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Month: April 2023
by John Harris
Following practically every mass public shooting, the gun control advocates call for “reasonable” responses to “gun violence”. One of the present favorite alleged solutions of the those who seek to ban guns in society is the incrementalism that includes the opportunity to leverage a tragedy by calling for “Red Flag” laws.
A “Red Flag” law is nothing more than a gun confiscation order. That is its failure as a solution to violence. But, that is the very reason why gun abolitionists proffer it at every opportunity.
Those who advocate for Red Flag laws will claim that it is a mechanism which allows families, friends, co-workers, and even law enforcement to bring a complaint to some category of judge. Typically, the complaint asserts that the individual is an immediate risk of harm to himself/herself or to third parties if they are allowed to have possession of a firearm. The complaint seeks an ex parte order from the judge to direct law enforce to go out and seize the individual’s firearms. That seizure can be temporary or permanent. That order may or may not result in the individual either temporarily or permanently being able to purchase a firearm. It is important to note that usually the complaint is filed and the order is issued with no notice or opportunity to be heard before the order is issued and the firearms seized.
A “Red Flag” law is not effective because it operates under a delusion that the firearm is a necessary element to the person’s capacity for violence or willingness to hurt themselves or others. Its a lie just like Satan telling Eve everything would be ok if she just ate the apple. Just like Satan’s lie, the Red Flag law lie is not designed to do what the advocate claims, it has an ulterior goal. For Red Flag laws, the lie is that it would stop or avert violence but the ulterior goal is to have the government seize firearms.
The problem with the Red Flag law is the true goal of its advocate. The advocate’s true goal is gun abolition and gun control. The goal is not in stopping, reducing or preventing violence. It is not in interceding with someone who has a mental or emotional crisis that makes that person an immediate risk of harm to themselves or others. The Red Flag law literally ignores and could care less about the risk which is not the gun but the person’s mental or emotional situation. The real risk is ignored because the gun control advocate’s objective is not to deal with the REAL problem. The only goal is increased and ultimately total gun control.
But there are steps that are designed to deal with the risk – the individual who poses an imminent risk of harm. There are already laws in Tennessee and most other states which are designed specifically to deal with the situation where an individual is an imminent risk of harm to themselves or others.
Tennessee’s existing laws regarding “emergency involuntary committals” provide a means to deal with a situation where a person poses an imminent risk of harm to himself/herself or to others. Under these emergency orders, a petition can be filed with a judicial magistrate or judge. The petition has to be supported by a preliminary mental assessment by either doctors or other qualified individuals. If the court finds that the person does pose a risk of harm, the court can order that the person be involuntarily held in a mental health facility for up to perhaps 2 weeks for professional observation and assessment by mental health professionals. The procedure focuses on the individual and whether the individual is a risk. It takes the risk, the person, and gets them help by having professional medical assessment and if necessary treatment.
Emergency committal proceedings place the focus on the real risk – the person. Red Flag laws do nothing but advance a gun control myth and agenda. Red flag laws make progressives and some Republicans “feel good” but leave the real risk – the individual – unsupervised and free to pursue their agenda by any means of their selection.
Another problem with consideration of Red Flag laws is whether they are even constitutional After the United States Supreme Court’s decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen in June 2022, there is a serious question of whether a Red Flag law would be an intentional violation by the state and the proposing legislators of the 2nd Amendment, 14th Amendment and whether it would constitute a knowing federal civil rights violation if enacted.
The Supreme Court clearly placed an affirmative burden on the state to show that a law of that type existed in 1791. Legislators who propose such laws but who are unable to put forth clear and convincing proof that a Red Flag law or a clear analogue was part of the “national historical tradition” in the states as of 1791. Although the reported cases applying Bruen to mental health issues have generally not advanced to the appellate level at this point, at least one New York Court has already ruled in partial reliance on Bruen that New York’s Red Flag law violates the constitutional protections and thus declared to unconstitutional.
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John Harris is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Firearms Association.
Photo “Gun” by Karolina Grabowska.
North Korea is preparing to send 500,000 soldiers from its armed forces on combat missions in support of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, a Russian state TV war correspondent has claimed.
In his youtube video, Aleksander Sladkov, a seasoned Russian journalist specializing in military affairs, claimed that North Korea is firmly aligned with Russia in the ongoing conflict.
He further added that Pyongyang is willing to contribute to the effort by dispatching its troops to take part in the special military operation – a term commonly used by Moscow instead of referring to the conflict as a war with Ukraine.
However, Sladkov, citing sources in Pyongyang, also mentioned that this military assistance from North Korea would necessitate approval from China.
Sladkov further said that an impressive force of at least 500,000 North Korean troops is prepared to assist the Russian military, and a decision regarding their deployment to fight in Ukraine could be made presently.
Sladkov described how North Korea has reportedly issued a call for volunteers, who are willing to participate in the Russian operations in Ukraine, and on the first day alone, around 800,000 individuals expressed their eagerness to join.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, reportedly declared that her country is “on the same boat” as Russia, implying that North Korea supports the Russian point of view on the conflict.
Additionally, Kim Yo Jong herself has stated that a war could potentially break out between North Korea and the United States.
“I spoke with a friend of mine, the head of a Korean war veterans’ organization. He was here recently. I said, ‘What do you guys have?’ He said,’ 50,000 special forces are ready for deployment’,” said Sladkov.
Sladkov’s claim comes after a military analyst based in Kyiv commented on the possibility of North Korea providing military aid to Russia.
The notion of North Korean troops potentially participating in the conflict in Ukraine is not a new one and has been previously discussed by various experts and officials.
However, since Sladkov’s comments are coming from a source, it indicates that the speculation is being taken more seriously and has moved up a level.
North Korea Sends Weapons To Russia
In November 2022, the United States claimed that Russia was procuring weapons from North Korea and employing them in the conflict with Ukraine.
However, both Russia and North Korea have denied claims by the United States that Russia is procuring millions of rounds of ammunition and other weapons from North Korea.
Furthermore, it was reported that North Korea supplied rockets and missiles to the Wagner Group, a private military company based in Russia.
The United States has already designated the Wagner Group as a “transnational criminal organization” due to its alleged illicit weapons trade with North Korea, which violates United Nations Security Council resolutions.
As Russia has become increasingly isolated due to its conflict with Ukraine, it has recognized the growing significance of its relationship with North Korea.
While the relationship between the two countries hasn’t always been as amicable as it was during the Soviet era, North Korea is currently benefiting from Moscow’s desire for allies.
Russia, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, has consistently opposed putting more pressure on North Korea.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea publicly expressed its support for Moscow, including recognizing the independence of breakaway regions.
The acquisition of weapons from nations such as Iran and North Korea could serve as a temporary solution for Moscow even as it seeks to boost its domestic defense production to fulfill the military’s requirements.
By doing so, Russia could continue fighting at a similar pace as before. Experts believe that since Russia is currently competing with the industrial output of western countries, it will need to restructure its defense industry accordingly, which will take time.
Furthermore, military observers have pointed out the risks associated with North Korean missiles and ammunition, which are unlikely to have been manufactured to a high standard.
US officials highlighted that the shipments of weapons that Russia has acquired from Iran and North Korea indicate that the ongoing war in Ukraine and western sanctions have weakened Russia’s military capabilities and reduced its ability to manufacture new weapons.
I’m old enough to remember what a dial tone sounds like — and a busy signal. I’m so old, I remember picking up the phone every hour for five hours to tell my sister, “Hey, I need the phone!”
That’s right — every house had one phone, one phone line.
I’m so old I remember my childhood friends’ telephone numbers — Tony Salvatore was 657-8566, Jon Hulbert was 654-4503, Joel Adler was 657-5005, and my own phone number was 652-7693. Those have been in my head now for nearly 50 years.
But when I lost my phone over the weekend — I figured I left it in the men’s grill at the golf club after our round — I had to call my friends. But how?!
I have no idea what my friends’ phone numbers are, even though I call them all the time. Google was a nightmare; endless links came up when I searched their names, most wanting me to pay for the privilege of finding their numbers. And you’d be shocked to find out how many people have the same name as all of your friends.
But I tried several numbers anyway — all of them were the wrong people. The last guy I talked to said he didn’t know who I was, joked that he didn’t know where my phone was, but in a kind gesture, said he hoped I’d find it soon.
Of course I tore my car apart, nothing. And I scoured the house, taking every cushion off the couch. Then I headed to the golf club. They didn’t have it, with the manager saying no phone was turned in. The pro shops’ guys likewise said no phone was left in a cart.
At this point, I began to get suspicious. My phone is, after all, worth $1,000, and with eBay, anyone who found it could make a small fortune selling it. Someone must have it; it didn’t just disappear. Someone stole it!
Eventually, I was able to find the phone number of one golf buddy and he sent out a group text. Still nothing. No one saw it, no one had it.
All that by mid-morning. So, I just had no phone. I checked prices to buy a new one ($1,100), but decided to give it some time, maybe my phone would miraculously turn up.
Thus my phoneless life began. I decided to run some errands and, with any luck, get in a quick nine holes. Off to the grocery store.
But once there, I went to check my “notes” for my running grocery list. No phone. No list. Then I needed to ask my wife if we needed a few things. Couldn’t. No phone. And then I couldn’t find an item, so I reached for my phone to check the app for its location. No phone.
And that’s when one wonderful thing about phoneless life happened. I asked a random person if she happened to know where my item was. She told me what aisle to try. I said thanks, then complimented her shirt — she was wearing a Team Iran shirt, and this was before the big U.S.-Iran match in the World Cup.
The woman said she was born in Iran but moved to America as a young girl. She said she still loves Iran, but is supporting protesters rallying nationwide after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly beaten in police custody for failing to properly wear a hijab. And she said that she’ll be happy with whoever wins the game.
I would’ve never had that conversation if I’d had my phone. Head down, I would’ve just looked up the app — and likely wouldn’t have even seen her.
Errands done, I hit the golf course. But instead of turning music on via my phone, as usual, I just played in silence — well, not silence because wildlife everywhere was making a cacophonous racket. But that, I realized later, gave me a wonderful sense of ease.
And, unlike every other round, I didn’t reach for my phone between shots to see if someone had emailed or texted. Please, I’m not that important and nothing’s really that urgent, is it?
In the evening, we gathered to watch a movie. But I couldn’t just pick up my phone at a boring part to flip through, so I watched every second intently. I realized then, too, how often I split my attention — for no reason.
In one-last ditch effort, I stripped the couch again and my wife spotted the phone, shoved way down. I had my phone back!
But that night, I didn’t take it upstairs to bed. I didn’t scroll it for an hour before going to sleep. And when I woke up, it wasn’t there to pick up right away to read email and texts.
And that’s when I realized that little by little, my phone had gotten the best of me. Without thinking about it, I often just mindlessly flipped through my phone. But I learned (again) that it’s simply a tool, one that I can decide when (and more importantly, when not) to use. I control my phone, it doesn’t control me.
And I’ll probably always remember that conversation with the Iranian woman, knowing that it would’ve never happened if I’d had my phone.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.
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A good weaver grip
The Germans during World War 2 were arguably history’s greatest villains. Driven by such vile engines as greed, ambition, and weaponized racism, the Nazis envisioned a world subservient to their idealized vision of the Ubermensch. Alas, the non-Aryan majority of the world’s population had a few things to say about that.
Despite their dark irredeemable ethos, the Nazis during the course of WW2 developed some of the most advanced weapons the world had ever seen. What began as a grand war of conquest ultimately devolved into a desperate struggle for national survival. The prospect of having your lands and your families ravaged by an invading army can be a powerful motivator. As I type these words the Russians are learning that timeless lesson yet again in Ukraine.
The Germans gifted the world with the first examples of the assault rifle, optimized combat submarines, operational jet fighters, and surface-to-surface ballistic missiles. While German military innovations have shaped the world for seventy years, in no place has the Nazi martial mythos been more profoundly manifest than in their tanks. The German Panther and Tiger tanks struck fear in the hearts of Allied servicemen wherever they fought. While much of this stemmed from propaganda and wartime rumors, the Panzerkampfwagen Mk V and VI were undeniably revolutionary combat vehicles.
My wife once told me that any political aspirations I might once have had went out the window the first time a photograph was published of me wearing a Waffen SS uniform. I do indeed maintain both an SS uniform as well as that of a wartime German fallschirmjager in my writing closet. I use this kit as props for my literary efforts. I am, however, living proof that you can admire a nation’s military acumen and sundry martial accouterments while still harboring the requisite disdain for their dark politics and twisted worldview. Just as well, the American political Left would be rendered frankly apoplectic by a Will Dabbs Presidency anyway.
The Waffen SS or Armed SS was a curious army within an army during World War 2. SS stood for Schutzstaffel, and it was originally imagined as Hitler’s personal bodyguard. By the end of the war, the Waffen SS had consumed 900,000 troops divided into 38 combat divisions. However, particularly toward the end, some of these divisions were more like Kampfgruppen or small battlegroups. They were divisions in name only.
While the Waffen SS has been rightfully reviled for committing battlefield atrocities, they were some seriously snappy dressers. SS troops pioneered the use of camouflage uniforms, and the black mufti of the SS panzer corps just strikes a visceral chord. Ever on the prowl for outstanding Nazi soldiers to use to inspire the folks back home, Joseph Goebbels and his propaganda machine made good use of dashing young SS panzer officers. One of his favorites was Oberscharfuhrer Ernst Barkmann.
Background
Ernst Barkmann was born in 1919 in Kisdorf in Holstein and was raised on a family farm. In 1936 Barkmann volunteered for the SS-Standarte Germania. At the ripe age of 17, Ernst Barkmann was an SS trooper.
Barkmann invaded Poland with the 9th Kompanie as a machine gunner and was wounded. Two years later he was wounded again during Operation Barbarossa near Dnieprpetrowsk and awarded the Iron Cross (Second Class). After he recovered he did a brief stint as an instructor before volunteering for service with the 2d SS Panzer Division Das Reich. While manning a Panzerkampfwagen Mk III, Barkmann fought during the Battle of Kharkov in early 1943, earning the Iron Cross (First Class) for his efforts. By the middle of 1943, Barkmann had transferred into one of Hitler’s new wunderwaffe or wonder weapons.
Barkmann’s new mount was the Panzerkampfwagen Mk V Panther. This highly advanced German medium tank was designed to be the answer to the ubiquitous Russian T34. Sporting a high-velocity, long-barreled, tank-killing 75mm gun along with unrivaled speed and maneuverability, the Panther was hoped to be able to sweep the battlefield of Russian armor. Reality, as is so often the case, was a different beast entirely.
The Fight
By early 1944 it had become apparent that the Allies were planning an amphibious invasion of France. Barkmann and his 2d SS Panzer Division were therefore transferred from the Eastern Front to the Bordeaux area of Southern France to await the invasion. Immediately after the invasion on June 6, 1944, Das Reich advanced to St. Lo to contest the advance of the American 9th and 30th Infantry Divisions along with the 3d Armored Division. The stage was set for a simply epic scrap.
What follows is drawn from several sources, some of which include the Waffen SS itself. Combat on such a scale as this is the most frenetic of human pursuits, so the details are frequently tainted by the fog of war. Add to this that the Germans were desperate for heroes, and you have the recipe for exaggeration. However, historical records show that American forces did indeed burn through Sherman tanks at a simply breathtaking clip. Regardless of the specifics, Ernst Barkmann and his Panther crew comprised an undeniably effective tank-killing machine.
Barkmann knocked out his first American Sherman on July 8. Four days later he eliminated two more and damaged a third. During this engagement Barkmann’s Mk V was set ablaze but later recovered. After a stint in the Division workshop, his Panther was ready for action yet again.
On July 14th Barkmann was tasked with recovering four other Panthers that had been cut off behind Allied lines. He succeeded in this chore and added another three Shermans to his tally. Two weeks later Barkmann’s tank had been hit by Allied fighter-bombers and repaired yet again. Now cut off from his Kompanie near Le Lorey, he was informed by retreating Wehrmacht troops of a column of fifteen American Shermans approaching along with sundry support vehicles. Alone and unsupported by other armor, Barkmann backed his Panther into a heavy copse of oak trees and waited.
During the subsequent engagement, Barkmann destroyed the two lead tanks along with a fuel truck before all hell broke loose. The Americans attempted to maneuver around the burning hulks only to be holed by the German’s vicious high-velocity 75mm gun. The bloodied Americans retreated and called in tactical air support to neutralize the rampaging Panther. In the air attack, Barkmann’s tank was damaged and two crew members were wounded. When two more Shermans advanced to administer the coup de grace he destroyed them both.
By the time the dust cleared Ernst Barkmann had destroyed nine Shermans and a variety of support vehicles. Historians have come to refer to this engagement as “Barkmann’s Corner.” For his performance during this battle as well as some audacious action over the following two days, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross.
The Tank
The Panther was rushed into service in mid-1943 before its teething troubles had been fully explored. Powered by the same 690-horsepower Maybach V12 petrol engine that drove the Tiger I, the Panther was designed from the outset to be fast and maneuverable. However, at 45 tons, the Panther was markedly heavier than Allied medium tanks.
The Panther supported a five-man crew and was well-equipped for combat. The electrically-fired 75mm Kampfwagenkanone 42 L/70 high-velocity gun launched a 10.5-pound armor-piercing, composite rigid projectile at 3,700 feet per second that were capable of penetrating 194mm of steel armor plate at a 30-degree angle of incidence. Combat loadout was 79 rounds of main gun ammunition. Alongside the 75mm gun, the Panther also carried two MG34 belt-fed machineguns and 5,100 rounds of linked ammunition.
The Panther’s ZF AK 7-200 transmission incorporated seven forward gears and one reverse. The tank’s radically advanced double torsion bar, interleaved road wheels provided an unrivaled smooth ride and subsequent stable gun platform but were notoriously difficult to maintain. You had to remove two healthy wheels in the front to get to a single damaged wheel in the back . Despite its prodigious weight, the Panther had a maximum speed of 34 miles per hour and a road range of 160 miles.
Though I have seen a Panther up close I have never been inside of one. It seems to me like the turret would be terribly cramped given the immense size of the gun’s breech. Despite its well-documented reliability problems, the Panther was indeed one of the most capable tanks of the war.
The Rest of the Story
SS-Oberscharfuhrer Barkmann fought with distinction during the Ardennes Offensive that we came to know as the Battle of the Bulge. At one point, overwhelmed by American armored vehicles, Barkmann’s Panther was rammed by an Allied Sherman. The Panther’s engine stalled and the turret jammed, but Barkmann nonetheless destroyed the attacking Sherman before successfully restarting his engine and making his escape. On Christmas Day 1944 Barkmann was badly wounded yet again.
By March of 1945, Barkmann had recovered sufficiently to rejoin his unit fighting the Russians on the Eastern Front. Overwhelmed by the sheer weight of numbers, Barkmann’s SS panzers gave ground reluctantly. By April of 1945, Barkmann and his crew were fighting near Vienna, Austria. There Barkmann’s Panther was inadvertently hit by friendly fire, and he was wounded yet again. Soon thereafter his Panther was irreparably disabled and destroyed by its own crew. SS-Oberscharfuhrer Ernst Barkmann was able to make his way to the British lines where he surrendered.
Ernst Barkmann earned the Panzer Assault Badge for fifty successful armored engagements with the enemy. Barkmann and his crew were ultimately credited with destroying some 82 Allied tanks, 136 armored fighting vehicles, and 43 antitank guns. He eventually returned to Kisdorf where he lived out his days as fire chief and later Burgermeister.
Ernst Barkmann died in 2009 at age 89. Despite the horrors inflicted upon the world by the Nazi regime, Barkmann was indeed an undeniably effective tank commander. Special thanks to www.worldwarsupply.com for the cool replica gear used in our reenactor photos.
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Somebody forgot their meds today?
Are those the White Cliffs of Dover?