My Blog List

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tuesday Traipses

Hey, still working on the cute logo, but you can now follow us on Twitter - twitter.com/BisonRMA - lots of great stuff on self-defense, money, politics, and the like.  Go on.... click it and follow us.... you know you want to.....
---

Need more reason?....

It was just last week that we discussed the reasoning behind keeping all but the bare minimum of your money OUT OF your bank -
So, if you know with metaphysical certitude that the bits and bytes that represent your wealth are at risk and will be violated, why would you keep anything other than the very bare minimum (bills that must be paid with a check or electronically) in a bank?
That post's focus (at the bottom of the post) was on the insecurity of electronic banking systems.  In it, though, I touched on the confiscation angle - bail-ins - and how they'll just snatch up your money as they please, thank-you-very-much.

Now, we've got HSBC - which in 2012 was the world's largest bank - telling folks they can't withdraw their money unless they've got good reason -
“When we presented them with the withdrawal slip, they declined to give us the money because we could not provide them with a satisfactory explanation for what the money was for,” he said.
After the PR ass-kicking they took, HSBC is now saying it was all a big misunderstanding, it was for customer safety, there was poor training, and blah, blah, blah.  Maybe that's true.

It's also irrelevant.

Let this sink into your brain:  If your bank doesn't want to give you your money, they have the power to turn you away.  Plain and simple.

What are you going to do when they say, "No"?  Stomp your feet and pitch a fit?  How do you think THAT will end?

After the Target credit card debacle, we saw Chase Bank limit ATM and debit card withdrawals.  You want to spend more than $400?  Tough shit!  We control the purse strings, not you, you silly little boy!

How much control over your life do you want to willingly give away?

Remember:  You don't own it unless you can hold it...
---

Revenge of the killer bees?....

I've got a customer at my PM store that produces and sells honey.  Seriously, until you've tasted real, right from the hive, unprocessed honey, you have no idea what you're missing.

I used to be able to buy his end-of-season stock at a great discount by buying a dozen or so half-gallon jars of the stuff.  No more.  He sells out each year now before season end.

Anyways, he was in the store, and we were talking about fake bullion, and he brought up fake honey.

WTF?  Fake honey?  Yep.  It seems that US markets are flooded with stuff that looks like honey, but really has no honey in it.  Who knew?

Apparently, the folks over at Survival Magazine did ("Real or Fake Honey?  How to tell the difference.").

Click here for an infographic that gives you steps for authenticating your honey in you own "home laboratory".
---

Draw!

In virtually all of my handgun classes, I get asked about how to choose a holster.  For my FIRST Steps Pistol Orientation class, the classroom materials from the NRA includes a booklet on the subject.  Pretty good stuff.

Inside The Waistband (IWB) holsters are one of the considerations.  This article gives a good overview on how to select one.
Just as taking the time out to choose the right gun is important, it’s just as important to choose the right IWB holster for your needs. IWB holsters, or inside the waistband holsters, provide users with a quick and easy way of carrying their firearms in a concealed manner in a position that is easy to draw from. There are numerous variables involved in selecting the right holster, but you can find a great IWB holster as long as you follow some key guidelines.
Too many people stop after the purchase.  What they neglect to do is to practice drawing from the holster.  This can give a Concealed Carry holder a false sense of security.  Hey, I gotta gun, I'm safe.

Not so much.

Drawing from a concealed holster, be it an IWB, appendix carry, shoulder carry or ankle carry is much different than drawing from an unimpeded, outside the waistband holster.  You MUST practice on a regular basis.

This past weekend, I had a private lesson with a woman that is going to Alaska for a few months, where she'll be out in the bush quite a bit.  We were working on gun selection, and I asked her about holsters.

She hadn't thought about it at all.

I told her that in my PM store, I practice ten draws every morning I'm in the store.  I want to make sure the gun is properly positioned, my clothing doesn't need to be adjusted and that my draw stroke is, "butter smooth."

I figure that if I have to draw, I don't want to be thinking about the mechanics of presenting the gun.  I want my brain power focused on the situation and how I'm going to ensure my customers and I aren't harmed by some dirtball.

Like many things in life, certain skills are perishable.  Shooting well, and drawing from a holster are just two of them.
---

This should be interesting...

Duck Dynasty is in the House!
Willie Robertson, one of the stars of TV's "Duck Dynasty" and a representative of the family's mainstream Christian values, will be in the House gallery Tuesday night for President Obama's State of the Union address, the guest of Louisiana Rep. Vance McAllister.
I'm putting my money that Fox will acknowledge he's there - maybe even interview him.  The MSM mouth-breathers will either totally ignore him, or use it as an opportunity to further denigrate him, his father, and their beliefs.

I'm guessing it will be the latter.

Gawd, I hope he comes dressed in cammo...
---

Huh?  In California?!

How did some common sense sneak its way into California?
An interesting lawsuit went to non-jury trial in a Los Angeles court room yesterday; nine public school students, with the support of an educational non-profit called “Students Matter,” are suing the state of California over teacher tenure laws and other protections, which they argue prevent school administrators from removing dysfunctional teachers from the system.
The idea of tenure is a good one, when used as originally intended.  It was designed for teachers of controversial subjects.  Politics, religion, philosophy, etc., where the head of a school would fire a teacher for espousing views contrary to theirs.  Controversial ideas need to be brought out in the open so they can be discussed, challenged and considered.

Instead, tenure morphed into a Job For Life guarantee.  Put in the requisite number of years, and you become a Teflon Teacher - little can be done to remove you regardless of your actions - or inaction.

Try getting that kind of guarantee in the private, non-union sector.  The don't exist.  Why would you reward someone solely on the basis of their time-in-job?

This attitude is another reason why unions - outside of those in government - continue to decline in membership.

Back in my banking days, I had a number of major unions as customers.  Including certain California unions that represented teachers.

These guys play rough.  They will throw TONS of dollars at this to get it defeated.  If they lose in court, they'll get their buddies in Sacramento to write new laws in their favor.

Same ol', same ol'...

---
Copyright 2014 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

No comments: