Divemedic

New Radio

I recently went fishing in northern Maine. We were just a few miles away from the Canadian border on I-95 when we saw an SUV slide off the road and into a swampy area. As I went to check on the occupants, my wife attempted to use her car phone to contact 911. No signal.

Fortunately, we had backup communications available. We used a 2 meter band HAM radio to contact help. Once we got home, I reviewed our communications equipment. I noticed that several of the repeaters in my area have transitioned to digital only, so I made the decision to upgrade my mobile radio.

After some thought, I got a new Yaesu FTM-400 XDR. The manufacturer has a promotion available until the end of the month, where you get $100 off the radio, if purchased from an approved retailer. I bought mine from Ham City for $410, plus shipping.

Installation was easy. One of the things I like about this radio is that the control head can be separated from the radio, which allows the radio to be mounted behind the back seat of my F150. The control head is pretty small and easy to place.

With this new radio, I now have digital radio capabilities. I received no compensation of any kind as a result of this review. I just like Yaesu radios and HamCity had the best price on this radio.

By Divemedic, ago

Court failure

So that burglar from last summer that was caught on my security cameras? He pled guilty to something, but the last I saw was a motion from his attorney to make the court record confidential. Now there is no visible record of what he pled to, or what his punishment was.

We have broad public records laws here in Florida so citizens are aware of what their government is doing. Apparently our courts don’t want us knowing that someone can be caught breaking into 4 and attempting to break into 6 more automobiles, stealing a firearm, stealing a car, and setting the community mail boxes on fire and not get any punishment, so they seal the records.

By Divemedic, ago

The acts of one madman

The Pulse nightclub shooting has been getting mentioned a lot during the gun control debate that has been reintroduced into American politics as of late. I want to revisit a post I had thought about publishing at the time, because I want to illustrate the hypocrisy that is evident here.

Less than 2 months prior to the shooting, there was a Muslim cleric from Iran who gave a speech at Sanford’s Husseini Islamic Center. This cleric was reported by WFTV’s channel 9 news as saying that homosexuality’s only cure is death. Look at the video of the report:

After the shooting, this became news and the Islamic center’s staff went to the press and vehemently denied the allegations that they had anything to do with the shooting or the shooter himself.

The connection between the speaker, the Islamic faith, the Husseini Islamic center, and the shooting were promptly sent to the memory hole. After all, we can’t blame an entire religion for the acts of one deranged madman, can we? The speaker for the Islamic center was taken at his word.

Yet, the religious connection to this shooting having been forgotten has no bearing on how gun owners are being vilified and derided based on the actions of one person. In the furtherance of gun control, it appears that you CAN blame a large group of people for the acts of one person.

By Divemedic, ago

Gun control fails again

A 17 year old is shot and killed in Florida. His death will certainly be used to further the aims of gun control groups. He was killed by a 16 year old while conducting a drug deal.

To recap:
– it is illegal to commit murder
– it is illegal for 16 year olds to possess guns
– it is illegal for anyone to possess guns while dealing drugs
– it is illegal to possess drugs
– it is illegal to sell drugs

but making it illegal for people who are adults, don’t buy and sell drugs, and don’t commit murder is the answer.

By Divemedic, ago

AR 15 for defense

We keep hearing how AR 15s are only good for killing large groups of people in a short time, and are no good for self defense, but what if your home is being attacked by four armed criminals? A 61 year old homeowner discovered the answer when he was attacked by four armed home invaders.

In this case, a man who lives in Summerfield, Florida saw a man that he recognized from a recent Craiglist sale attempting to enter his house and told him to leave. An hour later, the man returned with three accomplices. The four were armed with a handgun, two shotguns, and a BB gun.

The homeowner was awakened by the sound of his front door being kicked in, and grabbed an AR 15 to investigate. When he entered the dining area, he was confronted with a man wearing a “Jason” mask and wielding a handgun. The homeowner doesn’t remember who fired first, but a gunfight ensued. When that firefight was over, the thug in the dining room was found dead with a handgun next to his body, a second man was found wounded in the front yard, lying next to a shotgun, and the 61 year old homeowner was found lying in his bedroom with a gunshot wound to his abdomen.

Police searched the area and found a second shotgun in the yard, along with a VW sedan with its front doors left open (apparently belonging to the dead guy in the dining room), and two more miscreants hiding in the bushes.

This also shows that, even if you are shot, keep putting lead downrange. You aren’t out of the fight until you can’t return fire.

By Divemedic, ago

War on drugs

A Florida sheriff’s deputy was recently caught planting drugs on drivers during traffic stops. He had apparently been doing it for years, and more than 100 people were charged based upon the drugs he ‘found’ in their cars. The pattern was the same- pull the car over on some pretext, claim that he could smell marijuana, and then meth would be found. Mysteriously, his camera would not be turned on until AFTER the drugs were found. In one case, he did leave the camera on, and it caught the drugs in his hand right before he planted them:

This deputy made over 300 drug arrests as a result of traffic stops. More than 120 of them had to have their charges dropped. The state attorney claims that there is no evidence that there were more than 100 victims. Here is what he had to say:

 there’s no indication Wester planted drugs or fabricated arrests in all of those cases.

and there is no indication that he didn’t plant evidence and fabricate arrests. However, since he has done so in multiple cases shows that it is reasonable to assume that he did plant evidence in at least some of those cases. This means that each and every one of the 300 people he arrested now have reasonable doubt, and in my opinion, should be set free.

You can read the arrest warrant here.

This is far from the first time that cops have been caught framing people or planting evidence. That’s why I don’t think cops should get the automatic credibility that they get. In fact, I think it is time for a law that:

~ Requires all police to wear cameras at all times while on duty.
~ I get that the cops have a right to turn them off for personal reasons, such as restroom breaks. So accordingly:
– If anything occurs while the camera is off, such as an arrest or accusation of improper behavior of the officer, the police will be required to produce the video. If the video is unavailable, then the cop’s testimony is inadmissible.
– The smell of marijuana is no longer permitted as a pretext for a search.

This is what the war on drugs has brought us.

By Divemedic, ago