Custer

Today is the 133rd anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

What could possibly be said that hasn't been said already?

How about Custer was murdered?

Looney? Have I been collecting 'conspiracy theories' so long that I'm seeing historical spooks (spooks, hmmmm)? Nope.

What I think is a matter of putting facts together, especially pieces long unconsidered or obfuscated.

First, we need to get past the collectivist revision of history that Custer was just some Indian hating nutjob. He was a man, not a nut nor a shining hero. Study his military record. I'd rather have Custer at my back than U.S. Grant or Sherman. He was a man of honor and expressed sympathy for Indians. He also was helping expose a corrupt Grant Administration. The evidence is there. Again, as I say, search for yourself. Don't read an essay nor a dissertation and say for sure. Dig.

Why did I mention murder? It could be speculation. Nothing conclusive. But the evidence points to gross negligence by Captain Benteen and Major Reno, the officers in charge of the other two thirds of the divided command. I'm not taking time here to reiterate the whole battle. Look at www.custerwest.org. There is a plethora of views and evidence supporting my opinion and one of the most comprehensive collections of research about the Battle and participants.

The Indian accounts conflict with Reno's and Benteen's. Plus, there is a marked dicrepancy within just years re the officers' accounts.

Benteen said there were around 1500 warriors at the battle in 1876. By 1879 he claimed there were 9000. Reno was more conservative as it were. In 1876 he said 2000 and in 1879 there were 'at least' 4000.

Benteen said Custer's fight was a complete rout. Hollow Horn Bear said the soldiers were organized and fighting very hard. Moving Robe said it was a hotly contested battle. Crow King saluted Custer and his men by saying he had never seen soldiers so brave and fearless. White Bull claimed it was a very hard battle.

Benteen further stated Custer's fight was over in an hour. Sitting Bull simply said the battle lasted three hours. Horned Horse answered even more simply that it took a while to kill all the soldiers. Crow King declared it took three or four hours.

Also the size of the Indian village grew considerably over the next three years after the 'last stand'.

Nelson Miles was General in Chief of the U.S. Army when he wrote his autobiography. He had studied the battle and found it odd that an inquiry was not asked for.

His research was thorough as he did reenactments and asked witnesses as well as visiting the site several times. BTW, General Miles and his troops defeated Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph and Geronimo. These were not cinches but hard fought. And unlike the movies took more than a few minutes with no music save for a bugle call or two. He spent 22 years coming to his conclusions.

As to what would have been the outcome if Reno had not retreated, the Indians would have left. And they would have been between two fires, two hard fighting commands.

Custer had fought gallantly and given proper and judicious orders as well.

When Miles went to the battlefield with soldiers, he discovered that fifteen minutes would have brought the commands together with a different outcome. And Benteen should have struck out straight for Custer. Benteen said arrogantly he thought Custer able to take care of himself. Of course Miles knew any commander couldn't win with 7/12s of his command in rifle shot but NOT there.

Custer actually sent an order for Benteen to 'come on and be quick'. He refused.

Reno concurred that he didn't think Custer needed help quickly. Uhuh.

Search for yourself.

As for murder, it's just my hunch, though there is some study on the matter.

Many a 'problem' has been solved for despots by eliminating exposure (Vince Foster etal.).

Could have been pure cowardice and incompetence. There has always been plenty of that.

IMHO, we could use some commanders now like Custer and Miles. And for that matter some like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Men of honor who keep their oaths.

Hoka Hey and Garry Owen.

Patchwork Quilts

Works to behold. Love and care. They take time.

We've had several in the family. There was one that kept me snug as a bug when I was a kid. Soft, thick with all kinds of colors and little 'knots' on it.

These quilts, as said, take some time to sew. And many a quilter has put much energy into same. Most have some message to convey re family history. They are one of the most individual pieces of craftwork made. No assembly line stuff.

Many pieces brought together to fashion one lasting piece. When it gets worn, it can be shorn up, repatched. If not the original maker, one just as skilled tasked to keep it together.

Once burnt, that quilt is gone. Can another take its place? Depends on the skill of the makers. It can be remade the same yet with the differences new artists bring.

Perhaps what is most important is the 'spirit' along with all the other effort that inspires it.

It might just inspire others to make one out of many.

Sore, tired, but seeing it become reality, we can have the same yet different.

From many, one.

Sense Memory

Ever remember a favorite meal your Mom made? How about the cigars your Dad smoked?

I'm talking good memories, not burnt food and 'stinking rope' etc. There are bad memories but for me the good outweigh the bad (Yes, I happen to have become acquainted with the smell of death while with cops I knew. Why mention it? Well, i didn't want this to seem too Pollyannaish, just be positive.).

A perfume a girl wore? Maybe candle wax and paper, even ink.

Of course, no list would be complete for me without recalling the odor of Hoppes #9 as my brother and I cleaned our guns. Good day shooting/hunting. Good times gone but never forgotten.

These things comfort me. They never coddle. Rather, the inspire me to keep going.

Seems whenever I'm down for whatever reason, some sense memory comes to visit, bringing assurance, thoughts of the past to bolster the present and build for the future. Deeds done and deeds to come.

A Friday reflection that I hope brings back the best for you too.

Day At The Museum

'If you want my guns, this is how you'll get them.'

So says a note apparently written by Holocaust Museum shooter James von Brunn.

Sounds like a nightmare version of Charlton Heston's famous 'from my cold, dead hands' quote.

Can you see anything more transparent? More demonizing?

The enemies of Freedom have concocted a slick scenario from which to riposte our stand. So they think.

So many holes so little time. Perhaps mountains out of moleholes.

This bird von Brunn is held up as an 'extreme right winger'. Gun owning, he hates Jews, Blacks denies the Holocaust and generally rants in neonazi rhetoric. This broad brush has been used before by the commies etc. And what needs to be remembered is this guy is just another collectivist too.

Mike Vanderboegh points this out at his blog. I've got it listed to the right here. Go there. See what he says. There is a wealth of wisdom as it were!

The 'crisis' at the museum seems to back up a Homeland Security finding that there is a real danger from us gunowners with strong nationalist ties, aka restoring the Constitutional Republic. Of course it does not.

This strutting nazi boy is NOTHING like us. We are Freedom minded. We want to be left alone. Von Brunn wants all to ascribe to HIS ways. Typical collectivist drivel. No free will. Just do as the state says.

Vain attempts as usual to equivocate decent honest folks with socialist filth.

We will defend ourselves. But we do not murder. We do not terrorize. We merely wish to live freely in the tradition of the Founders.

Forcing us to do otherwise is a matter for self defense.

We even defend the right of those who oppose us to state their reasons.

But we are resolved to stay Free. To be left alone. Self regulation is the basis of our Republic.

How much clearer can we be?

Don't let these socialist etc. Fanatics dictate what we are or how we live. Speak up. Show them to be the callow fools they are.

This latest attempt at demonization will fail. It already has.
But 'they' will continue hammering us.

Riposte. Blow for blow and word for word resist. And remind them that we will not start a fight. But we will end it.

Smoke Nazis

Today cigars/cigarettes. Tomorrow our guns? Not so silly at all.

It's the 'camel's nose in the tent', the foot in the door.

And it's tyranny, candy coated 'in our best interest' aka health in this case.

I've mentioned in a previous post that I gave up cigarettes in 91. I did it as my own free choice. No one coerced me. Our vices, as with our virtues, are a matter of free choice, free will. You cannot legislate behavior.

The statists keep trying however. Public safety, for the children, good health, excuses all draped in ideas that might seem plausible.

Reminds me of a pedophile (I prefer the moniker child rapist.) who said gov would enslave society by first using his kind as test cases. Among the most reprehensible, people would say yes, let's track em. Monitoring the undesirable so we are safer. Sounds good huh? Just a step to total control.

Security is a two sided coin. What can be used for 'good' can easily be used for 'evil'. Progressive (Yes. Also in the sense of 'commie') steps 'for the common good' lead to oppression. Just check out Nazi Germany.

Government can't help itself. Peds etal should be punished (I would prefer summary execution), but not at the expense of our Freedom. It can be done without resorting to 'big brother'. And it can be made VERY clear, that those of us who cherish Freedom need not be on a list. Easier said than done. But not impossible.

How about we keep enemies of Freedom on a list? Wait, we already do. You know who you are. We watch and wait, noting all your offenses and just what you do.....

As for personal choice, that is just what it is. Gov has NO business telling us to wear seatbelts, helmets, to smoke or not, to drink or not, what to eat, how to be entertained etc. For weal or woe, THAT is up to us.

Our wouldbe masters just salivate when there is a shooting, 911 or other offense. rushing to 'defend' us, they readily toss out Freedom for security. And many let them.

The woman who taught me German (There was another, just as skilled) was a translator at Nuremberg, talked to me about East/West Germany. There are always those who prefer to be told what to do. Not me I told her. She smiled. Thus why she was living in the US. She and many have seen what is happening here. Just like there native lands, we are becoming a police state. The commies have done a number on 'reactionaries like here me and you. I hope you are of like mind. We must stop this two step of death for this Republic.

Must we go door to door? Hmmm. Stand up to these cultural bullies and face em down.

Not a smoker? Don't drink? Think helmets and seatbelts are dandy? OK that's YOUR choice. But wake up, stand up and see the bigger picture.

Remember Martin Niemoeller. German Lutheran pastor who wrote the 'First they came for...' poem. He was a mixed bag ideologically. Antinazi, but said to make antisemitic remarks, he later became a pacifist and antiwar activist. However, his poem is quite accurate.

Paraphrasing, first they came for the smokers. I didn't smoke so I did nothing. Then they came for the no seatbelters. I wore a seatbelt, so I did nothing etc.

Not to mention (Well we always say that when we actually MEAN to mention lol) how they go for the guns. Aha. Surely THAT gets a rise from some. Yep but not enough.

I know a guy who doesn't own a 50 cal., say that he didn't have a 'dog in that fight' re banning them. WTF??? What affects one affects all. Personally, I'd like a Beowulf and one of the Barrets -s-.

Nonetheless, what affects one eventually affects all. Yep. That's a tired old story. So is the rise of tyranny. Therefore, it makes waking people up all the more recrudescent.

Please, don't waste an opportunity to get people to think about our slide into democracy. No, not a wild 'you're next' approach like Kevin McCarthy at the end of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Plant seeds of Freedom instead. Look for that opportunity to 'pitch' the 'story' (Though there might be an exception who needs a swat on the backside -s-).

Perhaps we might remember that 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions'.

FEAT

Matt Bracken has done it again. Foreign Enemies and Traitors is the third in his 'Enemies' trilogy.

First was Enemies Foreign and Domestic. Shootings at a stadium result in a ban of all semiauto rifles. This leads to resistance and the story of several who participate to stop and expose the tyranny'

Those efforts are only partly successful. The situation gets worse.

In Domestic Enemies the Reconquista, we see the Southwest carved up by communist hispanics as the US continues to deteriorate. It is an intricate story of how people suffer much in order to be free.

Foreign Enemies and Traitors takes place in the aftermath of two catastrophic earthquakes in the Midwest. There have been further splits amongst the States. Foreign troops are enlisted to 'pacify' a rebellious West Tennessee. The rot is almost complete for the Republic and the country is on its way to take its place in a one world government.

Again, recurring and new characters resist. They are people of honor who willingly fight to begin restoring the Constitutional Republic.

They are folks with their own faults. These are true human beings.

Villains are shall I say, quite reminiscent of current real life traitors. The events are fictitious. But, they are plausible and illustrate what is happening re the destruction of our Freedom.

Socialism/communism is rotting the fabric that made us great. Traitors who have no regard for our Freedom have labored long to see to our demise and induction into worldwide socialism.

Matt has given us three great reads that are thought provoking and challenging.

'It is meant to leave people thinking, "What would I do? When do I have to make a decision?" Otherwise, our country is doomed to drift into permanent, hard core socialism.' So says Matt himself. I completely agree.

Also, he paints a picture of the cost of fighting for Freedom. There are no knights on white horses. There are no complete tidy answers. There is a lot of struggle, death and privation. War is indeed hell.

There are people who are committed to real justice, to righting wrongs, often in very graphic ways.

This challenges us in the real world to think about what we must do and the price. Are we willing to do the work so that one day the blood sweat tears and dirt are worth it?

Though Foreign Enemies and Traitors wraps up Matt's trilogy, it by no means gives a tidy end to what happens in his cautionary tale.

There will be much work ahead of us. And we may never be the same. But I believe we can again be free.

I'm willing to do my part to Restore the Republic. I hope those who read these books come to that same conclusion.

Please notice I have a direct link to Matt's homepage to the right here. Check it out. Or order from Amazon.

Then get the word out. Help spread hope and inspiration that we don't crumble in defeat. May we have a new birth of Freedom!

Thanks Matt. All the best for the future!

Keyboard Commandos Etc

There has been much talk lately of said people.

Apparently, there are some who have fought who take umbrage to those of us who have not done so talking of combat. Don't throw the baby out with the bath. We are all in this together.

I speak, of course, of the fight to restore the Constitutional Republic. It's gonna take a lot of folks in a lot of jobs to effect this. War, however fought, is always so.

There are some who are delusional. They seem to think that playing games and theorizing make them 'experts' on war. They labor under a misconception to say the least. Reminds me of some gamers who confuse their 'knights in shining armor' characters with what or even who they actually are. I know of one who thought it would be nice to try fencing. He (flabby and soft) fell exhausted after one class session and subsequently dropped out.

To seriously approach being ready to fight, I suggest they check out some of Mike Vanderboegh's 'Praxis' articles. www.sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com Just look for them.

For a ready reference aka training etc try Pete's Western Rifle Shooters blog. www.westernrifleshooters.blogspot.com

Learn from the professionals. Train. 'More tools for the toolbox' from reliable sources.

I would NEVER pretend to be something I am not. Nor would I associate with any who do. I reserve the right to study history and I will comment as I see fit. If I am wrong, please correct me. I've had many an eye opening talk with vets both mil and intel.

To those who paint with a broad brush, look before you leap. You might be eschewing those who will be among the most ardent fighters.

To those who think that seeing a war movie or playing a game qualifys you for what well is coming, you are seriously wrong. Wake up or get out.

When the rubber hits the road be ready to drive.

Overlord

Code name for the invasion of northwest Europe in June, 1944. Actually what we know as D-Day was just part of it. That night and morning on June 6 have become legend.

Study all the history. Learn everything you can about it. There are fewer men left who participated all the time. I hear only 20 are visiting for the 65th anniversary.

It will soon be left to us to remember and carry on. If you know a WW2 vet, talk to them. Let them tell you what happened for the sake of truth, for the sake of what may happen to us. Such is history. It can be real or the musings of those who would make events their pet for their own manipulation. There are those who want to take custody of our past in order to fashion a travesty for the future.

There is so much more to what we call D-Day than I could write about even in a book. The planning, supplies, men and the brilliant intel job are intricate and the stories varied. Yet that day, June 6, it boiled down to men on the line. Killing and getting killed. Watching themselves.

At that moment, there is no flag, no home, nothing but fighting through. Some died instantly at the landings. Many more died on the beach. Those who continued to live had a job to do. It was the job at hand. Live and fight through. Get off the beach.

Don't get me wrong. Family and country motivated most of them. That was always at the back of their minds. But to preserve that country and get back to that family etc, they had to fight through. So it was before June 6 and then and ever since. So it will be for all of us.

How dare I, a mere civilian speak of what these guys did and thought? I base it on knowing many of them over time. Perhaps those who have fought more recently would support this view of combat.

I appreciate it. Sacrifice that ultimately led to the defeat of a great evil. Of course, the fight against evil isn't even remotely over. Communism is NOT dead. Just look at our commie usurper to the presidency, for instance.

We must stand as that generation did against enemies of Freedom.

Be inspired by that resolve to fight through. It led to the defeat of that particular evil. So it will now with our share of the battle.

When we 'are in it', all else will be there but at that moment, we will fight through.

Will we not?

If we fight through, we can defeat that which seeks to destroy the Republic. There won't be as many civilians then.

War is total. It encompasses an effort shared by many, in many positions.

I dare to speak of such things because I will do my part, whatever that may be.

What will you do?