Newest Knives from Egginton Group

I was recently contacted by my friends at Egginton Group in the United Kingdom about several exciting new offerings. Since it is common knowledge that I am addicted to both Bowie knives and Fairbairn-Sykes daggers they asked me to share their news and photos with you. The new Bowie is a recreation of one of the classics of all time. It is a genuine IXL Wolstenholm style Bowie. Many a gold miner, riverboat gambler, or dandy in New Orleans would have paid a premium for one of these knives. To make it even more desirable, it is produced in a very beautiful Damasteel metal. This eye-catching material is both very expensive and difficult to work. Some of the finest craftsmen within the company are delegated to make these exquisite knives. It is a stunning combination of history, tradition, function, and Art. Now on to the F-S daggers. Here is a quote from James Goodwin: “The images “180 Damascus” are of a knife we made to demonstrate our skills and what we can do with the Damasteel version of Damascus material. In the flesh it looks amazing. That’s not me being biased or conceited! I didn’t make it. I am lucky to work with some very talented people. Mr. Goodwin is not lying, these are fine works. They are examples of the pinnacle of the cutler’s trade of creating weapons as Art. The F-S knife is the quintessential dagger but W.E. Fairbairn and Eric Sykes could never have imagined their fighting knife could take on such an elegant appearance.

A lucky few will own one of these incredibly attractive fighting knives. They are such a far cry from the common commando knife that we may never see their likes again. I should not tarry too long if you feel one belongs in your collection. Please check them out, and their IXL Bowie out on the website. http://www.sheffieldcollectableknives.com/ Tell them who sent you.

Their Service Sucks

Today I went to our new Field & Stream store specifically to look for 22 Ammo. There in the center of the floor was a half full pallet plus some more cases on another pallet. The price was 24.95/brick. The gun section was pretty empty and no one pushing or shoving to get to the ammo. I picked up six boxes and went to the counter to pay. Three men were working behind the counter. One was doing a gun sale/paperwork. The other two ignored me as did the third guy. No one said "be with you in a minute" or "can I help you?" I waited over 10 minutes and finally one guy sauntered over and said "Whaddya got?' I was shocked at his rudeness. I said six boxes of ammo. "Can't do it" he said. I advised him there was no rush and there was no posted limit on purchases. He said "I can sell you one." I put my billfold away and said no you can't and walked out. Soon as I got home I emailed the company to let them know it was the last time I'd be in their store for anything. I'll be shopping at my local store even if the price is higher. Support your local gun shops!

Useful Idiots

Here is an example of what is meant by useful idiots. Look at this box from the postal service. It has instruction on how to fold it, seal it mail it, etc but leaves no room or place for the address. The solution is you have to apply a label over some of the instructions. Obama wants a "leaner military" how about a leaner government? Get rid of the overfed Bureaucracy of overpaid and under intelligent tax sucking sycophants! I mean come on the average third grader could figure out how to fold the box. Maybe their common core teacher can't. Do we really need three places to know it is priority mail or three places to scan it? What happened to the "To" and "From" lines?

Peace on Earth

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. BUT PLEASE remember what the season is about. Whether you believe a baby was born two thousand years ago to free the world from sins or not, the story was about peace on earth. All great leaders, all great prophets, and Gods seek peace. Those who sow hate and discontent are not great, they are weak and pitiful. As a nation we are being torn apart by the race baiters, the aetheists, the Satanists, abortionists, socialist, communists, and haters of all kind. We have a leader who caters to all of them and to the enemies of our state. We have a congress whom can do nothing but fight among themselves to see who can win the most power to lord over “We The People.” We are in troubled times and no matter what your race, religion or your faith, we all need to gather together and pray for our nation and for peace. Put down your Molotov cocktail, stop looting and pillaging, stop the killing and the hating. Can you not see you are falling prey to their greatest desire to destroy the finest nation ever established among men? Throw down your shooters and pick up your shovels and your self-respect and help put this nation aright. We all have a choice, to follow a path of peace or one of anarchy and destruction. Which do you stand for? Will you stand with love or evil? To those out there who know nothing other than destruction and chaos I quote General James Mattis (retired): “I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years” Peace on Earth

Are You Happy?

Are you happy with the way things are going? Can you believe anything that comes out of the White House? Here is a look back at the last six years. Is this the hope and change you voted for? I think the men in black corrupted my blog here. The photo image I wanted to load won't load.

  

·         Attacks on Traditional Marriage

·         Attacks on Christianity

·         Curbing Freedom of Speech

·         Intimidation of the Free Press

·         Taxation without representation

·         No Freedom from warrantless searches

·         Education has become indoctrination

·         Infringement on States Rights

·         Inciting Racial tensions

·         Collapse of the dollar

·         No foreign policy

·         Attacks on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

·         Corrupt elections

·         Abuse of Executive power

·         Corrupt and biased courts

·         Militarization of police

·         Abuse of War Powers Act

·         Failure to uphold the laws

·         Decriminalization of drugs

·         Lost jobs and high unemployment

·         Attacks on a free internet

·         Prosecution of whistle blowers

·         IRS over-reach and corruption

·         Arms sold to Mexican drug cartels

·         Supporting terrorist groups

·         Benghazi cover-up

·         Crippling EPA regulations

·         NSA snooping

·         Murder of US citizens abroad

·         Condemnation of Law Enforcement

·         Reduction of Armed Forces

·         Reduction of Nuclear Strike capabilities

·         Crippling of the energy industry

·         Release of major terrorists from Gitmo

·         Refusing to stop a nuclear Iran

·         Destroying relationships with allies

·         Cozying up to Communist nations

·         Amnesty for millions of illegals

·         Meddling in private corporations

·         Support of union thugs

·         Refusal to secure our borders

·         Drones over America

·         Bundy Ranch debacle

·         Attacks on Capitalism

·         Obama care

·         18 Trillion dollar debt

 I forgot about the release of thousands of illegal aliens and other prisoners convicted of violent crimes. What surprises await us in the coming year?

       

      

It's Over

I can say with almost a touch of relief, IT'S OVER! After 6 years, the Coup d' Etate is finally over. Obama has done it. He's won! He has now successfully bypassed the will of the people, the consequences of a major election defeat, the Supreme Court and the Congress to assume the mantle of KING of America. Stand aside Kim Jong Un. A new supreme being has arisen.

Obama's Legacy

Here it is folks in full Techni-color, the image of Obama’s tenure as POTUS. It doesn’t need a title. It could be Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya, the Sudan, Iraq, Benghazi, Somalia, Yemen, or coming to a town near you, like Ferguson, Missouri. His color may be black but his legacy will be remembered as fire orange.

Knife class

My Work keeps getting in the way of my teaching knife fighting. I’d love to retire and just teach Japanese swordsmanship and knife fighting but my Social in-Security and my tiny work Pension won’t cover the bills. Somehow my employer can support 17 vice presidents globally and only fund me for $239/month after working for them 35 plus years. Maybe the socialists are not completely wrong after all? While I was in Houston teaching compressors and engines my heart was in practicing knife techniques. I took along a bunch of Pete Kautz and James Keating DVDs and a Bowie Knife and Trainer. I also laid out a plan for our next class and it is advanced and comprehensive. Now I hope we get a Friday to work on it. The holidays are upon us and free time will be even more stressed. Well we do what we can and hope for the best. I have picked up a couple really nice Bowies and sold a few other knives to help finance them. My most recent purchase is an Iron Mistress style by Voorhis. He makes very nice knives for a reasonable price. Of course I bought it off Ebay™. Hopefully it will be here next week. Voorhis’ knife work reminds me a lot of the knives made by DeLeon. Both make quality knives that are well designed and constructed.

So, in our advanced class I want to cover the “basics” of George Silvers Small Sword techniques. Also included I have plans to introduce some Filipino concepts and terminology. It is not necessary to one’s survival to remember the words, but it sure makes for a more educated fighter. It’s easier to work together if I can tell the student to perform a “punta mandrita” instead of “ you know, the high sort of round house thrust coming from your right shoulder to your opponents left side.” Or if I can tell him to assume a “seconda” guard instead of “place your knife held parallel to the floor, out to your right side, with your palm facing downward.” If you are learning an Art why not learn the language? We will work some more on the different modes of stepping and the male and female triangles used by escrimadores and other fighters.

Consistently I hear the concern about carrying a large (ie illegal) knife for defense. I base what I carry on three things:
1. Probability of getting stopped and checked
2. Probability of being attacked, hi or low
3. The practicality and comfort of the knife I plan to carry

Anything you can do with a small knife you can do with a large one, often better. The opposite is seldom true. A small knife gives you some advantage over empty-hand but also sometimes gives a false sense of security. If you are attacked, and end up cutting or stabbing someone, you are most likely going to end up in court. Why not show up with fewer wounds than your attacker?

black helicopters?

"You know the NSA monitors all of the products you buy from Amazon.gov don't you?" My wife said to me as I opened one of my latest packages to reveal a copy of "Total Resistance" written by H. Von Dach. Yeh so what I replied? The book is a reprint of a classic on guerilla warfare against an invading army. The print is poor and the images small and dated but the concepts are timeless, well almost. In his time Von Dach did not have to concern himself with satellite snooping, thermal imaging, night vision, predator drones, and Blackhawk helicopters. But what the hell where is your patriotic fervor? Oh heck that word is going to ring someone's bell at the NSA and other snooping susies in the government. You notice I said "THE" government, not our government. There is a huge difference today between them and us. If they are worried about this 66 year old veteran then they ought to be ashamed of themselves.

The spooky part is that as I lie reading the book one night I had this queer feeling of having been there in Von Dach's imaginary conquered Switzerland. Why was that? The deeper I read the deeper the sensation of deja vu. Stupid. Of course. The light went on in my feeble brain and I realized with stunning clarity that all of the tactics Von Dach said the enemy would use, were the policies being levied by the Obama administration. We are living in Von Dach's dream, or is it his nightmare. I cannot explain it to you. Read the book. Learn the tactics. Someday you may need this knowledge to preserve your freedom, even your survival. We are living in sad times folks. Long live the king.

Mayberry RFD

It’s November fourth. I started out for Houston on the first. I just could not face another fight squeezed into a commuter jet, pasted against the inner fuselage with some 300 pounds guy sitting beside me and my shoulders up around my ears. I came down here to teach a gas engine school. Yes I would rather be teaching kenjutsu, Iaido, or knife-fighting. But this is what pays my bills. I was in, even if only for a few hundred miles, eleven states getting here. New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland. West, Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and finally the Grand Republic of Texas. I covered over 1800 miles in two and a half days. I saw some beautiful country and some god-awful traffic. Doesn’t anybody stay at home? Gas prices in New York were about $3.70 and in parts of the South as low as $2.32! Good old New York and taxes go together like Cuomo and Corruption. As I was traveling I was mindful of what states are gun-friendly and what ones definitely are not. What is scary is that there is any difference in the “United” States of America. The second amendment is regarded completely different from state to state. Now I am a States Rights sort of person but not when that right in any way disallows my basic inalienable rights as guaranteed under the US Constitution. This leads to the second part of my posting. We are god given the right to self-defense but we are being governmentally stripped of our ability to provide for our own defense. HOW CAN THAT BE? Despite the un-natural laws of some states I carried my little SIG right on through them. I wasn’t about to keep checking state laws and jumping in and out of my car to hide my pistol in the trunk in one state, hide my ammo in a separate place in another state carry open here, concealed there. The Second Amendment is the only true gun law, and all of the rest are unlawful. Part three of my posting. So what did worry me? I am not afraid of storms (Ice, Snow, Rain) although I do not enjoy them. I am 66 years old and know how to drive in adverse weather. I am not afraid of car-jacking or some idiot with road rage. Getting off in the “wrong part of town” is troubling but that’s why I had Sigmund (my 938 SIG) with me. Car breakdowns? No I don’t worry about breakdowns, I have AAA and I drive rental cars. What I fear is those sworn to “serve and protect.” That’s right I fear the lone wolf COP. The trooper in a bad mood or who hates Yankees with a long pony tail. That’s who worries me. I am intimidated by the local small town gestapo cop, the one who got stale donuts, cold coffee, and a ration of shit from his old lady that morning. I nearly wore out the cruise control on my rented Impala in East Texas. They must have had a humungous road sign budget and a cop behind each one. The speed limits plummeted from 75 mph to 30 mph, on hill crests, turns in the roads, hidden behind overgrown tree branches and rocketed right back up again often for no apparent reason. Oops here we go again from 75 mph to 65, to 60, to 55, to 40, to 30, faster than I could cut back on the cruise so it was hammer down on the brakes and look for the cop. Yup there he is behind the chick’ filet or Bubbas BBQ. I nearly got whip lash from the deceleration and acceleration. In east Texas alone I counted nearly twenty cops on route 59. That was more than all of the other 10 states added together. In fact it was at least 5 times more. Is crime that rampant in east Texas these days? Seriously folks I am not joking when I say police state. But the topper was when I was nearly to my destination travelling on the infamous parking lot known as the Sam Houston Parkway. Travelling in the other direction were two motorcycle cops, side by side, doing maybe 30 mph or less. They were at that almost gonna tip over if I go any slower speed. Now there was no funeral. There was no accident because I just came from the other direction. They were creating a huge traffic jam for no obvious reason other than because they could. They were creating a big opportunity for an accident to happen. Houston ought to be proud of them. Yes folks that is what I am afraid of police with unlimited power and us peons with no recourse, And as they become more and more militarized we become more and more vulnerable to the rogue cop with a bad temper. I’m telling you true i passed through a lot of small towns but there aren’t any Andy Taylors of Mayberry RFD Police anymore. So watch your six!

Knife training

If you are teaching your knife students ground fighting you might be missing the whole picture. Seems like every martial arts school today feels like it must compete with the Gracie Brazilian Ju-Jitsu rage and teach ground fighting. On You Tube there are hundreds of videos explaining that you must be prepared to “take the fight to the ground.” Really? I hate rolling around on the ground and getting my arms bent backwards and my face ground into the pavement. Maybe instructors ought to spend more time teaching you how to stay on your feet instead of on your back. Yes I realize that your leg muscles are some of the biggest in your arsenal but don’t let the muscle between your ears convince you to lay flat on your back to fight. Someone will gladly kick in your skull. Going back to the previous post about my young student, remember my comment about attacking while moving backwards? I was not speaking in tongues. There are three components to any fight that you must understand and hopefully master. They are: timing, distance, and rhythm. Read your Sun Tzu and you will find this is true. So you are probably wondering why I did not mention speed. Speed is completely relevant to the other three components. You can move too fast as well as too slow. Unless you are hopelessly clumsy and tend to randomly fall down, the only reason you are on the ground is because you let your attacker in too close, Distance. Or he moved and you did not, Rhythm. Or maybe he cut and you waited too long to block/move, Timing. So if you cannot control all three elements because you are old, slow, handicapped, tired, ill, whatever, then pick the one element you think you can best control and focus hard on it. If your attacker is faster than you then work on rhythm and timing. If he is taller than you work on maintaining your distance. Attack while retreating. There is a lot more to knife fighting than hacking and slicing. Unlike kenjutsu or fencing some people refuse to see it as an art. At the first class I picked up a bokken (Japanese wooden training sword) and said this is a devastating weapon. I shifted my grip on the bokken up to wakizashi length. It is still a weapon to be reckoned with. Then I moved my hands on up to tanto length. You get the idea. People say you cannot use lessons learned with a sword to fight with a knife. This is one of those comments spoken by the untrained to impress the unknowing. Well come on down to our dojo and we’ll have some fun and I’ll try to enlighten you about that. Oh and bring your arm guard.

PITA

What a PITA just to get back into my blog I had to reset the password and that took forever to figure out. Our lives have become a miasma of passwords, user names, PIN numbers, codes, and the only people who can navigate it all are the hackers.

What I really wanted to talk about was knives not aggravations. I recently bought a new Bagwell Style bowie on ebay. It was made by a man named Fitzen. You can see the strong similarity to a Hells Belle in the guard and blade shape. The knife on the bottom is my largest Matt Lamey bowie with a 12 inch blade.

That knife is a real cleaver but the new one is much faster in the hand due to the narrow 11 3/4 blade and counter-balance of the antler knob. Is exhibits a vivid Damascus with strong contrasts of metals. The guard is designed for blade trapping, (and yes to the arm-chair and forum experts) it really does work. I am amazed as usual by the numbers of people who regurgitate knowledge without having ever stepped out onto the dojo floor or sparred with blades.

The  butt of the antler is crowned with this detailed silver skeleton head. Quite the nasty looking fellow! Nice workmanship. The sheath is a simple one made with a belt stud and is of elephant hide. I am anxious to get down to my dojo this week and "play" with this new knife which, based on the antler, I have named "Gnarly."

I bought a matching blade and plan to fit it out as a "Dogbone style" Bowie. It might be a while until I get to that project since my work has gotten more demanding. That is also why this blog has been less active in the past few months. Thanks for hanging out and checking back. I am preparing to drive 1600 miles to Houston for work because I do not trust what the government is saying about Ebola and planes are great incubators of germs, not to mention having to suffer the harassment of the TSA goons. Hope you like the Bowie.

Knife Class round two

Held our second knife class with the father and son. Both showed marked improvement from the first session and it was obvious they had been practicing and doing some sparring. That is always rewarding for a teacher. So they had a few questions which we discussed and they were ready to show me what they had been working on. I had taught them the eight angles of cutting. They worked most of them in a back and forth sparring. As I observed several things became obvious.

Not surprisingly the son was much faster and more aggressive than his father. The father was using a good fighting posture but too rooted. So I suggested the son might not want to stick his head in where it could be easily slashed and I suggested the father move about more and not focus on his son's knife. I explained to them about using peripheral vision to more quickly catch movement even though the perception is not as sharp. They asked me about where to focus and I advised them to watch the opponents shoulder tips for movement. That seemed to improve both of their blocks.

Since their movement was still a little stiff we discussed the idea of moving on triangles, both the male and female triangle, side stepping and forward and back movements. Practicing this definitely allowed the father to avoid some of the hits to his forearm. That is always a welcome relief because even a hard rubber knife whacks the bone pretty good. The one thing that both seemed to forget is that you can attack while moving backwards. I'm not going to explain it in detail. Think about it.

As we wound down for the evening I could tell the son was dying to spar with me so I manned up. I had a lot of fun and he learned that this old man is still pretty fast. He was caught off guard several times and had to back pedal to keep from eating steel (ahhh rubber that is). It was good for me too since I have not sparred for about two or three years now. I had to laugh when the son decided to go left handed and mix in a few thrusts, which were not on the menu this early. Didn't give him the advantage he was hoping for. He's a fine young man and going to make a good knife fighter. His dad made great advances and said he felt more confident by the end of class. All good signs for a healthy training session. Check back for our next meeting.

Shame on us and US

http://www.wnd.com/2014/10/source-secret-deal-could-doom-160000-to-isis/

I don't know of any time I have been so ashamed of our country than I am right now. Not ashamed of the people but the governance. 

As ISIS closed in on Kobani I said to Barbara how is it possible we have not, or cannot stop this threat? You cannot surround a town with an army of thousands of terrorists and NOT know who to strafe and bomb! You can not apply precision bombing with such a broad target. We and the Turks purposely waited until the terrorists were entangled within the civilian population and made it "impossible for us to do anything." I am no Clausewitz but by God I can figure this much out. Where are the dead bodies? Has anyone seen any dead enemy bodies on TV? Anyone who lived though Vietnam will remember the nightly news body count of dead VC. Often highly inflated, the count showed we were winning. The news now focuses on our enemy winning and us whining. The only dead we are seeing are the people we are supposed to be protecting. Where are the renowned blue helmeted UN Peace-Keepers? (they're waiting to be called in to quell American civil uprisings) Where are Obama's "Coalition troops?" There is no coalition, but there is most certainly a cabal. What has been done to defend Christians, little to nothing. This the most brutal and barbaric horde sine the Mongols, the Goths, or the Huns, are we to wait until the last head is cut off and them make peace with them and call them our ally? Wait and see.

The Kurds were about the only people in the region worth saving, but they sit on oil rich lands. Think about the connection between Putin, OIL, Turkey, Obama's sanctions, Vlad's threats to shut off OIL to Europe, OIL, and keep mulling it over and one begins to wonder about all of the stagecraft and theater going on between Vlad and Barrack. The Kurds are the ones to pay the price. Remember "Once I am re-elected I will have more flexibility." BHO. Remember who we chose to arm with weapons first given to Libyan rebels and then smuggled to Syrian rebels ie ISIS. Such political machinations would make Machiavelli smile. Michelle Obama said, after her incompetent and corrupt husband was elected, "this is the first time in my life I have been proud of the US." Well Michelle this is the first time in my life I have been ashamed of my country. I suppose I ought to get used to it.

A refreshing night

Friday night for the first time in several years I taught a knife class! A man I work with, and his twenty something year old son, came to our dojo for their first lesson. It was great! I had not realized how much I miss teaching this stuff. I teach industrial compressor an engine maintenance and theory for a living but it is not very rewarding. The theory of edged weapons is much more esoteric than the theory of gas engines. Knife fighting dwells in the realms of the indefinable: time, space, deception, and rhythm. My two new students were expecting something far different than what we discussed and practiced. They expected something more Erroll Flynn with wild blades flashing. Even good silver-screen knife fighters like Steven Segal can mislead aspiring students because it is the flashy moves that the camera prefers. Big moves are easier for the viewer to pick-up. Indeed, in the beginning we do teach large moves to develop fluidity. As the student progresses we work to tighten up their flow patterns without tightening up their movements. Any body parts extended “outside the box” become targets of opportunity for your attacker. To enhance their learning I brought a range bag full of knives from small Pakal style daggers to a Keating Crossada and about everything in between. We discussed the merits and disadvantages of each style and how they affected your movements. We also discussed the impression that certain knives make on non-knife people, or jurors and judges. They were both like sponges and absorbed everything I threw at them. There is so much more to the Art than people realize but they went away with a good foundation. I am already looking forward to the next session in two weeks. Now if only I have one of these classes every week I might find life more rewarding.

Spartan Blades Dagger

Spartan Blades: It seems like every time I think I am finished reviewing knives a new one comes along. This dagger is one that I could not exclude. On my Fairbairn-Sykes website I challenge knifemakers, custom or factory, to produce a knife to equal the WW-II Case V-42. None of the modern replicas comes close to the quality of the originals. I believe that challenge has been met in a collaborative effort by Spartan Blades owners who produce the collaborative version of the V-14 dagger, designed by Les George. Every knife produced is made in America of American-sourced materials. The two founders of the company, Curtiss Lovito and Mark Carey, are both retired Special Forces guys and super conscientious about the quality of their products and service. Les George of Corpus Christi, TX has become very well known for his rugged custom folders and also his custom version of the V-14 and other fixed blade knives. Les is a USMC veteran. As soon as I saw a photo of the V-14 dagger I was on the internet emailing Les and Spartan Blades. Unfortunately the first run of knives was already sold. Les contacted Curtis at Spartan Blades, they called me and within about 2 weeks I had one on its way to me in my choice of handle and blade colors. I had been one of the very early dealers for Spartan Blades, and while their products are second to none, my business acumen is less than stellar. I sold a few very quickly and then life changed and I closed our E-Store. Spartan Blades continued to grow and broaden their product line. Their success is well earned and I am happy to see their success in such a flooded market. Now I challenge you, the reader, to look at this knife and not reach for your credit card to immediately put in an order. SPARTAN BLADES USA 625 S.E. Service Road Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-757-0035

Maybe there is hope for a change

Maybe there's hope.

I decided to go down to our small park for a music in the park event. The Suttons (our mechanic) sponsored it and the band was from the small town of Woodhull. It was made up of men and women from age 9 to 83. The park was  filled with locals. Many of them are good hard working people but we have our share of welfare, poorly clothed and unkempt. Some families are lower IQ and sloth like. Then there are the aged and infirm. People with canes and walkers. Its an elderly community. One woman walked in (with some help) who is 96. A few young men in their 30s came with their families. Bright eyed kids raced around the park. I found myself comparing this crowd to the hundreds of beautiful people we saw vacationing in McCall last month. It has become a bad habit that I look at people and wonder how will they survive if The SHTF? Who will look out for them?

The local band is amateur but enthusiastic. What can I say I was a rather mediocre drummer in highschool band. The first thing they played was the Star Spangled Banner and everyone stood without any announcement. There were no Obama's groping their crotch like he does when he is bored and doesn't know what else to do. The next musical piece was dedicated to all of the veterans in all of the branches of service. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. As the band played the marching song for each branch they asked veterans to stand as theirs was played, and a veteran of that branch of service walked carrying the correct flag. Everyone there cheered and clapped loudly for each flag. And I thought to myself, would all of the "beautiful people" in cities across this nation would have done the same? I would hope so. Then they played a melody that started with taps to honor the deceased veterans. Taps always chokes me up......

I don't think that anyone in congress or the white house could have provided a more touching tribute despite the occasional wrong note or missed drum beat. Underneath the gathered poverty and the shaggy haired rag a muffins, inside the overweight and underweight, bent with cancer and aged bodies, beats something that many parts of America have lost or conveniently forgotten. Maybe beauty is only skin deep after all.

How do we preserve what little is left of this nation? That is the challenge ahead of us.

Insanity redux

Harry Reid declares border the most secure it has ever been, despite the continuing flow of illegals now surpassing 87,000. Are they coming to your neighborhood next?

Insanity Reigneth

Since writing this blog the Islamic terrorists have acquired 90 pounds of uranium! And our borders remain wide open thanks to Obama.

I know its been a while since I wrote a new blog. I have been travelling for work and vacation. While on vacation I turned on the TV one night and the Border Crisis was on the news. I thought my head would explode before I could get the TV turned back off. Here’s a clue to brain dead Nancy Pelosi. It’s a CRISIS you MORON, not an opportunity. Even Glenn Beck is being led by the nose over this one. Glenn take your heart off your sleeve, your head out of your anal orifice, and start using your brain again. We are under invasion and the little kids are the drug cartel’s and terrorist’s cannon fodder. They are being used by terrorists (including the Kenyan in the white house) to deceive and infiltrate our nation. Aren’t they cute? NO! Little puppies are cute. These are homeless, disease ridden, parasite infested, illegal beggars soon to become another permanent drain on our already over-taxed welfare system. Of course the socialist solution is to bring along their entire extended family to care for them (also at Tax-payers Expense!) This is not the united states of Honduras! Remember that we the tax payers are now the minority population in this 17 trillion dollar debt ridden Socialist nation. But Obama has a fundraiser to attend in Hollywood and cannot find time to check out the border. Chuck Hagel has finally woken from whatever drug induced stupor he was in to announce that ISIS and Islamic Extremists are an imminent threat to our nation and Europe. Holy Bat Shit Chuck, glad you could make the party. Now if only James Clapper would find his way back to reality we might have a consensus opinion. The islamists are within a few miles of 230 nuclear weapons and threatening to even destroy Mecca because it is not Islamic enough. The destruction of Israel is the end game for ISIS, and Hamas is softening up the target with over 200 missiles launched in 2 days. What would Obama do if Mexico decided to launch 200 missiles over our border? Probably send Kerry down for another vacation or apology tour. Too bad Kerry couldn’t find time to visit our incarcerated marine while he was in Mexico. Has anyone ever seen a more dysfunctional family that the current un-Administration? I think our nation could be better run by a troop of lesbian boy scouts led by a transgendered Romanian pole dancer.

Our Book

Today the weather is so beautiful I could have done anything. Instead I sort of did nothing and just enjoyed it. Why are we compelled to make lists of things to do so we can cross them off? Oh I did a couple loads of laundry (yes my wife is out of town), I buried a dead bird I found in the back yard and I have lounged on the porch with our cat and worked on my book. See cats are smart, no lists of things to do, just live life. Which book you ask? Well today I focused on my book about commando knives. It is really taking shape. What to name it?? It needs to be catchy and interesting not just another "Commando Dagger/Knife//etc/etc." book.

I am sitting here with two original WW-II X-daggers right beside me. They are awesome fighting knives. If you have ever held a First Pattern Fairbairn, then imagine a knife about 25% more fulfilling. It has more blade length, more handle, and more attitude. They are the equivalent of a small Arkansas Toothpick! The additional weight really adds to the feeling of lethality. You just know they are going to penetrate anything you choose, Soft body armor included. I think a 10 inch bowie is optimal. Here we have about an 8 inch dagger and that is a good size too. I have bigger daggers and dirks but they are full out medieval sort of weapons. X-daggers are almost a  transitional weapon between the renaissance and modernity.

I hope you are having as nice a day as I am. I'm sure my wife will want a full accounting of what I got done while she was away. I'm just going to send her to ask the cat.

knives for sale and more

There will be two new rare knives on our website in about two weeks. I have been doing a balancing act paying for the knives I have on reserve. To top it off knife sales have been pitiful. I have some very nice knives on our website for sale and I am not sure why they are not selling. If a knife is there it is available. No bidding and getting beat at the last second by someone using software that locks you out from the bidding. That happened to me enough times that I don’t bid there as often anymore. One of the knives coming is a WW-II X-dagger made from a bayonet (as usual) but it is slightly different. It is a suicide knife with a screw-apart handle to conceal a lethal cyanide capsule. It has a beautiful Camp-X style sheath. The other one is equally rare, or maybe even more so. It is an SOE insole dagger with the leather insole “sheath.” The insole has a pocket sewn into it to house the knife. The knife is curved to supposedly fit the curve of one’s arch. I’m willing to bet these proved to be very uncomfortable unless the shoe was also recessed to allow the knife to push down in. It is stamped J.P for the Glasgow silversmith John Paisley. So keep checking our Fairbairn-Sykes website for their arrival. I also have to pay off a knife already pictured on the website but not yet in my possession. That is the brass handled agent’s dagger stamped #4. Now you see why I am pushing knife “sales.” Luckily my friends who are selling these knives are quite patient and want to see them on our site. I have not shown them yet but I also have some new “old stock” Hanwei Japanese swords. These are remaining stock from our old webstore. They are new in their original boxes and some are not even being made anymore. I will be listing them but if you want a jump on buying one email me for photos and prices. I am cutting the prices to just above dealer plus shipping. Email me at ghdave2@hotmail.com to buy any of the knives or swords. Since I have been collecting fighting knives since I was about 13 years old I have a lot of other knives not listed for sale. If you are looking for something unusual, or a knife you are not finding on that auction site email me. I might just have one, or two. Here is a photo of the suicide dagger. For more info check our website in a week to ten days. While you’re there please buy a knife, pretty please. http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com/fighting-knives-for-sale.html

Generosity

(Image of three agent's daggers we have on our web site. The brass handled one will be partly paid for by a generous donation from a visitor to the website) Who ever heard of someone donating something as payment for free information? I have! I have been the recipient of numerous donation of fighting knives. Several were donated to be posted on my website as a pat of our collection, http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com/ and just recently another man donated three knives for me to sell to raise money to further our collection. In today’s economy all of those donations are amazing examples of humanity at its best. When I started my web site it was with the simple intent of sharing our collection with people who were similarly attracted to British Commando Knives. After all, I had been collecting them for over 40 years and thought maybe someone else would find them interesting. Well so far we have had 40,000 visits to our site. Many people are return customers, but what is most amazing to me is how many are first time visitors. Where do they hear about us and where do they come from? Unfortunately our counter does not give us demographics other than return visitors and first-time ones. Whoever you are, we appreciate your interest and spending time on our site. Please continue with us on our journey of exploration. One of the more popular activities has been people emailing me with questions on grandpa’s knife or one they found in the attic or flea market. Some people contact us wanting to sell a knife, or buy a knife. They ask for appraisals on a knife they own or suggestions on what to pay for a knife. We are always glad to offer any help or information we can. Our page dedicated to “what is it, who made it” has a couple knives of interest from visitors. People have said if I collected a dollar from every visitor I could have easily paid for all of my purchases in the last couple years. I suppose that’s true. What we have collected is a great number of friends, known and unknown, who come to visit and share our passion for Fairbairn Sykes fighting knives. Thanks for coming and please continue to do so as we add more interesting examples to our collection and work to share them with you. There are three new knives listed on the following web site page for sale due to the generosity of our friend Malcolm. http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com/fighting-knives-for-sale.html

Obama Energy Fixation

I was just reading an article on Obama blocking the Keystone pipeline again and stopping exports of fossil fuel "preferring renewable energy." I wonder how one ships a boatload of solar energy? Anyway, I have a  great suggestion.

I suggest we fit Airforce One with solar panels (like he is putting on the People's White House). Once he gets airborne in Airforce One they should shut off the nasty fossil fuel burning jet engines and switch on the solar panels. END OF PROBLEM!!!

WW-II Agent's Daggers

Its been a while since I came here to talk about anything besides politics. So I hope a few of you have hung around. I really apologize but it has been so hard seeing our nation destroyed piece by piece.

Here are a couple very neat Agent's daggers from WW-II. They are described in more detail on our website www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com The top one is by WSC and has a nicely lathe turned walnut handle with 3 groups of five rings. There are other examples of this very same pattern extant. The oval steel guard is blued and the sleek blade is heat colored/tempered to a light bronze color.

The lower knife is a modern looking piece made by John Paisley (J.P) with ebony handle slabs held in place by brass pins. The sheath of this knife gives the impression of having been worn and displays sweat discoloration. The blade shape on this one is also replicated in other knives by J.P and one which I have on reserve marked only with a "4".

These hide-away knives were weapons of last resort. The overall sizes are about the same as a Gerber Guardian or a MK-I . I have really found this genre of WW-II knives to be exciting and little covered by most of the books on commando or other WW-II fighting knives. I am slowly grinding away on my book on FS knives and it will have a chapter dedicated to these and other clandestine knives.

He wants to do what?

Comrade wants to give away what? That's right control of the internet to the Russians and the Chinese. It makes perfect sense doesn't it? Tell Vlad after I am re-elected I will have more flexibility.

Living in Fear?

How many Americans do you know who are living with fear? Afraid of being audited by the IRS, targeted by the DHS, violating EPA mandates, waiting for your health care to vanish, being fined by Obamacare for NOT buying a shoddy government policy, having your identity stolen or your computer hacked by the NSA, being targeted for being a Christian of pro-life supporter, called a racist and having your right to free-speech shutdown! I could go on and on and we are living with this every day now under the oppressive tyranny that has become Amerika. I have always been a responsible gun owner and obeyed all the laws. I have never committed a crime, although a few have been perpetrated on me by the "New York SAFE act." I have always practiced gun safety and kept my firearms secured. Because I owned guns I was also concerned that someone might try to break in and steal them. So I bought a gun safe at great expense. Then I installed a burglar system knowing that when your life could be lost in seconds the cops were only minutes away. Due to the size of our county they usually arrive just in time to write up the crime report. But in America I NEVER considered the cops might be the first ones on the scene, that they might be the perpetrators, the ones to kick down my door and steal my legally purchased firearms. That was before the new Amerika, the police state we live in today. No Dorothy, we are not in Mayberry USA anymore.

Hiding in Plain Sight

Here in NYS we have had our Second Amendment rights brutalized by the thugs in Albany and downstate. This has been no secret and if you are a gun owner, and don’t know what is going on here, you need to wake up. Fast! I have attended peaceful protest rallies in Albany three times now. Our calls for the restoration of our rights were loud and clear, but there was no blood spilled or fires set. We are not living in the Ukraine, we are Americans, or are we? Last night I printed off photos from the protests to show fellow gun owners at a local meeting. As I looked over them I noticed one thing that was missing in all of the images. What was missing were my people, my flesh and blood, my life-long friends, my extended family, none of them were there. I was in a sea of strangers who at that moment were more like my own people than the ones I grew up with. Where were those people whom I moved back to NYS to be near in times of crisis? Where were the familiar faces? They were home being quiescent, trying to remain invisible. I have heard of people standing up for their rights, demanding their rights, fighting for their rights and even dying for them. I never heard of someone hiding for their rights! I’m sure when the final showdown comes they will be right by my side linked arm in arm. And that’s the biggest lie I have told in years. Despite my wife’s protestations I moved back to NYS to be with people whom I trusted to stand by me through thick and thin. I thought it was the right thing to do, family, blood and all of that. Now when she tells me what an idiot I am I reluctantly have to agree with her. After all she is the only one who would stand beside me on the mall in Albany and fight for what is right.

Drives Me Nuts

Here we go again. A question asked on a forum was: “If you had to draw a knife and stab someone to protect your life would you?” Time and again this question gets asked. Sometimes by people who were really threatened and other times by victim wannabes. Yes there are people who think they want to be attacked so they can prove their manhood or their skills. The question is unanswerable unless you are actually in that situation, have a knife, and time to access it. What is the exact threat level? Is the man bigger, stronger? Does he have just a knife and is he by himself or with others? Do you have an escape route or not? It is an extremely complex question with no one single answer. But what irks me more than the question is the stupid responses some people post. 1. “I don’t think unless you are trained you should ever pull a knife.” The only good part about this answer is “I don’t think...” They should have stopped right there. Unless you have been raised in a vacuum tube somewhere you probably grew up using a knife to open boxes, cut your food, maybe sharpen a pencil, etc. Who taught you how to do that? Did you have to take a course in knife usage 101? Anyone wildly swinging a knife back and forth is probably more dangerous than any dojo trained knife-fighter. Why? Because they are totally unpredictable. How many times have we heard of the 100 pound woman injuring or killing her attacker, using only a kitchen knife? Do you think she was trained or just scared and fighting for her life? 2. “I have trained in martial arts for six years and would not need my knife, I would just disarm him with my hands.” Holy crap I don’t want to meet up with this dude on a bad day! Six years, WOW! If he went to class every week that would be over 300 lessons. I wonder what percentage were specifically on knife disarms? I also wonder how many times those disarms did not work, even in his nice sterile dojo environment? I’ll bet he won’t tell you. William Fairbairn, a master of the knife, said “there is no sure defense against a man with a knife except a gun or to run like hell.” This was a man who had been nearly killed by thugs in Shanghai and as a result, became a 2nd degree blackbelt. He also wrote the books on knife fighting and self-defense used to train all of the WW-II Commandos and many other Spec-ops people. His response was “run like Hell.” 3. I trained in martial arts for over 12 years. That’s me, and I would never willingly go empty-hand against a man with a knife. Sure I have taught those same disarms for many years. Then I decided to study them, dissect them, and see how to defeat each one of them. Does Mr. Six Years not think that career criminals don’t do the same thing? Why do people with a few colored belts think that their attacker never studied martial arts? I have heard it said if “the attacker knew martial arts he would not need to use a knife.” How insufferably stupid can some people be? Just because I know (and have taught) karate, and some silat, and a bunch of kenjutsu: do you not think I would prefer to use a knife instead of my bare hands? A samurai did not begin to fight with his hands and escalate up through, tanto, wakizashi, katana, etc. No, he started with his bow and arrows, dropped down to his spear, then katana and worked his way on down until he was out of weapons and out of luck. I want to see Mr. Six years come to my dojo, face me and disarm me of a real knife. Yes, not just some sissy rubber knife or a wooden tanto, let’s see him strut his stuff. Unlike a ghetto mugger I promise not to kill him. I’ll even promise not to move too quickly because he might get cut. If he is successful I will take him out for a few beers and toast him as the greatest of them all. If he doesn't succeed I will provide the bandages.

I have been very blessed over the past two years by people donating knives to our collection and for the website on Fairbairn Sykes knives. The most recent one was a wood handled X-dagger from a friend in S. Calif. Then another one came from a good friend in Oregon. The two knives are totally different but both are very valuable and rare.

The first one is from WW-II era and made from a 1903 bayonet. It was donated by a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. It is typical of what I refer to as an X-Dagger. We will eventually release a paper explaining where they were made and by whom. It is an intriguing story. This dagger was influential in our discovery of the true story.

The second one is called the Khanjar Killing Knife. My friend is a H2H instructor, and a retired Special Forces member) had it patterned after an original Kurdish knife that was hand-forged in Afghanistan. This knife is the prototype and it was followed by two more further improved versions. Mick Strider of Strider Knives fame made it. It is double edged and very sharp. I cannot put into words what such gifts as these mean to me. There is a bond between men (and women) who have this love of steel that few people can understand. With friends like this who could want for more?

Trust Me (to lie)

Friday Jan 17th: "OBAMA ORDERS restricts the NSA's ability to store phone data and changes other surveillance practices in response to months-long review of controversial spying practices." This man has lied about everything he has done. His administration is a lie from top to bottom, and then he asks us to trust him? Is he nuts! He wants us to forget the NSA, Fast and Furious, Benghazi, AP, IRS, and Obamacare scandals and focus on his agenda. No wait, better not focus on that either.