This has been in the news a lot lately, and because of my background I’ve had a bunch of you ask me my opinion on the matter.

First off, I spent a lot of years as a firearms instructor. During that time I certified a couple thousand people to carry a concealed firearm in the state of Utah. One of the things that I made sure I harped on every single class was that it was a permit that says you can carry a gun in order to defend yourself from serious bodily harm, not a badge. It isn’t your job to enforce the law or protect other people’s property. Sometimes you’re going to blunder into a bad situation, but then if humanly possible you’re supposed to avoid and deescalate, and shooting somebody is a last resort to keep you or others from getting seriously hurt. Period.

For a regular citizen, placing yourself in danger unnecessarily is usually a bad call. Following someone, especially because you think they are up to no good, even if you think you’re doing it for a good reason like vectoring the cops in on them, falls into that bad call category. Neighborhood watch isn’t the police.

That said, just because you do something stupid to put yourself into a bad situation doesn’t mean that the resulting shoot itself was justified or not. For those of you getting super worked up one way or the other, you don’t know either, and you need to calm down.

Here’s what it comes down to. You don’t have the facts. You’re not one of the investigators and you’re not one of the attorneys, and odds are you won’t be on the grand jury. The available facts from different witnesses has changed daily. This shooting demonstrates exactly why we have a justice system. The law says that if in Zimmerman’s situation, a reasonable person would believe that they were imminent danger of serious bodily harm, and Martin had the ability and opportunity and presented himself as such a threat, then Zimmerman was justified in using deadly force. If Zimmerman did not have those things, then he wasn’t justified, and then should be tried in criminal court, and if found guilty, sent to prison.

That’s how the system normally works when the media doesn’t get involved.  

Also while on the topic of the law pertaining to shooting people, this has absolutely nothing to do with Florida’s Castle Doctrine, and as soon as you hear somebody spout off about that like they have a clue, you can safely file them in the idiot bin. That law doesn’t even come into play here, and anybody who thinks it does, probably doesn’t know jack about self defense law or they’ve got an agenda and they’re milking this. As a rule of thumb, if you don’t know anything about a topic, you probably shouldn’t try to sound smart about it by repeating anything you heard on the news, because they’re usually wrong, and people who know what they’re talking about will just think you’re an imbecile.

But the most important thing I take from all of this, the race baiting assholes out there need to shut the hell up.

Seriously. If their hypocrisy and evil doesn’t enrage you, then you need to take a step back and examine your life. The Black Panthers are offering a $10,000 reward for Zimmerman dead or alive. Spike Lee put the guy’s address out on Twitter for all the little psychopaths to go get their murder on. I’m a little confused here… Wasn’t lynching people without a fair trial one of those things we’re supposed to be ashamed about in our nation’s history?

As more facts come out, it seems like racism didn’t really have much to do with the shooting. But hey, don’t let that stop you. Innocent? Guilty? Who cares? Let’s burn this sucker down!

We’ve got the President saying that if he had a son he’d look like Trayvon… What do his looks have to do with it? Oh wait! That’s right. This is Obama we’re talking about here. It is always about race. Just like how he proclaimed that the Cambridge cops acted stupidly before he had any facts, Obama knew that this shooting was all about race, and not about the fact that allegedly getting your face kicked in legally constitutes serious bodily harm in the state of Florida.  

He also said we all need to examine what role we played in this event… No, Mr. President, we don’t need to examine our roles in this because that is friggin’ stupid. We didn’t have a role in this shooting, nor did you. The people who had a role in this are the two individuals involved, then the witnesses, investigators, attorneys, jury, and judge. None of which are you. So you need to quit fanning the flames for opportunist dirt bags like Sharpton and Farrakhan and let the justice system do its job. If you have any role to play at all, it certainly isn’t to be a prognosticating douche bag about topics you know nothing about. I’m pretty sure most other Presidents would try to prevent riots. I know. Crazy, right?

Man, this whole thing pisses me off.

If Zimmerman is guilty, fry him. If he is justified, then he should be left alone. And going back to what I taught in CCW classes, this whole thing is a perfect example of why you should just stay out of other people’s business whenever possible.

Because conquistadors get the longest killing streaks and unlock mad perks.

http://minimumwagehistorian.wordpress.com/2012/03/14/conquistadors-get-the-longest-killing-streaks-and-unlock-mad-perks/ 

Am I related to Gaspar Correia? I don’t actually know. However, he was a historian who made up wild crap about monsters and mystical adventures because writing about actual real stuff was lame. So if we are related at least I know where I get it from.  

Vasco – Hey, Correia. What’s on the other side of those mountains? I don’t think the Portuguese have ever gone there. Correia – Oh, those mountains? That’s where there are dragon mummies that are ridden by ninjas who fight gladiatorial battles in an arena made of solid gold. Vasco – Oh. Groovy. Hey, let’s go pillage the **** out of that village.

Because my ancestors simply did not give a crap. Outnumbered 8,000 to 1? Well, that means we might be late for dinner.

Continued from: http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/the-burning-throne-episode-19-honor-tears/ 

This week’s episode is written by Steve Diamond. During Writer Nerd Game Night we meet a lot of different characters. Steve really likes writing up the antagonist’s point of view. You can’t just have bad guys, you have to have bad guys with motivation. These are the giant bird riding barbarians that went on to kidnap Tsuruchi Machio. 

Aerie of the Sky Riders

Wind howled in Naran’s ears as he directed Odval into a dive.  On the mountain side below the goat never stood a chance.  It was dead the instant Odval’s talons—each the length of long knives—torn into the goat’s body.  There was no fear.  No chase.  It made for more tender meat this way.  Fleeing animals gained a certain measure of toughness.

Laughing, Naran patted the giant eagle’s neck and steered it back in the direction of the Aerie.  His other Sky Riders plummeted and rose along the face of the mountain each claiming a prize.

Tonight they would feast in celebration of his son, Guran’s, wedding.

He tightened his knees, then ankles against the eagle’s body, signaling it higher.  They rose and rose until they were the air was hard to breathe.  From here he could see forever.

Today he saw fire.

The Rokugani temple was aflame.  Even from this distance Naran could tell not all the flame was natural.  Magic was burning.  It consumed the temple within moments.  The fire and smoke should not have bothered him—the rokugani were careless fools with their magics and often did more harm to themselves than anyone else—but something in that unnatural colored flame filled his soul with unease.

Perhaps coupled with his son’s wedding night it was an evil omen.  He would converse with Badzar when he landed.

Naran turned his eyes north and saw more fire, but this he was expecting.  The Dark Oracle was burning the land.  Lesser yobanjin tribes were foolish enough to see the Dark Oracle as a god and savior of the land.

Let them waste their time on the land, Naran thought.  We have the skies, and no one can take them from us.

***

Ten goats roasted over fires with ten more goats being prepared.  It was a feast to please even the Gods.  Men beat drums in traditional rhythms for dancing.  Laughter and joy filled the Aerie.

“You wanted to speak with me, Chief?”

Naran cut off a thin slice of goat to sample before turning around.  He recognized the sound of his shaman’s voice.  “Yes, Badzar, I did.” He handed the wizened shaman a piece of the meat.  “Tell me, does this meat honor the occasion?”

Badzar bit a chunk off and chewed slowly, savoring the juices.  His face split into a smile, “Perhaps not, Chief.  I think I should take it all for myself so no one else has to eat this poor offering.”

“Ah, but then you would get fat,” Naran said laughing, “and then your poor eagle Jarval would break her back trying to carry you.”

“I would fall to my death,” Badzar agreed.

“You?  We can afford to lose a shaman.  It’s the eagle I’m worried about, as well as the unfortunate piece of ground you fall on.”

Badzar threw his head back and roared his laughter.  The tribesmen and women closest to them joined in.  The mood was festive.  It was a perfect night for celebration.

“Have you thought on the omen, shaman?”  Naran asked after they had wiped the tears of laughter from their eyes.  Badzar’s face grew subdued.  Naran knew that look.  Bad news was coming.

“It is confirmation of what I have been seeing for weeks, Chief,” he said, then lowered his voice.  “Something is coming.  If we didn’t already have this feast planned I would have moved it until the next moon cycle.”

“What comes?”

“I don’t know.  That’s what worries me.”

A shout drew Naran’s attention.  “Father!  It is time!”

Naran turned and saw his son approaching the central fire.  Guran wore a covering of stitched-together eagle feathers.  They were only taken when the great bird shed them naturally.  The ceremonial garb had taken months to make.

Guran’s bride, Falel, approached from the opposite end of the village.  She was similarly dressed, but the feathers of her dress were white as pearl, and the seemed to absorb the light from the fires.  Her feathers came only from the female eagles.

Where Guran’s garb had taken months, Falel’s had taken years.

And then another sound drew Naran’s attention.  The death cry of an eagle.

The Aerie erupted into chaos.  Men, women and children ran for their huts to retrieve weapons, but by then it was too late.  Surrounding the village were thousands of yobanjin.  Their scarring—a practice Naran had long ago forbidden among the Sky Riders—marked them as the Walkers of the Volcano, one of the larger yobanjin tribes.  They had long since sworn allegiance to the Dark Oracle.

And now they were here, in the Aerie.

A hulking man pushed his way through the ranks of yobanjin.  He carried the severed head of an eagle in his arms.  Naran’s vision clouded with anger, but he knew no good would come of attacking the man.  He would doubtlessly kill the land-bound dog, but the numbers the Walkers had would easily crush the rest of the tribe.

“I am Hajak, Chief of the Walkers of the Volcano,” the man shouted.  “I bring you the greetings of the Dark Oracle.  He wishes to know why you haven’t yet joined him.”

“The sky has no master,” Naran said.  He didn’t need to shout for all to hear him.  If a Chief had to shout to be heard, he didn’t have control of his people.

“I feared such a response,” Hajak shouted back.  He laughed loud, as if enjoying a joke only he had heard.  “The Dark Oracle will have your servitude, whether of your own free will, or forcibly.  Will you serve willingly?”

“The sky has no master,” Naran repeated.

Hajak nodded.  “Very well.”  He addressed his own people.  “Take the women and children!”

Many of the Sky Riders moved to stop them, but they were quickly subdued.  Naran’s Sky Riders held an easy advantage when mounted on their eagles, but on the ground they were only out-numbered yobanjin.  Naran found himself face-down in the dirt, a Walker’s knee in his back.

Naran flinched as the severed eagle head dropped into the ground next to his face.  Tears escaped involuntarily from his eyes at seeing the death of such a magnificent creature.

“You shed tears for animals but not for your people?” Hajak taunted as he knelt down on one knee.  “No wonder you were so easy to subdue.  We could easily erase your tribe from existence, but the Dark Oracle is benevolent.  At any time you can submit to his will, and we will give you your people back.  The Dark Orcale is also looking for magical items from the Rokugani ruins.  Bring him magical items and he will return your people.  Or you can make things simple and try to fight us.  We will happily slaughter all of you.”

Out of the corner of his eye Naran watched as a Walker ripped the ceremonial wedding dress from Guran’s bride’s body and threw it into one of the fires.  Within an hour all the women and children were gone, herded away as captives.

Naran stood and brushed dirt from his body.  “Riders,” he said, and then waited for his men to surround him. “We will not submit, but neither will we fight…for that is a battle we cannot win.  When the fires die at the Rokugani temple, we will look for the items the Dark Oracle wants and get our families back.” 

“They will just come and take them again!” someone shouted.

Naran nodded. “They will try.  We will find a new home, higher in the mountains where not even they can reach us—where even the Dark Oracle would die from lack of air.  There will be no discussion.  The sky is eternal, and so will we be.” 

His people didn’t roar their approval, they silently turned around and went about leaving their homes behind.

#

To be continued next Friday, when Makoto tells off a celestial dragon.  http://larrycorreia.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/the-burning-throne-episode-21-arguing-with-dragons/ 

http://m.sltrib.com/sltrib/mobile/53750155-81/nerds-geeks-event-saturday.html.csp

As many of you know, Mike Kupari is my co-author on the Dead Six series, and just got back from a deployment to Afghanistan. He’s got another month of active duty, and then he’ll just be in the guard.

Which means that now Mike needs a job.

I was eating lunch with him today and this topic came up. He’s been looking, but hasn’t had any luck yet. He’s got a lot of really cool skills, but there are only so many times a day when a local business needs to defuse an improvised bomb.  So I offered to use my blog to help him shake the trees.

So if you know of any job openings at your workplace, please post in the comments. Mike will be reading them and will respond to you directly.

Now let me tell you about Mike. If you look at his resume, he’s done military (Army Engineer), military contracting (in Qatar), security guarding, and then back to the military (Air Force EOD). However he really doesn’t want to go back to being a security guard. He’s got 3 years of college, but didn’t finish because he went off to do the contracting thing.

He worked for me back when I was in the gun business, and I can say with all honesty that he is a really good salesman. He’s excellent with people and far more patient than I am. I used Mike as one of my assistant instructors any time I could, just because he was so good at dealing with people and excellent and training and answering questions. He’s got excellent written communications skills. Heck, the dude’s written a book good enough to get picked up by a national publishing house.

Mike is currently a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force. He’s an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician, which means the robot-driving, bomb-suit-wearing, balls-of-steel, go down and mess around with the murder-bombs guys. Like I said, this is not a skill set that sees a whole lot of use in the civilian world. But think of it this way, when you ask during the interview about how the candidate deals with stressful situations, Mike’s definition of what constitutes stressful will be a bit more refined than the other candidates. “Oh, no. I got the TPS reports filed in the wrong order! The boss will be upset!” vs. “If I don’t play this game of high speed death chess against the Taliban exactly right, then they’ll have to scrape up my remains with a spatula.”

I am one of his references. Personally, I would trust Mike with my life. He’s like an uncle to my kids.

So if you know of anybody looking to hire right now, and you want a smart guy, who is good with people, and can handle pressure, do me a favor and post in the comments.

EDIT: Forgot to add, Mike currently lives in Utah near Hill AFB.