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Archive for category Opinion
Resurgence of al Qaeda
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 1/Nov/2012 08:44
From RAND:
One significant trend is the expansion of al Qaeda’s global network. The leaders of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, al Shabaab in Somalia, al Qaeda in Iraq, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (in North Africa) have sworn bayat, or loyalty, to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and provided him with funding, global influence, and a cadre of trained fighters. None of these affiliate organizations existed a decade ago. But, over the past several years, attacks by these affiliates have increased.
U.S. Presidential Elections in Perspective
“U.S. Presidential Elections in Perspective is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
By George Friedman
The U.S. presidential election will be held a week from today, and if the polls are correct, the outcome will be extraordinarily close. Many say that the country has never been as deeply divided. In discussing the debates last week, I noted how this year’s campaign is far from the most bitter and vitriolic. It might therefore be useful also to consider that while the electorate at the moment appears evenly and deeply divided, unlike what many say, that does not reveal deep divisions in our society — unless our society has always been deeply divided.
Since 1820, the last year an uncontested election was held, most presidential elections have been extremely close. Lyndon B. Johnson received the largest percentage of votes any president has ever had in 1964, taking 61.5 percent of the vote. Three other presidents broke the 60 percent mark: Warren G. Harding in 1920, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 and Richard Nixon in 1972.
Nine elections saw a candidate win between 55 and 60 percent of the vote: Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. Only Eisenhower broke 55 percent twice. Candidates who received less than 50 percent of the vote won 18 presidential elections. These included Lincoln in his first election, Woodrow Wilson in both elections, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Nixon in his first election and Bill Clinton in both his elections. Read the rest of this entry »
PIG Tactical Gloves
Review via The Loadout Room:
I went through a lot of gloves before I found the PIG Full Dexterity Tactical gloves. When I first started, I right away rejected any gloves that included special plastic or kevlar molded knuckle guards. I figured that while shooting in competition or training, or even in use on the street, having a hunk of plastic banging around and adding to the thickness of my hand would hinder more than help. Â Stick to the basics. Very few of the gloves I tried out below the $50 price point did the basics well.
Pocket Litter: The Evidence That Criminals Carry
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 29/Oct/2012 10:50
“Pocket Litter: The Evidence That Criminals Carry is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
By Scott Stewart
On Oct. 12, a pregnant medical doctor from Guadalajara, Mexico, attempted to enter the United States through the San Ysidro border crossing. The woman reportedly wanted to give birth in the United States so that her child would be a U.S. citizen. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested the woman, who has since been charged with visa fraud in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Ordinarily, the arrest of a Mexican national for document fraud at a border crossing would hardly be newsworthy. However, this case may be anything but ordinary: Authorities have identified the woman as Alejandrina Gisselle Guzman Salazar, who reportedly is the daughter of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera, one of the world’s most wanted men.
If Guzman is indeed the daughter of El Chapo, the arrest could provide much-needed intelligence to those pursuing the fugitive drug lord. Aside from the intelligence gathered during her interrogation, investigators could also learn much from the information she may have been inadvertently carrying on her person. In law enforcement and intelligence circles, the items of miscellaneous information an individual carries are called “pocket litter” and are carefully reviewed for intelligence value. But the concept of combing through pocket litter for critical information also carries with it some important implications for people who are not criminals. Read the rest of this entry »
Prototype Tools to Support Local Disaster Preparedness Planning and Collaboration
From RAND Corporation:
Against a backdrop of terrorist threats, natural disasters, and heightened concern about pandemic influenza, national security policy is now based on an all-hazards approach to disaster preparedness planning. Effective local planning is critical to disaster preparedness. Military installations and their civilian counterparts — local government and local health-care providers — can strengthen local-level disaster preparedness planning. This is the second report of a larger study aiming to develop planning support tools for local military and civilian planners. It describes a prototype tool that focuses on risk-informed, capabilities-based planning to determine (and address gaps in) the capabilities and resources a locality will likely require in the event of a disaster, with the prototype demonstration focusing on earthquakes, hurricanes, and pandemic influenza. The report also describes two social networking tools for local coordination of disaster preparedness and sharing of resources.
Communications Go Bag
From KF7ETX:
Carry Guns for Under $400
Guns&Ammo has a quick review of some cheap guns for concealed carry.
Defining al Qaeda
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 19/Oct/2012 14:05
“Defining al Qaeda is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
By Scott Stewart
The Obama administration’s efforts to counter the threat posed by al Qaeda and the wider jihadist movement have been a contentious topic in the U.S. presidential race. Political rhetoric abounds on both sides; administration officials claim that al Qaeda has been seriously crippled, while some critics of the administration allege that the group is stronger than ever. As with most political rhetoric, both claims bear elements of truth, but the truth depends largely on how al Qaeda and jihadism are defined. Unfortunately, politicians and the media tend to define al Qaeda loosely and incorrectly.
The jihadist threat will persist regardless of who is elected president, so understanding the actors involved is critical. But a true understanding of those actors requires taxonomical acuity. It seems worthwhile, then, to revisit Stratfor’s definitions of al Qaeda and the wider jihadist movement. Read the rest of this entry »
Turkey’s Challenge and the Syrian Negotiation
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 18/Oct/2012 13:15
“Turkey’s Challenge and the Syrian Negotiation is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
By Reva Bhalla
Vice President of Global Affairs
Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zubi harshly criticized the Turkish government early last week over Ankara’s proposal that an interim government succeed the al Assad regime, saying that “Turkey isn’t the Ottoman Sultanate; the Turkish Foreign Ministry doesn’t name custodians in Damascus, Mecca, Cairo and Jerusalem.” Being the spokesman for a pariah regime requires a mastery of propaganda. Al-Zubi has not disappointed in this regard, mounting a strong rhetorical offensive against Syria’s powerful northern neighbor.
While his latest rebuke of Turkey will not save the al Assad regime (much less his own career), he is tapping into a powerful narrative in the region, one that will have stronger and stronger resonance in the Arab world as Turkey is forced to play a more assertive role in the region. Read the rest of this entry »
Ted Nugent on Armed American Radio
Interview here.
Safety in a Defensive Shooting Situation
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Training Videos on 17/Oct/2012 07:53
Urban Surival Pack
Monderno has an extensive rundown of what you need to have with you everyday to survive an urban disaster.
The best way to be prepared for most people is going to be to build an Urban EDC Kit, sometimes called an Urban Survival Kit (USK). The reason we won’t focus as much on the survival aspect of the kit is because in your vehicle you should have a 72 hour survival kit, which is of course built to keep you alive for a minimum of 72 hours. If a disaster were to strike while you are at the office, odds are pretty high that you will at least be able to stop by your vehicle if you need to, even if you can’t get in and drive home.
Why You Should Own a Carbine in a Pistol Caliber
From Guns.com:
Because of the nature of a carbine, an easy to maneuver short-barreled rifle, they seem to simplify things for new shooters – especially one chambered in a pistol caliber, like say the Hi-Point Carbine 4595.