This just in from our friends at Specter Gear.
You’ve been nice and bought everybody exactly what they wanted for Christmas. Now we would like to help you out and make it easier to treat yourself to some gear You really want. So, from now until midnight next Thursday (12-27-12) Specter Gear is offering 15% off all retail purchases. Just enter the code MYTURN2012 in the coupon code box at checkout to apply the 15% discount to your order. Thank you. Merry Christmas!
Back in July we predicted that Joe Teti would be the new co-host for Discovery Channel’s “Dual Survival.” Turns out, we were right. Look for the premier of the new season on 1 January.
It’s well known in the prepper community that the Discovery Channel series hit a pregnant pause as the show looked for a replacement for Dave Canterbury. Old pro Cody Lundin has remained with the show but folks have been scratching their heads wondering who the new co-star would be. Well, we think we have it figured out.
We believe that the new co-host for season three of Discovery Channel’s “Dual Survival” is Joe Teti who is a Veteran of the US Marines, Army Special Forces and OGA. Joseph Teti is also the director of International Security Consultants.
Season three of “Dual Survival” has wrapped up.
Here is Discovery Channel’s bio of Joseph Teti:
Joseph Teti is a veteran of both US military and US government special operations units. He is a former Force Recon Marine, Army Special Forces “Green Beret”, and a former operator in a highly classified government counter-terrorist unit.
He is a combat veteran of both OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) in Iraq, and OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) in Afghanistan. He planned and conducted a broad range of special operations missions covering the entire operational continuum. These missions gave the President of the United States an option when overt military and / or diplomatic actions were not viable or politically feasible. Operations of this nature required rapid response with surgical application of a wide variety of unique skills, while maintaining the lowest possible profile of U.S. involvement. He has participated in numerous classified direct action missions with several Tier 1 SMU’s (Special Mission Units).
Joseph has performed high-risk PSD (Personal Security Detail) operations in Afghanistan and Iraq for U.S. government and civilian clients. He was also a member of a U.S. State Department close protection team assigned to several high profile government officials and visiting diplomats in Israel. Working out of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, and the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, he operated in high-risk areas throughout the country to include Ramallah, Abu Dis, Jericho, The Gaza Strip and the West Bank. He has extensive experience and training in fully armored vehicle operations, advance team operations, motorcade operations, CAT (Counter Assault Team) operations and surveillance / counter surveillance operations.
A graduate of over 30 formal schools in regards to special operations, his skill sets and experiences are highly diverse. He has attended several survival schools over his career and is one of a few individuals in the world that hold an instructor certification in tactical tracking operations from legendary tracker and former Rhodesian SAS (Special Air Service), and Selous Scout, David Scott-Donelan.
He has held a TOP SECRET-SCI with polygraph security clearance, the highest security clearance awarded by the U.S. government.
On the evening of 14 November, 2012 Edgar Brothers hosted a launch party for the 2013 Hot Shots Calendar at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, UK. SSD was on hand to witness the event. The models are all Page 3 girls from the United Kingdom. I had the opportunity to speak with models Rosie Jones, Holly Peers, India Reynolds, Emily O’Hara, Sam Cooke and Kelly Hall and I can tell you that they are all great ladies who wholeheartedly support the troops.
This year’s theme was 1940s Pinups.
Prior to the shoot hundreds of examples of period art were reviewed.
A great deal of research was conducted looking for inspiration and, as always, fashions were provided by Crye Precision.
As you can see, despite the frantic pace of shooting, Crye kept the costuming side of things quite organized.
Additionally, SureFire served as host for some of the shoot and secured some great vehicles for use as backgrounds.
And, what would a military pinup calendar be without guns? There was a little bit of a twist on these pinups tho, they feature both period as well as modern weapons and equipment.
Even after all of that, thousands of photos were taken to get just the right pose for the calendar. Here, each photo is reviewed to determine what changes must be made to lighting and pose.
And, from another angle.
So that was the calendar. Now, we can talk about the launch party. As was said, it was at the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, England.
They did a great job making the place up for the party as you can see. Who could ever say ‘No’ to a 40 foot Kelly Hall?
The models signed calendars for the troops in attendance and mingled with the crowd. Looks like the squaddies from the local TA unit had a brilliant time.
In addition to great company and food, we were entertained by British X-Factor 2010 finalist Ruth Lorenzo who hails from Canada. She performed a couple of numbers that really showcased her talent.
While we had a great time, ultimately, we were all there to aid Help for Heroes. 50% of the proceeds for UK sales of the Hot Shots Calendar go to Help for Heroes which runs Tedworth House, Personal Recovery Centre for wounded troops and their families. Here, we see Edgar Brothers Director, Derek Edgar presenting a cheque to Denise Mellor of Hope for Heroes for an additional £ 6,000 (GBP).
Here are some of the recovering troops at Tedworth House, Personal Recovery Centre which is funded by Help for Heroes to help put a face on that donation.
If you haven’t ordered your 2013 Hot Shots Calendar, the playing cards, or badges yet, it’s still not too late. Just visit Purchase calendars at www.hotshotscalendar.com to support Hot Shots and their charities, Help for Heroes and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Remember, 50% of proceeds go to these charities.
Big thanks to the folks behind Hot Shots – Edgar Brothers, Smith Optics Elite Division, Daniel Defense, Independent Studio Services, Crye Precision, and Magpul Industries.
Follow Hot Shots on Facebook – www.facebook.com/hotshotscalendar
Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays to our friends who celebrate the spirit of this season in other ways. Remember our brothers and sisters who can’t be home this year.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ the house,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danc’d in their heads,
And Mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap-
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a minature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and call’d them by name:
“Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer, and Vixen,
“On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blixem;
“To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
“Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys – and St. Nicholas too:
And then in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound:
He was dress’d all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnish’d with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys was flung on his back,
And he look’d like a peddler just opening his pack:
His eyes – how they twinkled! his dimples how merry,
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face, and a little round belly
That shook when he laugh’d, like a bowl full of jelly:
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laugh’d when I saw him in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And fill’d all the stockings; then turn’d with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight-
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
-Troy Sentinel
December 23, 1823
Originally from Henry Livingston
Last month, SSD infiltrated an agent into the Hot Shots 2013 Calendar Launch (you’ll get to read all about it tomorrow) with the specific task of liberating a signed 2013 limited edition SSD version of the calendar as a prize for a lucky SSD reader. Here it is.
Our man in Manchester stood in line clutching the calendar. Once he made it to the head of the line (and was able to untie his tongue to ask for their help) he secured the signatures of all six calendar models. This year’s Hot Shots calendar is inspired by pinups of the 40s and 50s and they’ve done a bang up job on the bawdy playing cards as well (see the sampling below). And, as always, 50% of proceeds go to military charities.
Grand Prize is the signed limited edition SSD version of the Hot Shots 2013 calendar along with a deck of playing cards.
Eight second prize winners will receive an unsigned copy of the limited edition SSD version of the Hot Shots 2013 calendar along with a deck of playing cards.
To enter for your chance to win:
In the comments section of THIS article on SSD (and nowhere else) tell us your favorite Christmas present. Remember, post in comments section of THIS article on SSD.
Contest continues through the rest of this Christmas Eve on through Christmas Day and ends at 2359Z on Boxing Day 26 December, 2012.
Use any nom de guerre you desire but use your real email address as we will use it to contact the winners to request your shipping address.
Unclaimed prizes will be redistributed.
Void Where prohibited.
Good luck and Happy Christmas from SSD!
It’s not too late to order your 2013 Hot Shots Calendar, the playing cards, or badges. Just visit Purchase calendars at www.hotshotscalendar.com to support Hot Shots and their charities, Help for Heroes and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Remember, 50% of proceeds go to these charities. Big thanks to the folks behind Hot Shots – Edgar Brothers, Smith Optics Elite Division, Daniel Defense, Independent Studio Services, Crye Precision, and Magpul Industries.
Follow Hot Shots on Facebook – www.facebook.com/hotshotscalendar
Over the past few days SSD has been host to several articles penned by industry professionals that we hope will inform and spark discussion on the Second Amendment of the Constitution. This article is from Chip Lasky, Director Product Development at TNVC, Inc.
Like the rest of the nation, I am horrified at the senseless murder of innocent children at Sandy Hook Elementary School last Friday. My heart is broken. But, I am also horrified at politicians and many Americans who claim to be grieving and shocked, immediately turning to anger and lashing out at law-abiding gun owners. We didn’t commit this crime, a deranged kid and his failed parent did. Yes, we have all heard the old saying “guns don’t kill people, people do.” Well, it’s true.
The fact of the matter is that there are deranged people out there who do not see life and this earth like the rest of us. They do not understand the difference between fantasy and reality. What this comes down to is parents. We live in a society where the cost of living practically forces both parents to work. Kids are not getting the parenting they got in previous generations. Sometimes this cannot be helped, because parents are working, but the parents need to make that extra effort to spend the time with their kids when they are home and be involved with their lives. I’m tired of hearing how so many of these kids had warning signs of dangerous behavior and nobody did anything. I lay the blame at their feet. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.
These evil people exhibit all the deranged anti-social behaviors that lead to this stuff. They are able to recede into their dark little worlds playing violent video games where they can simulate the mass murder of hundreds of people as they run screaming from the gamer. A regular person can do this and know it is a game, but a mentally ill person (whether medically or pushed there from bullying, or any other reason) starts to see this sort of thing as possible. They start to wonder what it would be like in real life. We are surrounded by violent imagery in the media: movies, TV, games, etc. We are separated more and more from each other by social media that takes the human contact out of our lives. And when parents and teachers do not intercede when a kid is exhibiting mental instability, we get tragedies.
But, society doesn’t want to take responsibility for the monsters it creates. It would rather blame guns. Does the video game industry take responsibility for making games like Grand Theft Auto that glamorize mass murder and committing crime? No. How about all the Hollywood actors and screen writers who make millions of dollars off ultra violent movies that glamorize murder, torture, rape, drugs, alcohol, etc, only to turn around and call for the banning of so-called “assault weapons?” Then we have the people in this country who wet the bed at the thought of scary guns while having never participated in the shooting sports, have no idea about the differences in guns, and do not want to know. They think that anyone can go to the local store and buy a machine gun because MSNBC and CNN say it is so. They are wrong, but they do not want to hear it. Then there are the politicians who have wanted to ban guns for political points, yet walk around with bodyguards carrying all sorts of hardware. These sick people never let a tragedy go to waste. Sen.Diane Fienstien from California had her bill ready to go before the smoke cleared at the crime scene. It’s sick. These beautiful children are not even laid to rest yet, and certain political movements are already trying to get points.
Reading some of the blogs shows a despicable attitude towards gun owners. Some of the so-called “peaceful” people of our nation are calling for the execution of the president of the NRA while others say that anyone who ever gave money to a pro-gun organization has blood on their hands. Why are Americans so quick to jump to rage? When Gabbie Giffords was shot in Arizona, people on one side of the aisle were saying the same things. It immediately became a partisan issue where people were saying incredibly nasty things to each other over political differences. This is not a democrat or republican thing. It is a societal thing. We have created a society where we glamorize violence and cruelty. We have self-described “peaceful” folks who rally against guns and war, only to go home and mow down hundreds of unarmed, screaming victims in their video games and watch SAW movies.
The problem is not guns. And when unthinkable tragedies happen, people are so ready to fight that they immediately start throwing blame around and looking for the easiest solution instead of the right one. Taking away “assault weapons” will not solve these problems. It only hurts people who are law-abiding and have no intention of becoming a criminal. Why should we punish millions for the actions of a tiny few? What does that solve? We might as well ban alcohol again. After all, it serves no good in society. It creates alcoholics, drunk driving (which is responsible for way more fatalities every year than guns), fuels domestic violence and child abuse, tears apart families, contributes to rape and teen pregnancy. The list goes on. But, all these gun-grabbers wouldn’t think of doing that.
I get asked all the time why I need an “assault rifle.” Does it matter? Of course not. Why do you need a car that has more than 100 hp? You don’t. How about an SUV that all but guarantees the death of someone in a compact car in an accident? No, these people wouldn’t think of banning anything mainstream. What about banning all the violent video games and movies and music? No. Even though a direct correlation can be drawn between this media and the increase in violent behavior and tendencies in kids today can be drawn, this stuff is protected as art. Society is the problem. If we want to fix this, we need to stop looking for simple answers and start attacking problems at their root. But, that would require critical thinking and it seems our society, carried by social media, is made up of more drones than problem-solvers these days. Let’s take some time to grieve and honor the fallen. Then, let’s take a look at our society and the way we treat one another. Let’s look at how much anger and hate is out there and do something about it. Let’s take an active role in identifying crazy people and getting them help.
Like them or not; guns are not the problem. Study after study by the FBI and NIJ show that banning guns has no effect on crime. Independent and government studies showed that the Clinton assault weapon ban had zero effect on crime. And, the places with the highest gun control have the highest crime rates. Oddly enough, CT is rated in the top five strictest gun control states in the nation. They have a state ban on “assault weapons” and “high-cap magazines.” They are also the only state in the country that bans civilian ownership of body armor. Yet, murderer had both. Gun control does not work. Bad people will always have access to weapons. All it does is make people feel good that they did something about the problem. Is that a way to solve this? No. You cannot solve this issue with a band-aid.
This is a systemic problem with people and our society. We need to work on identifying the people who shouldn’t have access to guns so that their records have it. There are already laws in place to deny the sale or transfer of guns to anyone who has been hospitalized or treated for mental illness, is a convicted felon, been convicted of domestic violence, been dishonorably discharged from the military, or has a restraining order filed against them. The instant background check will flag any of this. But, the information has to be recorded and has to be there. The shooter in Aurora at the theater was seeing a shrink who warned his school that he was going to do something violent but the school dismissed it saying that he was un-enrolling and it was no longer their concern. The shrink did nothing further. The authorities were not warned and the killer was able to legally purchase the guns he used to murder people. Had the doctor and the school taken responsibility, they would have alerted authorities and the killer would have been flagged and brought in for treatment.
The signals for Adam Lanza were there. His own mother was working to put him in a mental hospital for treatment. She was caught in the process of trying to have an adult committed against his will. This angered Adam. But, she was doing the right thing. The problem is that he was receiving no mental help, was on no medication, and was given all the tools he needed to fuel his rage. He never spoke to anyone, lived in his mother’s windowless basement, walls plastered floor to ceiling with posters of guns and weapons, and played Call of Duty for hours on end. His mental state and zero social skills meant his mother had to actually talk for him according to his barber. Mom dropped the ball on this and let a person like that become dangerously obsessed with violence, go unmedicated, and gave him access to guns. That is the problem. All his social cues came from violence and isolation. To someone who needs to be committed in the first place, this is a dangerous combination. Shame on his mother for allowing this to happen. Shame on all the other people; friends, family, etc, who knew and did nothing.
But, don’t come after my guns and my rights to own certain types of guns and accessories in a responsible manner. I am not crazy. I know it is a difficult request, America: but start thinking! Don’t just blindly lash out. An assault weapons ban does nothing. Columbine happened in 1999: smack dab in the middle of the Clinton Ban. I have no blood of innocent people on my hands. But, if the rabid gun-grabbers pass an assault weapon ban because they want an immediate “fix,” the blood of all the innocents in the next tragedy will be on their hands.
Charles “Chip” Lasky
Director Product Development
TNVC INC.
SKD Tactical is launching their Christmas Clearance sale tonight at Midnight. It’s a progressive sale with increased savings each day. But, you might not want to wait for that best deal to come around on the 31st. Supplies are limited to on-hand quantities.
