07Nov06

With the holiday travel season upon us, here is some flying advice from a friend and student who travels even more than I do:

"Be informed and self-contained. Don't put yourself in a position where you have to rely on the benevolence of the airline, TSA, or airport officials.

They're mostly incompetent and couldn't possibly care less.

Carry a small flashlight. TSA (currently, at least) has no problem with these. It will come in handy when the power goes out in the concourse or o n the plane. It can also serve as a non-lethal weapon. After screening, keep it

on your body, so it will be with you during an emergency exit.

Don't allow anyone in your party to wear headphones in an airport. Everyon e in your party needs to be paying attention, not drifting off into semi-consciousness.

Find your gate and proceed to it as if we are on a mission. After you've located your gate, you can then worry about lunch, getting your shoes shine d, etc.

Don't talk too much. Keep your life story to yourself. When asked, you're

visiting friends; you're never on 'business.'

Travel light. Large, carry-on bags take the fun out of air travel! When you have big bags, check them through and get them out of your life until y ou arrive at your final destination.

Go through screening quickly and without drama. Don't draw attention to yourself.

After screening, purchase snack items and water for your carry-on bag. Tha t way, when you land in Atlanta or Chicago, and you're casually informed that

you can't get off the sweltering airplane for several hours, your discomfor t will be minimized.

Check guns through in checked baggage, but put your holster in your carry-o n bag. After screening, you can go to a restroom and put the empty holster on. That way, when you arrive and deplane, you can quickly rearm yourself shortly after you claim your luggage.

Modern airports are no place to stroll around in condition white."

Comment: Most of all, don't fail the attitude test! TSA folks and airline employees like nothing better than a power struggle. They know they can ma ke you miss your flight. Remain self-collected and unruffled, dull and boring . Even under the best of circumstances, you're going to miss a flight or a connection now and then, and your baggage will occasionally arrive late. G et over it. If you've never missed a flight, you're spending too much time in

airports!

/John

07Nov06

More from friend and teacher, Skip Gochenour:

"When confronting a VCA, the first imperative is to live through the encounter. The fact is: you could well end up dead, crippled, or in jail. The decision to violently resist unlawful force carries with it all of those ri sks. The decision must always be balanced against doing nothing, which also carr ies with it great risks. There is no risk-free way out, no free lunch! Failur e to recognize, consider, and confront these bona-fide hazards is evidence of

an unhealthy delusion.

Many refer to the doctrine of continuing to shoot the VCA 'until the threat is eliminated.' This technique does not take into account the time i n which the VCA's brain continues to be adequately oxygenated. So long as his brain remains oxygenated, his body is capable of violence. Thus the Practitioner

needs to find time for the VCA's brain to be depleted of oxygen. Thi s critical time can be acquired by forcing the VCA to hunt for, re-acquire, and attempt

to re-engage. Studies done by ATSA and others have shown that stepping to t he side will consume one to three seconds of the VCA's valuable time i n order for him to re-orient. Such side-stepping, punctuated by prompt re-engageme nt of the VCA, will do more to consume the time needed to deplete the oxygen i n his brain than will repeated shots from a static position. In addition, en try wounds to the side of the VCA who is turning to re-engage will now have a ' reasonable explanation.'

Ultimately, your trail lawyer is stuck with the case that is delivered to him. What he must do is persuade a jury that his view of the meaning of th e facts is the one that should be accepted.

By analogy, he is trying to convince members of the jury that they are abou t to consume the best lunch they have ever enjoyed. The problem is that the main ingredient is shit! The lawyer's mission is to take the main ingredient, mix it with mayo and spices, get the best bread, greens, tomatoes, garnishes and sides in order to make the sandwich appealing and attractive. He places this 'meal' before the jury, glorifyin g it with verbal enticements, hoping to convince them it is the most wonderful sandwich they ever seen. That is a lawyer's job."

Comment: Skip's endorsement of rapid, lateral movement is shared by nearly all of us. Remember, we have to live long enough to win!

/John