to open doors and hearts to the Gospel and that many will find "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Ultimately, we know, true peace will come to this region only when Christ returns in power and glory.

One of our most faithful ministry partners sent a note saying, "Throughout the Middle East, there is a new generation of evangelists ready to continue the work of our Lord until that blessed day when He returns to us. I ask you to pray that they will be fearless in their work in any circumstance."

We are committed to lifting up Christ in the region in any way that we can. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Missionaries Face Violence

I received a message (below) from a missionary to Mexico a few days ago. I am withholding his identity, and I am not publishing the pictures he sent for the same reason.

I don't know Nancy Davis, but I've "shook & howdied" with the man who wrote this, and I believe we share common convictions about Biblical principles as they apply to the socio-political scene. May God protect him and all who are laboring for Christ's kingdom in Mexico.

Many of you have written me the past few days about the tragic shooting of Nancy Davis, a missionary to Mexico. The truth is, the situation we live here is drastically different from our prior years. The irony of the Nancy Davis tragedy is that she and her husband were traveling on the major federal highway to the border. We have traveled it many times. This major artery was blocked by armed bandits. No one in the US would ever have known of it were it not for Nancy's tragic death. But it was there! A bold action by dangerous thugs. 

In a similar way, all kinds of things like that happen here with regularity in the [name of city deleted] area. I have often thought of mentioning them, but thought the hetter of it since I had no photos of them. Just for an example, as I sat down to write, and I say this with all seriousness, there was a tremendousmachine gun battle going on. [names deleted] and I stood by the back door and listened to the chaos some 4 or 5 blocks away. Will it make the news in the US? No. Probably won't make it on the news here, either, because the reporters would fear for their lives. But did it happen. Indeed it did. 

I have included two photos that require a little explanation. The photos are of a police sub-station a few blocks from our house. Many of you may remember it if you ever came here on a mission trip. However, there are two differences. In the first picture, you can see two new turrets that have been added and that are "staffed" by machine gun toting police. The reason for the addition of these turrets is that these substations are frequently attacked by the "narcos." I could hope that they are attacked because they represent the threat of justice to the narcos, but, sadly, my guess is that they are attacked because they are "in" with the other side.

The second picture shows the same station but a little different angle. The police have sandbagged the entrance like a WWII bunker.

I include these photos simply as a reminder to you of the very out of control violent situation that presents itself here on a regular basis. Please pray for our safety!

True State of the Union

A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. (Proverbs 27:12)

President Obama's state of the union address amounted to little more than a presentation of his statist agenda. What would an honest evaluation of the state of our society look like?

While I do not believe that all of Ron Paul's Libertarian views square with Biblical standards, I do recognize him as the senior statesman for liberty on the political scene. I believe the following speech given by Rep. Paul in May of 2007 to more accurately represent the true state of the union at this time.