Tuesday, March 10, 2015

So you are in Fight or Flight mode or do you Freeze?

   I have had a great weathered weekend in Port Townsend at the Jefferson County Sportsmen Association range doing an Appleseed. I couldn't have asked for a better crew and line of thirteen shooters, two of them walk ons, that replaced two that had trouble adjusting to day light saving, if only Congress would get the message and stop legislating stupid mind tricks to disturb the populous of peoples.

   By the second day I must have given up, they just weren't shooting well, starting early and finishing LATE - like after Cease Fire has been called three times. I benched the offender until I could discuss his failings without killing him over and over in my mind. I guess if I were going to guess what their major flaw was it would be fussing the shot and losing the Rifleman's cadence - when the High Power shooter came to give us a briefing about his sport, I made sure they understood that our time standard was five seconds shorter than his. Different dance, different rhythm. I gave them a bit of a break, putting a peppermint on the center square, and five rounds - the peppermint counting five points, and four more for a hit in each of the other squares - giving them more NPOA drill. Told a dangerous olde man story, and had some show and tell, hands on, with firing a Brown Bess musket, which had just enough of a mechanical issue they really understood the bayonet was very important to the soldier of that period. Then we went back to one more Appleseed Qualification Test and the final Red Coat target - one new Rifleman, a fine young lady, and the scores on the Redcoat were outstanding for the two day event - they had settled into marksmanship. There were equipment issues, but most troubling was my lack of control and some prepared speeches that were needed in a certain order.

It was a very good starting event for my year, now to get it to the point I will be proud of the whole thing, what a standard. After effects, the After Action Report link is on the left, some great pictures --- which we can't post on Facebook - seems the enemies of the range are monitoring and attempting to destroy them and the club is frightened, they have not allowed photographs for the last three or four Appleseeds there, this time we were permitted a bit. But then told not to post on Face Book or other social media. And that is the last time I will shoot boss that venue. It is over for me there. The range is nice, the other shooting events and folks appreciate what we are doing, But -- that fear thing is stifling.

The freeze thing, it does seem according to reports, that ISIS gains the trust of their victims to make them believe that they will still live if they cooperate with their captors. No one does, but it is something to latch on to... now you know - RESIST! they are not going to allow you - your Liberty. RESIST! Fight, flight but never Freeze with your hands up.
 
Some of our shooters were from former Iron Curtain countries - and the one I had to talk to about my rules on my range, told me that he was on shift in the computer room when the country went mad and overthrew the leadership, tried and executed the same. He told me, in confidence, that the whole thing was a set up by the secret police - so the powers behind the throne would continue to pull strings of the new government. They had to execute the old rulers since they couldn't be allowed to talk. He and his friends walked out in the confusion of who is in charge, why couldn't they, I am just going over there. I do love talking to people that understand what they wanted from America, Americans don't get it, you have to rebel, resist, question and find a better way.

1 comment:

  1. Glad it all ended well. And not everybody always listens. Concentration is the goal, sometimes to the exclusion of the Range Master. Sigh

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