Divemedic

The are going to do to the nation what they did to gas cans

The CDC just issued recommendations for reopening schools. They are impossible to comply with.

No sharing of items or supplies? That means no shared textbooks, computers, calculators, or anything else. Where are schools going to get the money to buy all of this stuff?

Desks six feet apart. This means that each student’s desk area will occupy 28 square feet of space. My largest class had 26 students this year, meaning that each classroom will have to be about 750 square feet. Not all classrooms are that large.

One child per seat on the bus and skip every other seat. That means a bus designed for 60 can only take 15 or so. How are schools going to get their kids home when some of them already get home 3 hours after school is over?

No changing of classrooms. How are high schools to function? I teach science. How will I teach math, social studies, foreign languages, and all of the other classes students need? Heck, not all students are in the same math classes. Some are in Calculus, others Geometry, some Business math. Everyone is to have lunch in class?

Then there are Federal laws that dictate that certain students get services that I cannot provide. If I follow these recommendations, I am violating several Federal education laws.

Back in March, the CDC was projecting that over 2 million Americans would die from the Wuhan flu.

They projected that our hospitals would be overwhelmed. To prevent this, we were told that we would all as a nation have to be placed on house arrest. ‘Flatten the curve’ became our war cry.

The CDC and WHO announced that masks were not effective at preventing infection. Then just a couple of months later, they were made mandatory, then a couple of weeks after that, we are finding out that there is no evidence that masks are effective, but they remain required, because there is no evidence that they AREN’T effective, either.

New York city became overwhelmed. Medical personnel from all over the country were sent to NYC to help out, my son among them. The reports coming from there were downright scary.

We were told that the risk of infection from services was so great, that no self serve stations for food or beverage would be permitted by the FDA. Several restaurants went out of business as a result. More of them remain closed, waiting for that order to change. Even though the CDC now says that there is no evidence that transmission from surfaces is even possible.

When do we believe you?

By Divemedic, ago

COVID fakery

Scientists and epidemiologists admit that there is no evidence that masks prevent the transmission of respiratory infections, but state the people should wear them anyway.

Evan as it turns out that states who are loosening the ‘lockdown’ restrictions are seeing reductions in COVID cases. This tracks with what I saw last week, that there is no evidence that lockdowns change the progression of COVID infections in populations.

So do we stay in lockdown until there is a vaccine, or just until the election is over?

By Divemedic, ago

Safety warning- sex offender poses as cop

For more than 20 years, Jeremy Dewitte has plagued the United States, parading around as a cop. A very confrontational one. He owns a company called Metro State Services whose stated business is to escort funeral processions. Here is a video of him in action:

He and his brother both do this while driving vehicles that look remarkably like police vehicles and wearing uniforms that appear so convincing that Dewitte’s brother (named Dylan Vogt) has actually directed real cops to make arrests, and they obeyed. Once the mistake was realized, charges against the man were dropped, but now he is suing everyone involved.

He was convicted of impersonating a LEO in 2001 and served 22 months in prison. He was also convicted of sexually molesting a child in 2003, serving a year for that crime. He is required to register as a sex offender, and was arrested for failing to do that in 2008.

In all, he has been arrested four times for impersonating a police officer. Here is the link to a story about his third impersonation arrest. Being a convicted felon means that he cannot possess a firearm or ammunition, so he carries an air soft gun in his police holster, which he has been known to reach for when confronted. 

While in Chicago, he attacked a tow truck driver and managed to convince the responding officers that he was a Florida LEO, so they let him go.

It isn’t just cops that he impersonates. He has also been involved in faking an Army career- the most decorated and qualified private in US Army history.

It seems as though he is constantly in trouble with the law. He was arrested in February for illegally recording state’s attorney employees phone calls.

Be careful when obeying what you think might be a cop. It may be a sex offender in disguise.

By Divemedic, ago

Georgia shooting

The Ahmad Arbery case: my position.

By now, everyone who reads this blog is familiar with the case, where two white men (Greg McMichaels and his son Travis) allegedly harassed and shot a black man (Ahmad Arbery) who was doing nothing but jogging. When this story was getting press, I old everyone that I would be waiting for more evidence before forming an opinion, especially considering that Benjamin Crump is the family’s attorney.

Well, enough evidence has come to light that I feel comfortable forming an opinion.

There are a couple of videos that are in the public domain that show 1)Mr. Arbery charging the pair of armed men who shoot him and are later charged with his murder, and a second video that shows Mr. Arbery inside of a home that was under construction less than 2 weeks before the shooting. This second video is important, not because of what it shows, but that it establishes some ground work.

The owner of the home under construction had been having problems with break ins to the point that he installed motion sensors and security cameras on the property. Those cameras showed Arbery inside of the home on at least three different occasions in the months before the shooting.

In fact, the construction site being burglarized was so pervasive that the owner asked police for help, and one officer recommended that they contact Greg McMichaels for assistance.

Greg spotted Arbery jogging in the neighborhood and alerted his son, Travis. The two armed themselves and went to confront Arbery. Arbery ran around the truck, closed the distance between himself and Travis (who was armed with a shotgun), there was a struggle for the weapon and Armery was shot twice. The autopsy shows that Arbery had been trying to take Travis’ shotgun, because one of the shots had gone through Arbery’s wrist in an angle consistent with him holding onto the barrel of the weapon.

During this, a third man (Perez) had arrived. He had this to say:

All we knew about him was that he was the guy who kept showing up on our cameras, no one knew who it was.

I don’t see how this will be admitted at trial because Perez can’t possibly testify to what the other people there knew or didn’t know.

Arbery was no choir boy. He was confronted by a school resource officer who spotted him with a gun stuffed in his waistband while trying to enter a basketball game. Arbery ran, ditched the gun, but was caught anyway. He admitted to being armed after the gun was found on the ground. Arbery was sentenced to five years’ probation as a first offender on charges of carrying a weapon on campus and several counts of obstructing a law enforcement officer.

In December of 2017, Arbery was arrested for shoplifting a television at the local WalMart. Greg McMichaels led the investigation that resulted in Arbery having his probation violated.

So these are the important facts, IMO. Here is how it appears to me:

The McMichaels have already admitted that they shot and killed Arbery. Remember that any trial will involve the prosecution attempting to prove that, beyond a reasonable doubt this was NOT a self defense shooting. I will leave the lawyers to argue the legal minutiae, but I do know that the case will hinge on what the mindset of the shooter was at the time of the shooting. If Travis is found to have shot Arbery in self defense, then I don’t see how they can convict Greg for being his accomplice.

All the defense has to do is come up with a scenario that fits the evidence and looks like self defense. I think there is room here to paint the story as:

The McMichaels knew that there had been break ins, that Greg knew that Arbery was known to be a criminal, and that he was known to carry weapons. Greg McMichaels was working cooperatively with the police and the homeowner of the structure Arbery unlawfully entered, to keep an eye on the property, particularly in the event of unlawful intruders. When they saw Arbery, they were going to question him as to what he had been doing on the property.

When he saw them, instead of running away or stopping to talk, he charged Travis, grabbed the muzzle of the shotgun and attempted to wrest it away. Fearing for his life, Travis fired to defend himself.

My opinion is this: It will be difficult for the prosecution to get a conviction on this case, unless there is other evidence out there that somehow changes the entire story.

By Divemedic, ago

What is in your holster drawer?

Reader Joel recommended Andrews leather in response to my request for a holster for my L frame Smith and Wesson. He points out that I didn’t specify, and that made me want to do a holster post. Like most of us who carry on a regular basis, I have dozens of holsters of different types. Some worked, some didn’t.

Like many people who begin to carry, my first holster was an Uncle Mike’s gun sock. I soon learned better. Since then, I have tried many, many types. Some worked out well, and some went into a box in storage, never to be heard from again.

Here are a few notable mentions:

IWB holsters:

Andrews’ Leather. I  own 4 copies of his McDaniel II. I like the holster, but it has one big flaw that means it sits in my holster drawer, rarely used: it only has one belt loop, at  the rear of the holster. This means that it quite often pivots around and the pistol gets stuck in a position that is not easy to draw from.

(Photo from Andrews Leather)

For inside the waistband appendix (AIWB) carry, I have an Aliengear Shapeshift appendix. This is another hybrid holster with soft nylon back and Kydex front.

MTAC hybrid holster by Comp-Tac. This is a hybrid holster that places leather on the side of the gun pressed against your body, and Kydex  wrapped around the other side of the weapon. This is for when I want to carry at the 4 or 5 o’clock position. I own two, and I like them because they are tuckable. You can wear a tucked in dress shirt over them, and they become invisible. I also like the fact that it is soft leather being pressed into my side, and not hard plastic.

Winthrop IWB: This is probably my most used holster when it comes to IWB carry. The only disappointment is that it will not fit the 9c while the Holosun is on it.

IWB holster from Diamond D Leather in Alaska. These guys do great work. This is a great IWB holster, and they make great gun belts. I use this one for carrying my full sized M&Ps.

Belt holsters (OWB):

I also have a couple of Saddle Style holsters from Andrews that I like, but I can only carry with that one when I can wear a cover garment. It fits my S&W 9c with the Holosun sight.

There is another holster stamped with his logo in the drawer, but I cannot remember which one it is, but I can’t say which one it is, because it isn’t in his current catalog. I don’t use it often, but it appears like a version of a belt slide holster.

Don Hume JIT slide holster. This one is left over from my IDPA days. I was able to draw my Sig229  very quickly from this holster. It still gets used from time to time in classes or if weather permits a cover garment. It is probably the most comfortable holster I own, and it fits nearly every auto I have.

Desantis speed scabbard: This has to be one of my favorite slide holsters. It fits my S&W9c perfectly, even with the Holosun on it. 

Sneaky Pete makes a nice holster that hides my S&W shields pretty nicely. My son says that he finds it hard to believe that they are legal, but I find that most people just assume that it is a case for some sort of electronic device.

Pocket carry:

Galco G119 L: This is a leather pocket holster. I carry my J frame 642 in this one because it is easy to just drop it in a pocket of my shorts when I am going out the door to work outside, mow the lawn (although I don’t mow anymore. I have people for that) or just a quick run to the store. It is fast, convenient, and works for those hot Florida days when you can’t wear much in the way of clothes.

Ankle carry:

Galco ankle holster. I sometimes carry my J frame in an ankle holster. I used to do this a lot when I was a paramedic. Just wrap the holster around my boot, and pull my EMS pants over it. No one knew that I carried it, except my partner.

Miscellaneous carry:

Possum Pouch crotch holster. This is great for carrying in places where it is legal to carry, but they discourage carry to the point of cursory searches, what I call non permissive environments. You can get a .380 Bodyguard or a J frame revolver past most security with this- wear a big belt buckle- it sets off the magnetometer, you lift your shirt, security guard sees belt buckle, waves you on.

I have  belly bands, which I find uncomfortable. The material finds a spot and digs in.

I have a fanny pack that I will still sometimes use to carry while I am out running, because there is just no other way to carry with jogging shorts and a light t shirt on. I used to carry like this a lot when I lived in the Orlando area, because tourists used to wear them all the time. Now that I am not in the Orlando area, I rarely use it.

By Divemedic, ago

Advice on leather holsters needed for L frame Smith and Wesson.

Up until now, I have only owned two revolvers. One was an old RG revolver in .22LR that I traded my mother for. She actually thought it was a good home defense gun, and I traded with her so she could get a better one. I got rid of it a year later for a $100 gift card in a gun buyback. That was a good deal, since the thing was a piece of crap when it was new.

The second was my model 642 j frame Smith and Wesson. When I bought it, I discussed it with Marko, who afterwards actually wrote a blog post about it entitled “Carrying the mighty J frame,” but that was on the old Munchkin Wrangler blog which has since gone defunct.

During the lockdown, I rewatched all of the old “Dirty Harry” movies. Suddenly, I wanted a revolver, because reasons. I was at the LGS the other day and saw a model 686 in .357 magnum for a pretty good price, so I bought it. Now I am looking for recommendations for holsters to fit it. My normal leather guys don’t have what I am looking for. So, I would appreciate anyone who is familiar with custom leather makers: help me out here.

*** EDITED TO ADD: The shopping spree for ammo and a new gun were for shopping therapy. It always makes me happy to buy new toys, whether that be guns, radios, electronics, or other neat gadgets. I add this so some idiot doesn’t try to red flag me for saying that I have had enough so I went ammo shopping. ***

By Divemedic, ago

Stressful week, so new gun

We had been having problems with devices dropping out of the network, so on Monday I updated us to a mesh network. There are now three repeaters around the house. It initially was pretty easy, but there were a few stubborn devices that would not make the switch. I finally got the last device to switch over- on Friday morning.

On Tuesday, we had a house fire.

On Wednesday, the TV in the living room stopped working. The picture and sound would cut out for about 20 seconds and then come on for 10. Over and over. Troubleshooting showed that the HDMI cable was bad. The TV is on the wall, with all of the wiring inside the wall. It had to come down. This required a trip to Best Buy, who won’t let you in the store- you have to order online and pick it up at the store, 30 minutes away. When we got there, they didn’t have it. So that required a trip to WalMart. That in itself was an adventure.

On Thursday, the electrician came by and looked at the wiring job.

Today, the estimate for $1600 came in for the electrical job. Then the dishwasher broke. It seems to be a water sensor that looks for leaks and shuts the washer down if it detects one. The good news is that it is relatively new, and the warranty people will be here on Wednesday. Until then, we will be hand washing. I also need to drain the hot tub, since it won’t have power for awhile.

I had enough. I went shopping for some more ammo and discovered that the ammo shelves are almost empty, despite a notice that there is a 1 box limit per person. 9mm FMJ is selling for $20 a box. Instead, I decided to buy a new Smith and Wesson  686 in .357 Magnum. They gave me a decent price, I think. I could have paid less from an online source, but by the time I paid transfer fees, the cost would have been the same. I blame the Dirty Harry movie I watched this weekend for my sudden desire to own a revolver.

By Divemedic, ago