I try to instruct people that quiet efficiency is more effective than shooting off ones mouth in a reactive fashion, when confronted with a pressure situation regardless of what your level of skill and ability are. An encounter that could normally be diffused, can often times become volatile with the addition of a little hostile verbage combined with a threatening posture. As the old expression goes, you should know your adversary, and my experience has been that anyone has the potential to be armed and dangerous, whether it is evident or not. Because of this, you should treat any and all encounters as such. If you believe that my perspective is incorrect, please watch the following clips:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZT2Jf8_E-8&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIzZ3m48V2I&feature=related
Thursday, October 30, 2008
How Close is Too Close?
So you just picked up your first ever brand new pistol with your concealed carry permit in hand, and you are feeling rather confident that you can now protect you and your family against an assailant if lethal force is called for in a life threatening situation.
Before you get reeling with that new found feeling of self defense empowerment, let me enlighten you a bit, which trust me, is in your own best interest. First of all, watch this:
Dennis Tueller: 21 Foot Rule
As a person who is trained in proper utilization of a knife in combat, let me assure you that if an attacking opponent has a holstered sidearm at a distance of five feet away from me, and all I have available is a knife, I am quite certain that I can own them, no questions asked. Double the distance and the same will still hold true. Now, if you have a situation where a crazed man amped up on stimulants is charging you in a rage with a knife from 20 feet away, there is a chance that you may get your weapon unholstered and get a few rounds off, but his momentum can carry through and you may end up being one of the two deceased on the scene when law enforcement arrives. At 20 feet if your weapon is drawn and ready to fire you may have a decent chance, depending on your reaction time and how well you function under pressure, the stopping power of the rounds you have chosen for your weapon, and your shooting accuracy. I am sorry if this ruined the joy of owning your first firearm, but it is my desire that we all live to fight another day, and that is my reason for writing this entry.
I will be doing a follow up entry addressing pistol accuracy in a combat environment in the near future.
Before you get reeling with that new found feeling of self defense empowerment, let me enlighten you a bit, which trust me, is in your own best interest. First of all, watch this:
Dennis Tueller: 21 Foot Rule
As a person who is trained in proper utilization of a knife in combat, let me assure you that if an attacking opponent has a holstered sidearm at a distance of five feet away from me, and all I have available is a knife, I am quite certain that I can own them, no questions asked. Double the distance and the same will still hold true. Now, if you have a situation where a crazed man amped up on stimulants is charging you in a rage with a knife from 20 feet away, there is a chance that you may get your weapon unholstered and get a few rounds off, but his momentum can carry through and you may end up being one of the two deceased on the scene when law enforcement arrives. At 20 feet if your weapon is drawn and ready to fire you may have a decent chance, depending on your reaction time and how well you function under pressure, the stopping power of the rounds you have chosen for your weapon, and your shooting accuracy. I am sorry if this ruined the joy of owning your first firearm, but it is my desire that we all live to fight another day, and that is my reason for writing this entry.
I will be doing a follow up entry addressing pistol accuracy in a combat environment in the near future.
Surviving a Knife Attack
So you have just gotten back from your karate training and are feeling confident that you are all ready to disarm an assailant with and edged weapon if the situation arises....or so you think. Unless you like blood loss...and I am referring to your own, you had better take a moment to rethink your strategy. In my opinion, the best defense against an edged weapon is to put distance between you and the person wielding it, period. If you are not carrying a weapon that trumps a knife in the hierarchy of weaponry, and you have the opportunity to run, GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!! Most knife disarms taught by traditional karate schools are not realistic and actually dangerous in real life situations, and could get you seriously injured or even killed. If you are cornered and have no option but to engage, make sure that you have a reality based understanding of edged weapons and how to deal with them effectively while guarding your vital areas from the attack. Here are a few snippets that may assist your understanding:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8AoywlwCB4&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6QP7MKHXIo&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9xJejkInvE&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-khKU9l18Zs&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PWmRWjDhYw&feature=related
Back in the eighties, I reviewed a video titled "Surviving Edged Weapons" which demonstrated the reality of what one is up against when engaging an attacker with an edged weapon. I do not know if it is still available, but I would highly recommend it. In recent years there has been a heavy influx of people into the U.S. who come from countries where edged weapons are a large part of their culture. I have always been a firm believer that today's preparation insures tomorrow's success, so I would recommend that everyone get a realistic understanding of what this very real threat entails, how it unfolds, and the best strategy to deal with it effectively.
Also be sure you watch these for a further reality check:
12 Cuts in 1.5 seconds: Ray Dionaldo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fll10R1o16Q
Ray Dionaldo working with a blade
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZDTD2QfqXA&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8AoywlwCB4&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6QP7MKHXIo&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9xJejkInvE&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-khKU9l18Zs&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PWmRWjDhYw&feature=related
Back in the eighties, I reviewed a video titled "Surviving Edged Weapons" which demonstrated the reality of what one is up against when engaging an attacker with an edged weapon. I do not know if it is still available, but I would highly recommend it. In recent years there has been a heavy influx of people into the U.S. who come from countries where edged weapons are a large part of their culture. I have always been a firm believer that today's preparation insures tomorrow's success, so I would recommend that everyone get a realistic understanding of what this very real threat entails, how it unfolds, and the best strategy to deal with it effectively.
Also be sure you watch these for a further reality check:
12 Cuts in 1.5 seconds: Ray Dionaldo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fll10R1o16Q
Ray Dionaldo working with a blade
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZDTD2QfqXA&feature=related
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Urban Terrorism: Redefining the Term
I personally feel that the term Domestic Urban Terrorism is a perfect description of what is currently going on in the Orlando area as well as other major cities throughout the U.S. these days. Gangs have set up shop in many metro areas where robbery, murder, and general mayhem is on the rise at an exponential rate as evidenced by the daily news reports. In my opinion, anyone who would push an elderly woman to the ground breaking her pelvis, because she has no money to give the assailant, qualifies the perpetrator as a Domestic Urban Terrorist. Anyone who would push an elderly man down an escalator causing serious injuries in order to rob him with no concern for his well being is a Domestic Urban Terrorist. Anyone threatening to harm a mother's small child unless they co-operate in being robbed or raped is a Domestic Urban Terrorist, and anyone who will kill a man just to rob him, and rape his wife in the process is clearly a Domestic Urban Terrorist. People who have lived productive lives as good citizens are being traumatized daily by these terrorists, as the liberals babble on about the rights of the criminals. How many productive law abiding citizens must die because we as a nation in bondage to political correctness are afraid of offending the criminal’s rights? Even sadder are the people who look on as defenseless people are being attacked, and do nothing to assist them. If America has any hope of surviving, people need to start doing what is right. The first step in this process, would be categorizing these perpetrators as what they are, which is Domestic Urban Terrorists, and draw up a plan to deal with them as such in an expedient fashion using lethal force as often as necessary to insure the safety of the general public. Many of these terrorists are repeat violent felons, who have no intention of changing their career choice. While we are preoccupied focusing on the terrorist threat from outside this nation, we are overlooking a threat that is not only costing lives, but also costing our economy financially due to major losses in productivity. We need to do a realistic evaluation of the terrorist threat from within, and implement an effective plan to confront and eliminate it.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Supporting Effective Law Enforcement
You may have gathered from my earlier article where I referenced the escalating violent crime in the greater Orlando area surrounding The Happiest Place on Earth, that this section of Orange county which was once heavily populated with orange groves is not quite as happy as it was twenty, or even ten years ago. First, let me present the murder statistics to substantiate my earlier assertions.
Orlando Murders
1996: 47
1997: 40
1998: 46
1999: 45
2000: 50
2001: 42
2002: 53
2003: 59
2004: 55
2005: 71
2006:113
2007: 98
2008: 102 (in under ten months and growing steadily)
Federal agencies noticed the jump in the homicide rate back in 2006 as illustrated in this article:
FBI: Murder rate soars in Orlando
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-fbicrime1906dec19,0,2369860.story?coll=orl-home-headlines
It appears that bank robbery is also on the increase:
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/bank_robbery/index.html
As well as other types of robberies:
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/robbery/index.html
And increased home invasions:
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/home_invasion/index.html
Now let’s take a look at how O-Town rated in the race for the most dangerous cities in America for 2007. There were a total of 378 cities ranked, and the numbers next to the individual items such as murder and assault are to define where each separate category ranks statistically in relation to all of the other cities in the U.S.
No. 11:
Orlando, Fla.
Rankings in Crime
Assault: 6
Murder: 28
Rape: 31
Motor Vehicle Theft: 50
Robbery: 11
Burglary: 33
Now let's compare Orlando to the infamous Compton California, which ranked below it at number 14 overall:
No. 14:
Compton, Calif.
Rankings in Crime
Assault: 10
Murder: 7
Rape: 100
Motor Vehicle Theft: 76
Robbery: 29
Burglary: 267
It should be noted that In 2006, the Morgan Quitno Corporation rated Compton as the most dangerous city in the United States (with a population of 75,000 to 99,999), and fourth most dangerous overall in comparison. It should also be noted that Orlando ranked higher than Compton statistically in five out of the six categories.
Strangely enough, Miami ended up quite a ways down the list from Orlando at number 35, although Miami ranks number one in road rage (from another statistical survey).
You can view the complete list of cities here:
www.cqpress.com/docs/City%204%20-%20Most%20Dangerous_14E.pdf
A video from local news discussing it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvOhoDPwTgk
It appears that many in law enforcement have noticed this trend, and some are taking steps to address it. The Orange County Sheriffs Office SWAT, which appears to be highly trained according to all the information that I have reviewed, has seen the proverbial writing on the wall, and is now gearing up in preparation to deal with the rapidly increasing number of violent offenders in our area. Last September, Orange County Sheriffs Office announced that their department was purchasing 14 new tactical rifles that fire a large caliber round with extreme accuracy. Of course as usual, there was some grumbling from certain factions about them acquiring this new weapons system. Sometimes I believe that people here are living in a sort of theme park induced fantasy far removed from reality, because Orlando isn't the sleepy little city that it used to be, and violent crime is escalating exponentially. The last thing that citizens should want to do is send our law enforcement out ill equipped to confront the heavily armed violent criminal element that has invaded Orlando. As many of my readers know, there is a hierarchy in weaponry, and the old expression Don't take a knife to a gunfight is a good illustration of this concept. Many of today's modern criminals who are now operating in this area have AK47's and a host of other fully automatic weapons in their arsenals, therefore we should make sure that our trained professionals in law enforcement have only the very best in armament as well as protective gear. Here is a glimpse of the new weapons system that is being put into service. The video clip will tell you all you need to know without further commentary from me:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CrUARlmqso
For those of you who remember the North Hollywood California Bank Robbery back in 1997, that incident clearly demonstrated how those in law enforcement were put in a compromised situation, because the hierarchy of weaponry was not in their favor. It should be noted that LAPD had requested better armament a short time before the incident, but the political powers to be had rejected their request which ended up jeopardizing the safety of the officers, as well as that of the general public. With all of the armed bank robberies here in Orange County as well as surrounding counties, let's not think for one moment that something similar to that incident could not happen here. It is time for Americans to snap out of their comfortable little dream world, and realize that our cities are now filled with Domestic Urban Terrorists whose only mission in life is to wreak havoc on law abiding citizens. We need to strongly stand behind our law enforcement officers and give them the support to deal with violent criminals expediently and effectively, sparing no expense to make certain that they are equipped with the best available hardware.
For those of you who do not remember the North Hollywood Bank Shootout, here are some informative videos to watch:
1997 North Hollywood Shootout Pt.1-4 (History Channel)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw94nN5qc_M&NR=1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASdauLWH9SQ&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9SWG1f--GY&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7X3pRkRfTg&feature=related
A condensed version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1agr5ik81I
Helicopter footage of the final shootout which ended the confrontation:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Yl9Aoq2Ek
A re-enactment of a key event:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQnbvC08BlQ&feature=related
It should be noted, that after this violent confrontation was over, and both assailants were deceased, the family of one of the assailants attempted to pursue legal action against one of the SWAT officers personally. The family's allegations were unfounded and the officer was exonerated.
In closing I would like to state for the record that the acquisition of the new tactical rifles was a well thought out strategic move by the decision makers in the Orange County Sheriffs Office. If a situation like the North Hollywood robbery were ever to occur here, one round from this new weapons system and it would be game over, even if the perpetrator was wearing the best protective body armor available. In a critical situation such as this where seconds count, this force multiplier could save many innocent citizens from being harmed or killed.
Orlando Murders
1996: 47
1997: 40
1998: 46
1999: 45
2000: 50
2001: 42
2002: 53
2003: 59
2004: 55
2005: 71
2006:113
2007: 98
2008: 102 (in under ten months and growing steadily)
Federal agencies noticed the jump in the homicide rate back in 2006 as illustrated in this article:
FBI: Murder rate soars in Orlando
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-fbicrime1906dec19,0,2369860.story?coll=orl-home-headlines
It appears that bank robbery is also on the increase:
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/bank_robbery/index.html
As well as other types of robberies:
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/robbery/index.html
And increased home invasions:
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/home_invasion/index.html
Now let’s take a look at how O-Town rated in the race for the most dangerous cities in America for 2007. There were a total of 378 cities ranked, and the numbers next to the individual items such as murder and assault are to define where each separate category ranks statistically in relation to all of the other cities in the U.S.
No. 11:
Orlando, Fla.
Rankings in Crime
Assault: 6
Murder: 28
Rape: 31
Motor Vehicle Theft: 50
Robbery: 11
Burglary: 33
Now let's compare Orlando to the infamous Compton California, which ranked below it at number 14 overall:
No. 14:
Compton, Calif.
Rankings in Crime
Assault: 10
Murder: 7
Rape: 100
Motor Vehicle Theft: 76
Robbery: 29
Burglary: 267
It should be noted that In 2006, the Morgan Quitno Corporation rated Compton as the most dangerous city in the United States (with a population of 75,000 to 99,999), and fourth most dangerous overall in comparison. It should also be noted that Orlando ranked higher than Compton statistically in five out of the six categories.
Strangely enough, Miami ended up quite a ways down the list from Orlando at number 35, although Miami ranks number one in road rage (from another statistical survey).
You can view the complete list of cities here:
www.cqpress.com/docs/City%204%20-%20Most%20Dangerous_14E.pdf
A video from local news discussing it:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvOhoDPwTgk
It appears that many in law enforcement have noticed this trend, and some are taking steps to address it. The Orange County Sheriffs Office SWAT, which appears to be highly trained according to all the information that I have reviewed, has seen the proverbial writing on the wall, and is now gearing up in preparation to deal with the rapidly increasing number of violent offenders in our area. Last September, Orange County Sheriffs Office announced that their department was purchasing 14 new tactical rifles that fire a large caliber round with extreme accuracy. Of course as usual, there was some grumbling from certain factions about them acquiring this new weapons system. Sometimes I believe that people here are living in a sort of theme park induced fantasy far removed from reality, because Orlando isn't the sleepy little city that it used to be, and violent crime is escalating exponentially. The last thing that citizens should want to do is send our law enforcement out ill equipped to confront the heavily armed violent criminal element that has invaded Orlando. As many of my readers know, there is a hierarchy in weaponry, and the old expression Don't take a knife to a gunfight is a good illustration of this concept. Many of today's modern criminals who are now operating in this area have AK47's and a host of other fully automatic weapons in their arsenals, therefore we should make sure that our trained professionals in law enforcement have only the very best in armament as well as protective gear. Here is a glimpse of the new weapons system that is being put into service. The video clip will tell you all you need to know without further commentary from me:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CrUARlmqso
For those of you who remember the North Hollywood California Bank Robbery back in 1997, that incident clearly demonstrated how those in law enforcement were put in a compromised situation, because the hierarchy of weaponry was not in their favor. It should be noted that LAPD had requested better armament a short time before the incident, but the political powers to be had rejected their request which ended up jeopardizing the safety of the officers, as well as that of the general public. With all of the armed bank robberies here in Orange County as well as surrounding counties, let's not think for one moment that something similar to that incident could not happen here. It is time for Americans to snap out of their comfortable little dream world, and realize that our cities are now filled with Domestic Urban Terrorists whose only mission in life is to wreak havoc on law abiding citizens. We need to strongly stand behind our law enforcement officers and give them the support to deal with violent criminals expediently and effectively, sparing no expense to make certain that they are equipped with the best available hardware.
For those of you who do not remember the North Hollywood Bank Shootout, here are some informative videos to watch:
1997 North Hollywood Shootout Pt.1-4 (History Channel)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw94nN5qc_M&NR=1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASdauLWH9SQ&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9SWG1f--GY&feature=related
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7X3pRkRfTg&feature=related
A condensed version:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1agr5ik81I
Helicopter footage of the final shootout which ended the confrontation:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Yl9Aoq2Ek
A re-enactment of a key event:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQnbvC08BlQ&feature=related
It should be noted, that after this violent confrontation was over, and both assailants were deceased, the family of one of the assailants attempted to pursue legal action against one of the SWAT officers personally. The family's allegations were unfounded and the officer was exonerated.
In closing I would like to state for the record that the acquisition of the new tactical rifles was a well thought out strategic move by the decision makers in the Orange County Sheriffs Office. If a situation like the North Hollywood robbery were ever to occur here, one round from this new weapons system and it would be game over, even if the perpetrator was wearing the best protective body armor available. In a critical situation such as this where seconds count, this force multiplier could save many innocent citizens from being harmed or killed.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Welcome to the jungle...
The official death toll here in the greater Orlando area for the year is currently at 100, but it could jump rapidly at any time depending on how many shooters are involved on any given night. When I last checked on 9/26/08 the count was at 85, so as you can see, the violent Domestic Urban Terrorists have been quite busy. When you examine these statistics In light of the fact that our killed in action in Iraq is currently in the high two hundreds for the year with ten KIA in roughly the last thirty days, while in the same time frame we have fifteen dead here in the Orlando area, maybe we should become less preoccupied with Iraq and start working on a plan to pull out of Orlando. An even better suggestion might be to redefine all the districts of greater Orlando according to crime saturation and officially designate some areas as hostile zones. Then we could have the State Department issue warnings for Americans traveling here as they do for other counties since many of the combatants in the area are now allegedly armed with AK47's, the same rifles used by insurgents to assault our troops in Iraq. Read this article and watch the video:
'Disposable' AK 47s...
Here is a quote:
Orange County's latest murders reflect an alarming trend for law enforcement: urban firefights with dozens of shots fired. The shooters in Tuesday night's double killing outside a Pine Hills apartment complex emptied two AK-47s into the victims and fled, discarding the assault rifles, two handguns and a shotgun.
"They just disposed of them like disposable cigarette lighters, I guess, because they're so easy to get," sheriff's homicide Detective Dave Clark said Friday. "I mean, it's really unusual for people to leave stuff like this behind."
Andre Patterson, 27, and Joshua Sharpe, 25, were shot repeatedly in the parking lot of Kensington Cottages apartments on Burroughs Drive off Hiawassee Road. Crime-scene technicians found 58 cartridges fired by the AK-47s and an undisclosed number from the other firearms.
One of the AK-47s had a 30-shot magazine. The other had a 40-shot magazine. Both had been fired until empty....
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-shootout1108oct11,0,563660.story?track=rss
Some other incidents:
Men With AK-47 Storm Chuck E Cheese's
www.local6.com/news/14580461/detail.html
I-Drive Wendy's robbed with AK47
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hzXbhnyVZc&feature=related
Robbers armed with a handgun and AK47…
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/03/osceola_deputie.html
Maybe we are needlessly putting our already over worked law enforcement officers in harms way. I will be the first to admit that we have well trained highly qualified SWAT teams here, but I am starting to think that it might benefit us to implement an additional supplemental strategy. Maybe we should consider enlisting the help of PMC's like Blackwater, you know, the private security contracting firm that has been doing security details in Iraq. Have them bring in a few of their Little Bird helicopters, some high tech equipment, and a bunch of their best elite teams. We can deploy them into the area west of I-4 that runs parallel to the highway north to south, which news casters can now refer to as the Kill Zone, The Rectangle of Death, or The West of I-4 Corridor. The other out lying areas where the number of deaths are less concentrated will now be designated as the Green Zone, or maybe something a little more Sunshine State tourist friendly such as the Orange Zone. (click on link to see map below)
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/data/orl-homicidemap2008-main,0,5382337.htmlpage
We can treat the operation as sort of a mini competition, seeing as how Florida residents love sports rivalries (Gators vs Seminoles etc), and compare how the Domestic Urban Terrorists teams perform against the Blackwater teams statistically. We should of course, have the Blackwater operators wear helmet cams, so we can eventually edit the footage down for broadcast as a reality TV show, which might attract enough advertising revenue to pay the contract for Blackwater which would eliminate any expense to Florida taxpayers. Maybe Disney would be interested in the TV production aspect, (writer grins) and the spin off merchandising numbers would be phenomenal. Of course the show would only last one season, due to Blackwater's cancellation of the other teams contract, but after that Orlando would be relatively crime free as it once was not so long ago.
Now for comparison, let's take a look at another crime ridden city and peer into a possible window to the future for Orlando residents if something isn't done about this escalating problem. The city I am referring to is New Orleans, which was riddled with crime and murder courtesy of the city's Domestic Urban Terrorists until Katrina hit. Many Americans are still not aware of this, but some of the first people on the ground there were...you guessed it, Blackwater, who beat the federal government and most aid organizations to the scene with what initially was a small group of less than two hundred operators which eventually expanded to about six hundred. There were some incidences of rape, murder, and other crimes initially, but law and order was established in a relatively short period of time, because the criminals weren't willing to engage elite soldiers equipped with the best in military weaponry. The National Guard were deployed there as a presence within that first week as well, but I am not sure if they were allowed to have live rounds chambered in their M16s due to posse comitatus, which for all intents and purposes would make them unarmed.*** After the flood, the crime went down considerably in New Orleans much to the premature joy of the city’s elected officials. Do you know why? Because the criminals were relocated to other cities such as Houston and Atlanta where they immediately resumed their previous activities raising the crime rate there exponentially. You can read about it here:
articles.latimes.com/2006/jan/28/nation/na-houston28
www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1194016,00.html
I have been reading that the crime in New Orleans is back on the rise, due to the city's former gang members returning home once again. Here are some links where you can read about it:
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1175489,00.html
www.nytimes.com/2006/03/30/national/nationalspecial/30crime.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
Relocating criminals in hopes of eliminating crime, as proven by the above articles is not a sound strategy for securing the safety and well being of law abiding citizens. I think it is high time we face reality and change the rules of engagement.
*** In past disaster scenarios our National Guard soldiers were sent in carrying unloaded weapons, as happened when hurricane Andrew pummeled south Florida in 1992. I spoke with a young man in the military who was deployed to South Florida as a presence to deter looters after Andrew struck . Unfortunately, the soldiers had received orders to leave their M16's without rounds chambered. The gang members figured this out, and held a few of the soldiers at gunpoint while they liberated their M16's from them, with the end result being the weapons ending up on the streets to be used in future crimes. Looting was rampant there as lawlessness ran wild in the form of armed gangs roaming the streets wreaking havoc on law abiding citizens. One person who I know shared with me how his father was attacked in the drive way of their home by gang members in a van who were on a looting spree armed with shotguns. His father exercised his second amendment right and shot the leader killing him, and the rest of the group fled the premise in haste. When the Los Angeles riots occurred, the same scenario transpired when the Police were ordered to retreat, as they sent in the National Guard, once again with empty weapons. To send a soldier with an unloaded weapon into an area where armed gangs are roaming the streets is nothing less than gross negligence on the part of our decision makers.
'Disposable' AK 47s...
Here is a quote:
Orange County's latest murders reflect an alarming trend for law enforcement: urban firefights with dozens of shots fired. The shooters in Tuesday night's double killing outside a Pine Hills apartment complex emptied two AK-47s into the victims and fled, discarding the assault rifles, two handguns and a shotgun.
"They just disposed of them like disposable cigarette lighters, I guess, because they're so easy to get," sheriff's homicide Detective Dave Clark said Friday. "I mean, it's really unusual for people to leave stuff like this behind."
Andre Patterson, 27, and Joshua Sharpe, 25, were shot repeatedly in the parking lot of Kensington Cottages apartments on Burroughs Drive off Hiawassee Road. Crime-scene technicians found 58 cartridges fired by the AK-47s and an undisclosed number from the other firearms.
One of the AK-47s had a 30-shot magazine. The other had a 40-shot magazine. Both had been fired until empty....
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-shootout1108oct11,0,563660.story?track=rss
Some other incidents:
Men With AK-47 Storm Chuck E Cheese's
www.local6.com/news/14580461/detail.html
I-Drive Wendy's robbed with AK47
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hzXbhnyVZc&feature=related
Robbers armed with a handgun and AK47…
blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2007/03/osceola_deputie.html
Maybe we are needlessly putting our already over worked law enforcement officers in harms way. I will be the first to admit that we have well trained highly qualified SWAT teams here, but I am starting to think that it might benefit us to implement an additional supplemental strategy. Maybe we should consider enlisting the help of PMC's like Blackwater, you know, the private security contracting firm that has been doing security details in Iraq. Have them bring in a few of their Little Bird helicopters, some high tech equipment, and a bunch of their best elite teams. We can deploy them into the area west of I-4 that runs parallel to the highway north to south, which news casters can now refer to as the Kill Zone, The Rectangle of Death, or The West of I-4 Corridor. The other out lying areas where the number of deaths are less concentrated will now be designated as the Green Zone, or maybe something a little more Sunshine State tourist friendly such as the Orange Zone. (click on link to see map below)
www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/data/orl-homicidemap2008-main,0,5382337.htmlpage
We can treat the operation as sort of a mini competition, seeing as how Florida residents love sports rivalries (Gators vs Seminoles etc), and compare how the Domestic Urban Terrorists teams perform against the Blackwater teams statistically. We should of course, have the Blackwater operators wear helmet cams, so we can eventually edit the footage down for broadcast as a reality TV show, which might attract enough advertising revenue to pay the contract for Blackwater which would eliminate any expense to Florida taxpayers. Maybe Disney would be interested in the TV production aspect, (writer grins) and the spin off merchandising numbers would be phenomenal. Of course the show would only last one season, due to Blackwater's cancellation of the other teams contract, but after that Orlando would be relatively crime free as it once was not so long ago.
Now for comparison, let's take a look at another crime ridden city and peer into a possible window to the future for Orlando residents if something isn't done about this escalating problem. The city I am referring to is New Orleans, which was riddled with crime and murder courtesy of the city's Domestic Urban Terrorists until Katrina hit. Many Americans are still not aware of this, but some of the first people on the ground there were...you guessed it, Blackwater, who beat the federal government and most aid organizations to the scene with what initially was a small group of less than two hundred operators which eventually expanded to about six hundred. There were some incidences of rape, murder, and other crimes initially, but law and order was established in a relatively short period of time, because the criminals weren't willing to engage elite soldiers equipped with the best in military weaponry. The National Guard were deployed there as a presence within that first week as well, but I am not sure if they were allowed to have live rounds chambered in their M16s due to posse comitatus, which for all intents and purposes would make them unarmed.*** After the flood, the crime went down considerably in New Orleans much to the premature joy of the city’s elected officials. Do you know why? Because the criminals were relocated to other cities such as Houston and Atlanta where they immediately resumed their previous activities raising the crime rate there exponentially. You can read about it here:
articles.latimes.com/2006/jan/28/nation/na-houston28
www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1194016,00.html
I have been reading that the crime in New Orleans is back on the rise, due to the city's former gang members returning home once again. Here are some links where you can read about it:
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1175489,00.html
www.nytimes.com/2006/03/30/national/nationalspecial/30crime.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin
Relocating criminals in hopes of eliminating crime, as proven by the above articles is not a sound strategy for securing the safety and well being of law abiding citizens. I think it is high time we face reality and change the rules of engagement.
*** In past disaster scenarios our National Guard soldiers were sent in carrying unloaded weapons, as happened when hurricane Andrew pummeled south Florida in 1992. I spoke with a young man in the military who was deployed to South Florida as a presence to deter looters after Andrew struck . Unfortunately, the soldiers had received orders to leave their M16's without rounds chambered. The gang members figured this out, and held a few of the soldiers at gunpoint while they liberated their M16's from them, with the end result being the weapons ending up on the streets to be used in future crimes. Looting was rampant there as lawlessness ran wild in the form of armed gangs roaming the streets wreaking havoc on law abiding citizens. One person who I know shared with me how his father was attacked in the drive way of their home by gang members in a van who were on a looting spree armed with shotguns. His father exercised his second amendment right and shot the leader killing him, and the rest of the group fled the premise in haste. When the Los Angeles riots occurred, the same scenario transpired when the Police were ordered to retreat, as they sent in the National Guard, once again with empty weapons. To send a soldier with an unloaded weapon into an area where armed gangs are roaming the streets is nothing less than gross negligence on the part of our decision makers.
The purpose of this blog
This blog at times may appear to be rather cynical, sometimes comical (hence the pen name Gun shy tourist), and often critical in its evaluation and reporting, but will always strive to be factual and thought provoking. It is a look at the rapidly escalating crime in Central Florida with the majority of the focus on the greater Orlando area. On occasion the blog may also include my musings on personal self defense, weaponry, and other relevant topics.
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