11/5/21

David Marshall Williams: The True History of “Carbine Williams”

By: Sam Jacobs | Ammo.com

history of jeff cooper America loves an outlaw. Some outlaws simply need to find their calling, and David Marshall Williams is such a man.

A convicted murderer of a sheriff’s deputy, no less, he turned his prison experience into a tale of personal redemption and revolutionized the field of semi-automatic firearms for over a century.

The Misspent Youth of David Marshall Williams

Williams was one of a whopping 12 children born to James Claude Williams, a wealthy and highly influential landowner in Cumberland County, North Carolina. His early life is pure Americana: Expelled from school in eighth grade, he apprenticed underneath a blacksmith. Finding this life lacking in adventure, he lied about his age and enlisted in the United States Navy at 15.

He didn’t last long as a sailor, as the Navy quickly sussed out that he was too young for service. He enrolled in the Blackstone Military Academy where he was quickly expelled for theft of government property: several rifles and over 10,000 rounds of ammunition. The enterprising young Williams shipped the stocks to his home, refusing to return them.

In 1918 Williams married and settled down a little bit. He found work as a manual laborer with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, however, he didn’t last long there, either. He pulled a pistol, shot at a bird, and succeeded only in earning a pink slip.

david marshall williams

Two Lives Change Forever

Finding that work-a-day life didn’t much suit him, Williams turned to the booming and lucrative trade of moonshining. July 22, 1921, would change Williams’ life forever.

On this day, Williams’ still was raided by local authorities under the command of the Cumberland County Sheriff. Like many moonshiners simply seeking to earn an honest living during the madness of national Prohibition, Williams defended his property and his livelihood with lethal force. While trying to escape, Deputy Sheriff Alfred Jackson Pate was shot twice. He died at the scene.

Williams curiously chose an insanity defense. His first trial for first-degree murder ended in a hung jury, with one lone holdout maintaining that Williams was not fit to stand trial. Not wanting to stand trial a second time, Williams copped a plea for second-degree murder and narrowly avoided the death penalty. It is lucky for firearms enthusiasts that he did. The Second Act of his life is one of both redemption and genius.

Continue reading →

10/29/21

A Distributed Capacity for Violence: A Brief History of Weapons Technology and Political Power

By: Sam Jacobs | Ammo.com

distributed capacity for violence The Constitution contains a powerful set of ideals and a wise system of governance, based on a deep reading of classical and medieval history as well as Renaissance philosophy. However, none of this matters if no system of force is in place to keep and defend the Constitution.

Ultimately, this is what the 2nd Amendment is about: A distributed capacity for violence guaranteed to private citizens so that they may serve as a check and balance on the power of the state.

America’s Founding Fathers understood an uncomfortable truth: Behind every law is the implicit threat of force, and behind every vote is the implicit threat of rebellion. Such a bargain is what holds a free society together. And no society with a wide power imbalance remains free for very long.

This truth was predicated upon the Founders’ classical education and their deep understanding of the power dynamics underpinning the systems of governance during the Roman Republic and Ancient Athens. The Roman Republic in particular influenced their views. Why? Because it provided not simply a template for government, but a historical warning about what can happen to a republic if precautions are not taken to ensure its survival.

Thus the Constitution intentionally contained concepts like separation of powers and a system of checks and balances. These concepts were predicated upon a core truth, as eloquently stated by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence: ‘Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.’”

If you picture political power as a pyramid, the intention of the Founders was clear: The individual was paramount, having natural rights, and the individual would then delegate a portion of his or her political power to the state – hence, the state governed with the individual’s consent.

Continue reading →

10/23/21

Jeff Cooper: The Forgotten History of Lt. Col. Cooper and his Impact on Combat Readiness

By: Sam Jacobs | Ammo.com

history of jeff cooper The United States Marines have a saying: “Every Marine a rifleman.” That being said, some of them are pretty handy with a pistol, too.

Lt. Col. Jeff Cooper literally wrote the book on modern handguns in combat. In fact, you’re probably already acquainted with a number of concepts he introduced to the world of pistols, even though you might not know his name. Some of them are so common sense and simple that it’s hard to believe anyone had to invent them.

This was the genius of Jeff Cooper.

Jeff Cooper’s Marine Corps Career

It’s impossible to tell the story of Jeff Cooper without talking about the United States Marine Corps. Indeed, Cooper enrolled in the Junior ROTC program when he was still studying at Los Angeles High School. He then attended Stanford, earning a degree in political science before receiving his commission in the United States Marine Corps.

During World War II he served in the Pacific Theater, earning the rank of major. In 1949, he resigned his commission, but duty called during the Korean War and so, Cooper returned. He served in irregular warfare and earned a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel. After the war, he applied to remain on active duty but was rejected.

From there, Cooper earned a master’s degree in history and taught part-time at a high school and a community college. Here he remained until the early 1970s when he applied his passion for teaching to his passion for weapons.

It was in 1976 that Cooper founded the American Pistol Institute, now known as the Gunsite Academy. While he primarily taught rifles and shotguns to law enforcement, the concepts developed by Cooper during his time running the American Pistol Institute for pistols and long arms alike are used by every intelligent and responsible gun owner to this day.

jeff cooper and his wife

Jeff Cooper’s Combat Readiness

It was at the American Pistol Institute that Cooper developed the modern technique of the pistol. This was his system for pistol combat. Without knowing what it’s called or who invented it, much of it will seem familiar to you:

Large caliber, semi-automatic pistol: Cooper was an early advocate of the 1911 and a big caliber to go in it. At a time when most men favored wheel guns, Cooper believed there was simply no substitute for a semi-automatic with a big round like a .45 ACP.
The Weaver stance: Opinions vary on the best stance for combat, but Cooper was a strong supporter of the Weaver stance, developed by Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Jack Weaver through his experiences in competitive shooting.
The draw stroke: Cooper preached the importance of the draw stroke. A holstered weapon doesn’t do anyone any good. So Cooper drilled his students to consistently practice drawing their weapon with perfect form to be combat-ready.
The flash sight picture: Just as a holstered weapon is useless until drawn, so too is a weapon useless if not pointed in the right direction. The flash sight picture is a method of quickly targeting an attacker with sufficient accuracy. It is essential in life-or-death situations.
The compressed surprise trigger break: Considered the “secret” of quick and accurate shooting, the compressed surprise trigger break, which is a somewhat more sophisticated version of the “double-tap.” While Cooper did not invent the double-tap, he systematized the training for such.

All of the above are basic combat training for civilians, military, and law enforcement alike. While Cooper didn’t “invent” any of it, per se, he synthesized previously existing methods into a cohesive program of combat readiness just about anyone could learn.

Continue reading →

09/5/21

Big Labor’s Socialist Agenda

By: Cliff Kincaid

The phrase, “Workers of the world unite,” is right from the Communist Manifesto. As we celebrate Labor Day, it’s important to remember how the communists historically tried to tap into the anger and discontent of American workers. Herbert Romerstein, who worked for the House Committee on Un-American Activities, the House Internal Security Committee, and the House Intelligence Committee, documented communist manipulation of the organized labor movement in a report for my group America’s Survival, Inc.

How successful have the communists been?

In today’s America, their main vehicle is the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a Marxist organization that draws heavily from the ideas of the late Italian Communist Party theoretician Antonio Gramsci and refers to its members as “comrades.” DSA, which describes itself as the largest socialist organization in the United States, says it has “rapidly grown from 6,000 to almost 100,000 members” and “helped elect 155 DSA-endorsed candidates,” often by “running open socialists on the Democratic Party ballot line.”

The most prominent member of the DSA is Bronx Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, best known as AOC, who is described as DSA’s “foremost socialist superstar.” In 2019, the group says they “coordinated” an “organization-wide vote on endorsing Bernie for President.”

Former President Barack Hussein Obama’s socialist backing goes back at least to 1996 when he received the endorsement of the Chicago branch of the Democratic Socialists of America for an Illinois state senate seat. Former AFL-CIO boss John Sweeney was a member of Democratic Socialists of America

Back in 2011, I grilled a top official of the 12.5 million-member AFL-CIO, Karen Nussbaum, about her participation in an illegal 1970 trip to Communist Cuba organized by Weather Underground terrorist Bernardine Dohrn. The exchange was captured on tape.

Since Castro and his communist successors have outlawed independent labor unions in Cuba, as well as freedom in general, Nussbaum’s fascination with the communist system on the island is a relevant line of inquiry for those concerned about the dangers of socialism and totalitarianism here and the current direction of the AFL-CIO.

Continue reading →

08/26/21

2021 Afghanistan is not 1975 Vietnam

By: Yoram Ettinger | CCNS

In 1975, the US disengagement from Vietnam fulfilled the goal of the Viet Cong, thus ending the US-Vietnam conflict.

In 2021, the US disengagement from Afghanistan advances – but does not fulfill – the goal of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and therefore does not end the conflict between the US and Islamic terrorism.

In 1975, the vision and strategic goal of the Viet Cong was limited to the territory of Vietnam, consistent with an eventual peaceful coexistence and cooperation with the resourceful US.

In 2021, the 14-century-old vision and strategic goal of Islamic terrorism is not limited to the territory of Afghanistan. It is driven by fanatic imperialism, striving to subordinate the “infidel” West – and especially “The Great US Satan” – which is perceived to be the key obstacle on the way to Islamic global domination. Islamic terrorism is determined to establish a global Islamic society, ruled by the Quran and Sharia (“divine law”), which is inconsistent with peaceful coexistence with the “infidel” US, irrespective of its involvement in Afghanistan. In fact, it requires a decisive war against the US, including terrorism on the US mainland.

In 1975, the US was involved in a Vietnam civil war, faced with the choice of fighting in the Vietnam trenches, or disengage and spare itself a war.

In 2021, the US is fighting against an intrinsic, anti-US Islamic terrorism, faced with the choice of confronting Islamic terrorists in their own trenches (which is costly), or disengaging and gradually shifting the war to the US trenches (which is dramatically costlier).

In 2021, US policy-makers are reminded that the Taliban and all rogue regimes are not impressed by – and are not willing to adopt – the Western values of human rights, democracy, international law, and peaceful coexistence.

Moreover, rogue regimes are not impressed by US diplomacy, as they are by effective US counter-terrorism and posture of deterrence.

Islamic terrorists don’t seek popularity in the international community. They seek to intimidate the international community all the way to submission, peacefully or militarily.

Continue reading →

08/21/21

Battle of Appomattox: Understanding General Lee’s Surrender

By: Sam Jacobs | Ammo.com

The Battle of Appomattox Courthouse is considered by many historians the end of the Civil War and the start of post-Civil War America. The events of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to General and future President Ulysses S. Grant at a small-town courthouse in Central Virginia put into effect much of what was to follow.

The surrender at Appomattox Courthouse was about reconciliation, healing, and restoring the Union. While the Radical Republicans had their mercifully brief time in the sun rubbing defeated Dixie’s nose in it, largely in response to the Southern “Black Codes,” they represented the bleeding edge of Northern radicalism that wanted to punish the South, not reintegrate it into the Union as an equal partner.

The sentiment of actual Civil War veterans is far removed from the attitude of the far left in America today. Modern-day “woke-Americans” clamor for the removal of Confederate statues in the South, the lion’s share of which were erected while Civil War veterans were still alive. There was little objection to these statues at the time because it was considered an important part of the national reconciliation to allow the defeated South to honor its wartime dead and because there is a longstanding tradition of memorializing defeated foes in honor cultures.

The Events of the Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

Long story short, the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse was a last-ditch effort by General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia to meet up with the remaining Confederate forces to consolidate their efforts. The Greys failed and General Lee surrendered to Grant which effectively ended the war.

For ceremonial purposes, General Lee waited for General Grant in a white uniform. Grant, who suffered from migraines, noticed his headaches end once he and Lee had negotiated a ceasefire. Grant, in his magnanimity, allowed Lee to choose the place of his surrender – Lee famously chose the Appomattox Courthouse.

General Grant’s generosity extended beyond allowing Lee to choose the location of his surrender. Lee’s men were allowed to keep their horses, sidearms, and personal effects, including their mules –Grant recognized the importance of the mules for the upcoming plowing season. Grant went so far as to give Lee’s men rations for their journey home. Lee could not have hoped for much more and certainly would have been satisfied with far less.

The terms of surrender were dictated to Grant’s assistant, a Seneca Indian by the name of Ely S. Parker. Lee commented at the time that “It is good to have one real American here,” to which Parker replied, “Sir, we are all Americans.” Indeed, this was perhaps truer than it had ever been in American history.

civil war

A particularly poignant moment followed when Lee exited the courthouse and Grant’s men applauded in celebration but were quickly rebuked by their commanding officers. He immediately ordered an end to any celebration, remarking that “The Confederates were now our countrymen, and we did not want to exult over their downfall.”

General Custer and other officers purchased furnishings from the room where the surrender took place as souvenirs. General Grant went out to visit General Lee and other Confederate soldiers. The two sat on the porch of the McLean House, where the two talked before setting off for their respective capital cities. Generals Longstreet and Pickett also made an appearance.

Grant was not the only one willing to make concessions in the name of national unity – the very idea of a ceremony of surrender was anathema to much of the top brass in the Confederacy.

Continue reading →

07/18/21

The Downing of TWA Flight 800: 25 Years Ago Today

By: Roger Aronoff | CCNS

July 17 marks the 25^th anniversary of the downing of TWA Flight 800, in which 230 people were killed when the Boeing 747 blew up off the coast of Long Island, New York just 12 minutes into a flight from New York to Paris. Last week in Ashburn, Va., not far from the nation’s capital, the reconstructed fuselage of the plane was set to be scrapped, as if to wipe that memory from the nation’s memory bank.

Earlier this month James Kallstrom died. He was the FBI’s headman in New York, and he led the FBI’s criminal investigation into the explosion that brought the plane down. I was set to meet with Kallstrom, along with my correspondent Reid Collins while working on a documentary on the subject in 2001, but less than an hour before our scheduled meeting, he called me to reschedule, which never came about.

This was a story that I was intimately involved with, having participated in the investigations into the cause of the disaster, and having written and produced a documentary laying out the case at the time for the three leading theories as to what brought the plane down: a naval exercise gone wrong; a terrorist attack on the plane; or a mechanical and electrical failure, which is the official version of what happened.

On July 2^nd, 2013, I saw the reconstructed fuselage of TWA Flight 800 at a press briefing put on by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), shortly after the wreckage was brought to the NTSB Academy in Ashburn, about 45 minutes outside of D.C.

Continue reading →

06/29/21

John Wayne: The Forgotten History of “The Duke”

By: Sam Jacobs | Ammo.com

john wayne

John Wayne is an American Hollywood icon every bit the equal of James Dean or Marilyn Monroe. He is also a man from another era, a man whose conservatism came as naturally as walking down the street. Affectionately known as “The Duke,” he spent three decades as a top box office draw with 179 film and television credits to his name

Before The Duke: Marion Robert Morrison

His story is as American as his values. Born Marion Robert Morrison in Iowa at a whopping 13 pounds, his family relocated to Southern California. His family first arrived in America from Ireland in 1799 and his grandfather was a Civil War veteran. His nickname was bestowed upon him in childhood (“Little Duke” at the time) by a milkman amused by the omnipresence of Wayne’s Airdale Terrier, Duke.

Wayne attended the University of Southern California where he studied pre-law and played football for the Trojans before a broken collarbone from a bodysurfing accident ended his college athletic career. Losing his athletic scholarship forced Wayne to drop out of school.

He was first hired by the legendary Western director, John Ford, and silent Western star, Tom Mix. It was Mix who then introduced him to Wyatt Earp, who Wayne credited with his on-screen mannerisms.

Becoming the Duke: John Wayne’s Early Film Career

Wayne was hired as a favor to the equally legendary USC coach, Howard Jones, who later portrayed himself in Knute Rockne, All American, the famous Ronald Reagan film. Wayne soon graduated from an extra and prop boy to bigger parts – this began his life-long working relationship with director Ford. Director Raoul Walsh renamed Marion Robert Morrison “John Wayne,” though Wayne would keep his birth name for the rest of his life. Wayne was not present at the meeting where his stage name was crafted.

Continue reading →

06/21/21

Outside View: Specter of Tuskegee Returns

By: Rand H. Fishbein, Ph.D. | CCNS

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2005 by CCNS member, Rand H. Fishbein, Ph.D.

It has been more than 70 years since the U.S. Public Health Service began its study into the effects of syphilis on 399 human test subjects — all of them black, all of them poor and most of them illiterate. When the infamous Tuskegee experiments finally came to light in 1972, the public, at last, learned the horrible truth.

The men in the Tuskegee study were never told they had syphilis, nor were they told the real purpose behind their participation in the experiment. Worse, they were systematically denied treatments that would have eased their suffering. In the annals of U.S. medical history, the Tuskegee experiments have become synonymous with ethical misconduct at its worst. The federal government assured the public that malpractice of this sort would never happen again. Sadly, however, it has.

Beginning in 1997, a team of researchers from The Johns Hopkins University, generously sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, conducted a clinical trial of the drug nevirapine in Uganda. Known as HIVNET 012, the researchers sought to prove that the anti-retroviral drug was safe and effective in preventing the transmission of the deadly AIDS virus from pregnant mothers to their newborn babies. According to the NIH, approximately 800,000 children worldwide became infected with the human immunodeficiency virus — the organism that causes AIDS — through mother-to-child transmission in 2002.

In 1999, the researchers published their findings: One dose of the drug nevirapine, given to a mother shortly before delivery, and once to her newborn, significantly reduced the incidence of HIV transmission to the child. The World Health Organization affirmed its support of this simple and inexpensive regimen. The medical community quickly adopted nevirapine as the drug of choice for pregnant HIV-infected women in resource-poor countries.

Yet, as with the Tuskegee experiments, something went horribly wrong. In 2002, an audit of the HIVNET 012 trial raised questions about the validity of the study data. According to independent auditors, medical records of study participants could not support the published results, and numerous violations of the study protocol occurred without written explanation.

Continue reading →