VICENZA, Italy — It was a simple concept. Invite the hit CBS reality show “Undercover Boss” to film a special Army-edition episode featuring 30 days of a field-grade officer going incognito as a junior first-term soldier.
But the episode — which will air next year during Season 9 of the series — went horribly wrong, a CBS spokesman confirmed today.
According to sources, the episode centers on Maj. Brandon Greenglass, with the U.S. Army Public Affairs Center, who assumes the persona of “Spc. Mark Fishman,” a new soldier with the Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade. As soon as “Fishman” arrives at his unit, several corporals immediately begin screaming at him to get off the grass. And within a matter of minutes, a staff sergeant has Fishman in the front leaning rest outside the company headquarters building, where he stays for the rest of the morning.
Later in the afternoon, Fishman is ordered to do lunges around the battalion footprint, while mimicking gills with his hands on his cheeks and chanting “Splish splish, I’m a fish,” as two team leaders follow him, pouring water from canteens onto his head, yelling, “Swim, fish! Swim!”
“I’m told they may have been trying to give him a period of instruction on proper camouflage while underwater,” an Army spokesman said.
After being given five minutes to change into a dry uniform, which took Fishman 20 minutes (an offense which cost him fifteen minutes of corrective exercises), he was then instructed to go “touch the chapel gate” on the small post of Caserma Ederle, which meant that he was to run to the gate and back.
It was on the return trip, in the July heat and humidity, that Fishman — really a 35-year-old staff officer whose last Army physical fitness score of 225 had been logged over three years ago — collapsed on the sidewalk in view of dozens of passing motorists and PX patrons.
The team leaders who had been trailing him with canteens assumed he was suffering from a minor heat injury and proceeded to render treatment, which bystanders say consisted of a token effort to move him to shade and loosen his uniform top while ridiculing the state of his physical fitness, impugning his value as a human being, and suggesting that he should commit suicide, sources said.
He was rushed to San Bortolo hospital in Vicenza, where doctors determined that he had suffered a mild heart attack.
Several soldiers who witnessed the event noted that Fishman’s “welcome” was more or less on par with how new soldiers were usually greeted.
“That’s how it was for me when I got here. I basically got smoked nonstop the entire first month I was in the company,” said Cpl. Ricardo Villanueva, one of the team leaders tasked with welcoming Fishman. “My squad leader said we got a new nerd college E-4 coming in, go scuff him up, so we did. I mean, everyone gets it when they’re the new guy so we can see what they’re made of. Guess he just got a weak little baby heart.”
“Well, he’s a little older than most new guys,” said Pfc. Lawrence Barksdale, one of Fishman’s platoon mates, “But we get all kinds of guys who come in later in life. One time we had a college E-4 who legitimately had a master’s degree from MIT. Comes into the Army as a specialist. Who does that?”
As of press time, production was wrapped on the episode, which, apart from the initial incident, mostly showed “Fishman” performing menial area-beautification and command-maintenance tasks, completing 20 hours of annual online training, attending a mandatory day-long sexual-harassment and assault brief, and filling out two command climate surveys — all while being relentlessly mocked by NCO’s and other lower enlisted soldiers over the “dead-man” physical profile he had been given after his release from the hospital.
In an unexpected twist, the episode’s climax features Fishman’s entire company leadership down to the squad level being relieved for cause. Show producers say the episode will be the season premiere.
A State Of Emergency Does Not Affect Gun Rights In Virginia
Virginia – -(AmmoLand.com)- With the pending hurricane warnings it is a good time to remind Virginians that their right to keep and bear arms is unchanged, even in a declared state of emergency.
After the gun confiscations that took place in Louisiana immediately after Hurricane Katrina, Virginia Citizens Defense League pushed for protections in Virginia law against such a thing happening here.
The following year those protections were signed into law. In Virginia, a state of emergency has no effect on our right to keep and bear arms, unless you are in a government-run shelter:
§ 44-146.15. Construction of chapter. Nothing in this chapter is to be construed to: … (3) Empower the Governor, any political subdivision, or any other governmental authority to in any way limit or prohibit the rights of the people to keep and bear arms as guaranteed by Article I, Section 13 of the Constitution of Virginia or the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, including the otherwise lawful possession, carrying, transportation, sale, or transfer of firearms except to the extent necessary to ensure public safety in any place or facility designated or used by the Governor, any political subdivision of the Commonwealth, or any other governmental entity as an emergency shelter or for the purpose of sheltering persons;
About Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL):
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
For more information, visit: www.vcdl.org.
Robert Campbell of Durham, who celebrated his 101st birthday on Aug. 17, died Saturday. He was the last known surviving pilot of the Air Battle of Midway in World War II.
He began his military service in 1938 and he retired as a commander in 1962.
Robert Campbell
A Navy pilot, Campbell received 17 ribbons and medals. Among them is the Navy Cross and a Presidential Citation. He flew missions off the USS Yorktown, USS Saratoga and the USS Enterprise against the Japanese in the Pacific. In 1941, he joined the USS Saratoga Bombing Squadron 3, and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he participated in battles throughout the South Pacific.
He joined the USS Hornet for the Doolittle Raid in 1942, the air raid by the United States on the Japanese.
He earned the Navy Cross for his participation in the Air Battle of Midway in June 1942. He was involved in numerous battles during World War II, including Guadalcanal. He was never wounded.
Campbell is survived by his wife, Elizabeth.
He sure got around in the early parts of WWII, when things were really hairy to say the least.
As is it, It sounds to me that God needed another Good Man up there, Good Luck Sir!
SACRAMENTO, CA (September 11, 2018) – Today, federal Judge Troy Nunley ruled that a California law banning licensed gun dealers from displaying handgun-related signs or advertising is unconstitutional and violates their First Amendment rights. The lawsuit, Tracy Rifle and Pistol v. Becerra, is supported by Second Amendment civil rights groups The Calguns Foundation (CGF) and Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) as well as industry association California Association of Federal Firearms Licensees (CAL-FFL).
California Penal Code section 26820, first enacted in 1923, banned gun stores from putting up signs advertising the sale of handguns — but not shotguns or rifles. “But,” the court held today, quoting from the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s landmark Second Amendment 2008 opinion in D.C. v. Heller, “the enshrinement of constitutional rights necessarily takes certain policy choices off the table.”
While the law completely banned handgun-related signs, the “Plaintiffs could display a large neon sign reading ‘GUNS GUNS GUNS’ or a 15-foot depiction of a modern sporting rifle, and this would be permissible,” Judge Nunley explained in his order, highlighting how unreasonable and under-inclusive the law was. And even after four years of litigation, “the Government has not demonstrated that § 26820 would have any effect on handgun suicide or violence.”
The government defended the law on the theory that it “inhibits people with ‘impulsive personality traits’ from purchasing a handgun,” but Judge Nunley held that this cannot justify restricting free speech rights: “[T]he Supreme Court has rejected this highly paternalistic approach to limiting speech, holding that the Government may not ‘achieve its policy objectives through the indirect means of restraining certain speech by certain speakers.’” “California may not accomplish its goals by violating the First Amendment. . . . § 26820 is unconstitutional on its face,” Judge Nunley concluded.
“This is an important victory for our clients and for the First Amendment,” said lead counsel Brad Benbrook. “Judge Nunley decided that the State could not justify its censorship of our clients, and we are delighted with the opinion. As the Court explained today, the government cannot censor commercial speech in a paternalistic effort to keep citizens from making unpopular choices – or choices the government doesn’t approve – if they are told the truth.”
“Under the First Amendment, the government may not restrict speech on the theory that it will supposedly lead a few listeners to do bad things, or even to commit crimes,” explained Eugene Volokh, a UCLA law professor who has written and taught extensively about the First and Second Amendments. “The Supreme Court has held this in the past, and has indeed often struck down restrictions on supposedly dangerous commercial advertising—including advertising for products that some people abuse, such as alcohol. It’s good to see the district court recognizing that the First Amendment has no gun advertising exception.”
“Today, the Court correctly ruled that the First Amendment protects truthful, non-misleading speech about handguns protected under the Second Amendment,” commented CGF Executive Director Brandon Combs. “People have a fundamental, individual right to buy handguns and licensed dealers have a right to tell people where they can lawfully acquire those handguns. Today’s ruling means that the government cannot prevent people, or gun dealers, from talking about constitutionally protected instruments and conduct.”
“This decision will serve as a reminder that firearms dealers have First Amendment rights as well as Second Amendment rights, even in California,” SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb said. “The bottom line is that a state cannot legislate political correctness at the expense of a fundamental, constitutionally-enumerated right. We are delighted to offer financial support of this case.”
The plaintiffs are represented by Benbrook and Stephen Duvernay of the Sacramento-based Benbrook Law Group as well as Professor Volokh. They expect that today’s order in the long-running lawsuit, which was filed in 2014, will be appealed by Attorney General Becerra to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
A copy of the order can be viewed at https://www.calgunsfoundation.org/tracy-rifle-v-becerra. The Calguns Foundation (www.calgunsfoundation.org) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that serves its members, supporters, and the public through educational, cultural, and judicial efforts to advance Second Amendment and related civil rights. Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control. California Association of Federal Firearm Licensees (www.calffl.org) is California’s advocacy group for Second Amendment and related economic rights. CAL-FFL members include firearm dealers, training professionals, shooting ranges, collectors, gun owners, and others who participate in the firearms ecosystem.
### END ###
Ordering of Surplus Government 1911s from CMP Begins Today, Sept. 4th!
byS.H. BLANNELBERRY
Time to submit your order form to CMP! Don’t dawdle! (Photo: CMP)
Today, Sept. 4, 2018, is the day folks! Ordering for the surplus 1911’s from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) has begun and will continue until Oct. 4, 2018. You have precisely one month to get your ducks in a row and submit your order form to CMP for the chance to purchase one of the 8,000 available pistols.
How this works is that each submission will be fed into a “computerized Random Number Generator on 5 October 2018,” says CMP. That generator will spit out a list of names in a sequential order and those at the top of the list or with the lowest number will be contacted first to select their grade of pistol. Remember there are three grades of pistols available: Service Grade, Field Grade and Rack Grade.
Per CMP:
Service Grade $1050. Pistol may exhibit minor pitting and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.
Field Grade $950. Pistol may exhibit minor rust, pitting, and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips are complete with no cracks. Pistol is in issuable condition.
Rack Grade $850. Pistol will exhibit rust, pitting, and wear on exterior surfaces and friction surfaces. Grips may be incomplete and exhibit cracks. Pistol requires minor work to return to issuable condition.
CMP also has “Auction Grade” 1911s, but those will not be part of the raffle. Those will be up for auction and the market will dictate the price. As CMP says, “Note: If you have already purchased a 1911 from CMP you will not be allowed to purchase an auction 1911. If you purchase an auction 1911, your name will be pulled from the sequenced list. No repeat purchasers are allowed until all orders received have been filled.”
It’s important to fill out the order packet over the next 30 days because even if you’re not chosen, you’ll be in line already for the next go-around.
“Customers with higher numbers may have fewer grades from which to choose. When this year’s allotment of 1911s is exhausted, the remaining orders will be held in the existing sequence for all future allotments of 1911s. The CMP does not know what future allotments might be,” says CMP.
CMP requires that you fill out all the relevant paperwork, including FFL information, while also providing proof that you are a U.S. Citizen, a member of a CMP-affiliated club and a participant in marksmanship or other firearm-related activity (e.g. a competitive shooter or a licensed concealed carrier). Not a member of a CMP-affiliated club? CMP provides a searchable database of clubs in your area that you can potentially join, some for as cheap as $25.
Here is a link to the complete “fillable” (meaning you can type in your info as opposed to printing it and filling it out by hand) order form along with instructions. Good luck! And remember, the deadline is Oct. 4th, 2018. Don’t dawdle!
For questions or additional information visit TheCMP.org.
BY BRAVO
About Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL):
