Today marks the day that the United States Flag was raised on Mt. Surabachi on Iwo Jima, Japanese Territories, during the battle for that island in World War II in 1945.

Joe Rosenthal, an AP photographer, has been credited with the iconic photograph that has defined the spirit of the Marine Corps since then; it has also been turned into the Marine Corps Memorial in Washington DC.

The Photograph as taken was composed in landscape mode, and snapped as a reflex to what was going on, according to accounts by Rosenthal and others:

The flag raisers are (left to right) Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, John Bradley and Harlon Block, Michael Strank (behind Sousley) and Rene Gagnon (behind Bradley). Strank, Block and Sousley would die shortly afterwards. Bradley, Hayes and Gagnon became national heroes within weeks. Bradley managed to put his life back together, Gagnon was dealing with memories the rest of his life, and Ira Hayes could not process his actions against the reaction of the public – he ended up drinking himself to death, lamenting the loss of so many men on Iwo Jima and him being treated as the “Hero” by public and press alike.

An AP photo editor cropped the image and it became a rally point for the US:

Shortly after “THE” photo was snapped, a picture was taken to commemorate the occasion:

This is the picture Rosenthal was thinking of when asked if the Iwo Jima Flag picture was posed. You see, Joe was still on the island, and had not seen the edited version that was already being published across the United States.

And yes, the Rosenthal picture is the second flag to be raised on Surabachi. That fact was never hidden, but the press didn’t think that told the story strongly enough. No foreshadowing here, folks. No snarky remarks about how improved and less manipulative the media has become.

The first flag raisers were Hank Hansen (without helmet), Boots Thomas (seated), John Bradley (behind Thomas) Phil Ward (hand visible grasping pole), Jim Michaels (with carbine) and Chuck Lindberg (behind Michaels). Photo by Lou Lowery 1000hrs 23FEB1945.

On this day, let us remember all those who served and lost that day.

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I was just sitting at my computer at work, and during my break I happened to open up Facebook. Wonderful tool, Facebook. Lets you know the minutia in everyone’s lives. Well, everyone with an internet connection and a Facebook account, anyway.

I ran across a story that had me doing several things at once: Laughing out loud (coworkers think I’ve lost it), crying in frustration, shaking my head in wonderment, and mourning the death of Common Sense. Yes, you’ve seen the meme that says CS died a while ago, but this confirms it:

“It is bothersome to have to post a sticker of a gun that says, ‘Hey, folks, leave your guns at home,’” Theresa Nolan, principal of Tinley Park High School, told the SouthtownStar.

Nolan stressed that she is very concerned with “safety and security” and concerned that, somehow, someone could wrongly interpret an image of a gun emblazoned with the universal sign for prohibiting something.

“I think the general public will be alarmed by it and wonder if people have been allowed to bring guns to school in the past,” Nolan also fretted.

She said she would prefer “something more subtle.”

“You can’t look at this (sticker) and not think about Sandy Hook,” the principal added.

You can read the article for yourself here.

First off, let me assure you I am very much a supporter of Gun Control. Use two hands if you need to, but be in control of your gun at all times. Second, people SHOULD be reminded of Sandy Hook every day – and Aurora, and Columbine, and the Maryland Mall – all places where guns are prohibited, unless you are going to kill lots of people, then you can bring your guns to these target-rich environments where NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.

We, as a country, have decided that the best way to keep our children safe and educated is to isolate them on open campuses with no weapons allowed.

This is stupid.

Let me also assure you that when my family is near me, they are protected.

Period.

You may interpret that any way you want to.

And yes, I am very pissed about the Progressive’s constant attack on the Second Amendment.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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If you want to be competent – no, really good at something, you have to practice the skills needed for that “something.” Want to be a safe motorcycle rider? Practice riding safely. Want to be fiscally responsible? Practice fiscal responsibility. Want to be an expert shot with a handgun or rifle? Practice shooting.

I started a motorcycle skills class this evening. It runs for six weeks, about two hours per session. It does not teach you how to ride fast in a straight line. Any idiot can do that, and I’m pretty sure you’ve seen those guys zipping by you on their crotch rockets. No, this class teaches slow-speed maneuvers. Actually, it teaches the basic mechanics of slow speed maneuvers, and by combining them you can handle just about any crisis that crops up.

“But Cary” you say. “I though you already knew how to ride?”

Yes, I do. I also know how to shoot (qualified expert on the M-16 and the M-1911 whilst in the Marine Corps – I know how to shoot) and I know how to walk and I know how to draw cabinets in the quasi-CAD program called Cabinet Vision, too, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more things to learn about any of them. One of the instructors at the skills class (all the instructors are members of the Arizona Precision Motorcycle Team) has been riding for 47 years, and he says he’s still learning.

I also go target shooting when the opportunity arises. I would rather be practicing on a CQ range, but they are expensive. Another aspect of carrying a firearm that a lot of people don’t think about is 1) how to carry it without being obvious that you are carrying it and 2) keeping your mindset in the place it needs to be while you are carrying it. Anyone can strap on a hogleg and strut around. It takes a patient and thoughtful person to carry a loaded weapon at all times, knowing in their mind and in their gut that if called upon by circumstances, they will use it to defend life or property for themselves or for those around them.

Having skills and being able to use those skills are two different things. If you don’t practice your skills, they become rusty and clunky and you are not as effective as you could be. Practicing your slow-speed maneuvers is important, so the muscle memory is developed in case you need to use those maneuvers – at any speed. Shooting and carrying practice is important to develop a different kind of muscle memory, so you can appear to be an unarmed person, but can react and act in a way that will save lives. You have to constantly use skills that you learn on the computer too – or on the drafting table, or in the negotiation meeting, or operating the equipment, or you can go rusty and lose skills, lose opportunities, or lose control. Never lose control.

A piece of advice from the guy who has been riding for 47 years – “Learn the skills, and then practice them. The two best times to practice are when you are alone, and when you are with somebody.”

That goes for any skill you have, at which you want to excel.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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“It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution.”

Thomas Jefferson (1781)
The Patriot Post – Founder’s Quote Daily

Random mention of Obama(THHO), but not because I think he’s a canker or anything like that. No, really.

Two items from the world of the Second Amendment today:

Magpul Industries, formerly headquartered and manufacturing in Colorado, was not happy with the political, “feel good” decisions made by several Colorado State legislators to impose unconstitutional limits on magazine capacity. Promising to move, they announced this week that they are moving their manufacturing facilities to Wyoming and their corporate headquarters to Texas. As a side dish of “eat my votes” several of the above mentioned legislators lost their positions through nasty recall elections. Liberal Left East Coast money was poured into the losing defenses of the legislators to no avail.

I view this item with mixed feelings – good for the owner, because he is standing by his opinion. As a company, I have said before that businesses should stay out of social and public dispute. I feel OK by this one, though, because the business is moving to a place where they can continue to be profitable – which is the bottom line for businesses.

In Detroit, there’s a new chief in town. James Craig started his law enforcement career in the city of Los Angeles. There, he formed his basic opinion that an unarmed society is a safer society, in spite of evidence to the contrary. He was selected as the Chief in Portland, Maine. His first official act was to start rejecting a stack of concealed carry permit applications. He had a small epiphany and realized that the state he was in, with the large number of concealed carry permits already issued, had fewer homicides per year than any single week in Los Angeles. He stopped rejecting the applications, and started seriously considering them. Chief Craig is now the Chief of Police in … DETROIT! Last Thursday, he announced a 7% drop in violent crime in 2013, and called for the arming of more citizens. Not a bad turn-around for someone who used to think no one should be armed …

Anytime a lefty can be made to see the light, that’s a good thing. Supporting the constitution trumos “feewings” every time.

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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Are you plagued by the niggling little worries like “Is the NSA reading this? Does the FBI think this is problematic? What does the Obama(THHO) administration think about this email?”

Well, worry no more. Quizikle has the solution!

Chat ya later…

Thanks for stopping by, In GOD We Trust, and Wear Red on Fridays!

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