The Khukuri as a Tool, as Well as a Weapon

When Laura broke the handle on her favorite garden tool -- Grampa's Weeder -- it fell to me to fix it. Rather than buy a new handle, I decided to re-taper the end of the existing handle. This involved turning it slowly while evenly removing fine shavings all the way around.

 Of course, I immediately saw this as an opportunity to develop new skills with my favorite khukuri. I shaved the the handle with the inner curve, the sharpest part of the blade -- the forward portion is for chopping. It surprised me how much fine control is possible with such a large blade. I used my Swiss Army Knife for smooth and dress the work.

Here is how it looked when about 3/4 done:

 

The project proceeded slowly and painstakingly, but it pleased me to see how straight and uniform the taper turned out.

Now, the time I spent to do that was way out of proportion to the cost of a new handle, and I have a backlog of projects I need to work on, but the payoff came in the time I got to spend with a favorite blade, testing its limits, and developing a new skill. Here, I follow the Nepalese who for centuries have used the khukuri as an all-around tool, and because its use became second nature, they naturally carried it with them to war.

In the next post, you will see young Gurkha soldiers training to use a familiar tool as a weapon of war.

Political Comment

In 2000, TX gov. George Bush courted the evangelical vote on the right hand and the homosexual vote on the left. He kept his promises to the homosexual bloc by appointing more open sexual perverts to office than any president before him -- including the morally bankrupt William Jefferson Clinton.

In 2012, another TX governor, Rick Perry, may follow in Bush's footsteps by bamboozling the ranks of evangelicaldom (and evangelicaldumber). He is running as an "Establishment Conservative" and an "approved evangelical".

Note the following facts:

1. "Perry supported Al Gore in the 1988 Democratic presidential primaries as chairman of the Gore campaign in Texas." (Wikipedia)
2. Over half of his campaign contributions come from "mega donors", which ties him in with the ruling elite. (Miami Herald)
3. Like Bush, Perry has ties with the Pharmaceutical industry, and uses government power to countermand parental authority and enhance big pharma's profits ("In 2007, Perry issued an executive order requiring Texas girls entering the sixth grade to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus, the human papillomavirus. The outcry from parents and lawmakers that mandating Gardasil, a Merck & Co. vaccine, amounted to state interference in parental decisions led the Texas Legislature to rescind his order.. . . Amid the controversy were charges of cronyism because Perry's former chief of staff, Mike Toomey, was a Merck lobbyist. Perry denied any favoritism." (Miami Herald, op. cit.)
4. Perry has attempted to trample on the property rights of small businesses and homeowners through eminent domain, and he tried to funnel taxpayer money to foreign-owned corporations. ("Trans-Texas Corridor: Perry introduced the ambitious concept in 2002 of a network of corridors linking major Texas cities, with toll roads for cars and trucks, tracks for freight and passenger rail, and rights of way for power lines and pipelines. But the $175 billion, 4,000-mile network was immediately controversial, as Perry signed a contract with a Spanish consortium to build it and then used eminent domain powers to acquire private land. After sustained public opposition, the state abandoned the large-scale project - and its name, which had become toxic - in 2009 in favor of some highways and smaller projects." -- Miami Herald, op. cit.)

Yes, I know that Perry gave money to orphans. John D. Rockefeller handed out dimes to children. In Rockefeller's case, it was done to help change his public image. Of course, no liberal-Democrat-turned-Republican would ever do such a thing, would he?

But, like Bush, Perry goes to church.  Rockefeller joined a Baptist church. Going to church does not automatically make one a born-again believer any more than walking into a garage makes me an Oldsmobile.

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’

And All I Know How to Do . . .

My barber sent me the video link below. Someone has commented that this is Riverdance with boots and rifles.



Warriors have always turned their craft into an art form, and this fine example comes from the Norwegian Royal Guard. They carry M1 Garand rifles (9 lbs.) with bayonets fixed. Do not try this at home, as it's all good fun until someone loses an eye.

And to think . . . all I know how to do with one of those things is shoot it.

January 22, 2011

First, I turned a styrofoam cup inside out without a single crack, then I walked the bride down the aisle with kukri under my suitcoat, toasted the newly married couple with champagne, danced (English country dancing style) with the bride, and talked to some regular readers of WARSKYL. It was a pretty good day.

Fence-Post

I got the link to this from Seth on Facebook. So glad I took the opportunity to go there and read it.

Take three minutes. If you're a true warrior, it will encourage your heart & make your day go better.

http://dailyanxiety.wordpress.com/2010/12/03/fence-post/

Is Big Brother Tracking You?

Here's a news item from CNN.

Law enforcement officers may secretly place a GPS device on a person's car without seeking a warrant from a judge, according to a recent federal appeals court ruling in California.


Read the whole article & view video here:


Court Allows Agents to Secretly Put GPS Trackers on Cars


Of course, there is absolutely no gov't agent who would ever abuse this power . . . right? You can almost hear the jackboots now: "Constitution? We don't need no stinkin' Constitution." 


Ain't technology grand?

From Gun Control to Food Control

The civil government's tactics for extending control always start at the fringes and move inward. Gun raids begin with weird cult groups like the Branch Davidians or neo-Nazi militia groups. Food raids begin with a small minority of people who go to the trouble and expense of buying natural, raw foods.

We don't have to go overseas to find examples of state-sponsored terrorism. (See this article and this article)

And then there are the horror stories of raids on homeschool families that would fill a whole series of books. The issue is not quality of education (home education has been proved superior over and over), but rather who owns the children.

Indeed, that is the issue behind all the bureaucrat and police state tactics: "Who owns the citizens?" If the civil gov't owns you, then the civil gov't has the authority to determine what you learn and how. It also has the authority to determine what you eat, how much, or even whether or not you eat at all.

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1Co 6:20)

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Gal 5:1)

Would You Like to Know What's Coming? - 2

I found a more succinct and up-to-date presentation of the material I last posted on. Here is the link:

Judgment on America? - 2

A Good Barber . . .

. . . cuts your hair. A great barber sends you emails like this:

At the national museum of the Infantry,there is an M4,M16A2 simulator that charges a nominal fee for a course of fire.  This helps pay for the museum,and gives the public a chance to experience a real weapon.  They are connected to compressed air that actually causes recoil,and a laser that registers hits. A digital gunshot accompanies each squeeze of the trigger.  I opted to pay an additional $2.00 to purchase the 3-round burst,unlimited ammo option.  I covered down on an M4 with a ganster grip.  During a 2 minute course of fire,I hit 18 of the 20 targets presented to me.  In addition,I fired a total of  256 additional shots,on 3-round burst,aimed at various non-target items downrange.  In 2 minutes,I fired a total of 276 rounds.  I also raised a blood blister on my trigger finger!  (hope that's healed by next thursday).  My daily practice paid off.  My family was waiting downstairs in the lobby,and said they could hear the sustained firing,and other people asked what it was. 

Combine Two Great Loves

The smell of bacon frying in the pan? The smell of powder at the range?

One creative genius has devised a way to combine the two. Check it out over at The Gun Blog.

Thanks to my daughter Raquel for the link to this culinary/ballistic delight.