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The picture was in the local newspaper. My brother had won a fancy barbecue in a contest to encourage kids to open a savings account at the local Credit Union. They came to take a picture of him in his little chef hat, transferring a "baked potato" wrapped in foil with his official barbecue tongs to a little paper plate I was holding onto for dear life. In actuality, he wasn't old enough to grill by himself and it was spitting rain, the potato was raw, stone cold from the pantry. But the photo turned out great and I managed to look as happy and surprised as I think my brother truly was. What I remember most was his seriousness in holding those tongs, just like Dad, in his pride in wearing that hat. It radiated off of him, despite the cold, the wet, and the really lousy potato.
How well you remember those days, when the air is burning hot, the whiff of lighter fluid in the air, the dark nuggets of briquettes, overhead a badminton bird flying over, the only sign of motion in the still summer air. Laughter as your brothers and cousins play. Shadows on the grass as you ran and played under branches from which smoke drifted like a soft touch. Shadows that got to those trees before you did, then faltered, so you could stomp them into the grass under your bare feet. Summer has just one date when you're a kid and that's the first day after school lets out when the barbecue is officially fired up by the man of the house.
But there was more than smoke in the air that first night of summer, something I was too young to understand, but I could sense. There was a war, and one of the boys in our extended family was going. A country I had never heard of. I didn't understand the details. I only sensed those urgent conversations in the kitchen among the adults as they prepared the food for the fire.I knew my Dad had been to war and that he came home safe. Yet why were the women so worried? But I had watched enough reruns of Combat and old John Wayne movies to know more than I should. What I didn't know, I asked, though I did not get the answers I sought. Sometimes you have to work out your own answers, taking a small piece of the puzzle and turning it and turning it, til you see where it fits.
Although it was 20 years before I learned the true scientific methods of investigation, I read, I gathered up every little newspaper clipping I saw, and I watched the news surreptitiously out of my eye while playing with my toys. When a war movie was on TV, I'd watch the adults' faces out of the corner of my eye to see if something showed through, fear, worry, skepticism, waiting for a "that's not the way it was, it wasn't that dangerous, see, I came home!" But no one said anything. All that was in the room was the sound of gunfire and rockets on the TV, and a clock ticking in a long undiminished parade of time we pretended not to hear.
As the rain let up, I'd walk on down the back alleyway, to a neighbor's little pond. There I'd stop to stare down into the water, its surface as placid as a priest's face, hearing all my fears and sins, its surface still and nonjudgmental, a watery veil laid over the mystery of my distress. I looked down where I could see almost to the bottom, the last rays of sunlight playing like orange fire on the surface. There on the surface, a leaf. After a long time in the water, the tissues of the leaf decay, leaving only the fiber, swirling in the surface like soft bones, light from the last of the day's sunlight playing on them like a flame.
Another summer passed, the badminton set forgotten for lawn darts, one less place at one family table. And with my growing, came understanding. I think we spent so many nights out at the picnic table thinking that if we were out back and someone in uniform we didn't know came to the front door, we would not have to answer it. For my Dad and my Uncles had all served in the Great War, and they knew too well that age and time do little to remedy the pain of knowing.For that night we had the barbecue, a communion of family shared with bread and lighter fluid. I would sit in quiet, as we all would, in prayer, for the bacon-wrapped salmon, for unintentionally extra crispy beef, for extra pickles, for another day of safety for those we loved. As we said Grace, I turned towards the coals, looking deep and hard so they wouldn't see a tear, watching the blackness turning to red and light and fire.
There in that simple meal, in those rituals we could maintain, there was solace. We couldn't change the outcome of what was happening worlds away but we could hold on to each other, in prayer, in squabbles over the last cheese slice. We couldn't change fate, but we could fight with it, in the form of a cantankerous piece of controlled fire, with tools, tongs and curses, and sweat. We could at least conquer the grill and put dinner on the table. Dinner together as family.
My cousin came home from overseas safe and sound and summers went back to simple evenings of fireflies and lighter fluid. But times were changing, as they say. My brother, growing like a weed, took more responsibility for helping around the house, especially as Mom was fighting cancer again. The war was over, the one where hundreds of young men, with their hopes and dreams, and aspirations, were released by that invisible hand of honor to come home to their loved ones. But at our home, the war was still on, raging there behind the lines around my mother's eyes.I wondered what happened to that old blue barbecue. I can't recall. But I do so well remember the night so many years ago that Dad handed my brother the lighter fluid, the big tongs, and the meat patties, ready for grilling, all by himself. I can picture him there, as if it was today, under that dark sky with such bright stars, whose distant glitter lured one's gaze into the expanse of immense darkness. And yet the light from our table illuminated his boyish face, his countenance claiming the alliance with those things that I had only trusted my Father to possess, the child in him fading away, to reveal the growing man. My brother simply nodded and took his place, his smile just visible in the fading swirl of spinning fire, the glow that for a moment, drives the darkness away. - Brigid
After speaking with witnesses, officers learned that the man was involved in a verbal and physical argument with a woman and dragged her down the street while being armed with a machete.
Witnesses told police that the woman was screaming for help, and one neighbor came outside to tell the man to stop.
Police said the man who witnesses said was dragging the woman then approached that neighbor while he was still armed with the machete, and the neighbor shot him at least once.
By Dave Workman Fresh on the heels of the Virginia House of Delegates’ decision to push back the effective date of the Commonwealth’s ban on so-called “assault firearms,” the Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit in an effort to block the law from ever taking effect. The lawsuit targets SB749, alleging that it “infringes […]
The post DOJ Hits Virginia with Lawsuit to Stop Semi-Auto Ban appeared first on Liberty Park Press.
Here are my upcoming open enrollment classes for the rest of the year. I also have a new class in September for which registration will open soon. Here we go… This month I have two classes at Karl Rehn’s place in central Texas. The first is a one-day basic knife fighting class. This […]Cooking lunch today, I was frying some meat pies. Looking through the freezer I came upon a half-bag of frozen ravioli, and thought, Why Not? Ravioli is just a small meat pie.
The parts of the world using the metric system refer to the sport as football. The United States calls it soccer. I don't mind the sport. It looks like an excuse to do a lot of running and occasionally to practice your acting skills when someone bumps you. I don't follow it, but I'm an equal opportunity sports ignorer. I'm not following pro football, basketball, golf or tennis, either.
However, I saw in the news that Australia lost to the United States 2-0 and Australians are saying it is the most embarrassing thing ever. Short memory down under, eh?
AOC: I think young people overall feel a tremendous amount of betrayal about the world that we’ve been left with.
Oh, please. If she had any sense of historical perspective, she would know that the current generation has it better than any human since Lucy walked the Gret Rift Valley. AOC lives in the greatest county the world hs ever produced, during the easiest time that humanity has ever enjoyed.
This generation has it better than I did. I had it better than my Dad's generation and he had it better than my grandfathers generation. I don't now what AOC is whining about.
CANCON Las Vegas 2026 tickets are on sale now and VIP tickets are coming JULY 4th!The post Announcing Truk Lagoon 2027: The Best WW2 Wreck Diving on Earth first appeared on Forgotten Weapons.
Me: "While you're down there, can you pass me a Mountain Dew?"RX: *reaches into refrigerator, grabs can, looks at it dubiously* "'Dirty Mountain Dew'? Mountain Dew with cream soda? That's like the Navy's Army's Air Force."
On June 23, 2026, oral arguments were heard in the Tennessee Court of Appeals Western Section, before a three judge panel, on the Tennessee case of Stephen L. Hughes Et Al. v. Bill Lee Et Al. The case is a challenge to two parts of Tennessee statutes which infringe on rights protected by the Second Amendment. The first is the Tennessee Going Armed Statute, Tenn. Code Ann.§ 39�J7-l307(a),38. The statute makes it illegal for anyone, anywhere in the state to carry a firearm or club with the intent to go armed. The second is the Parks Statute, Tenn. Code Ann.§ 39-17-131 J(a), which prohibits carry in large areas of public land. The laws are leftovers from the Reconstruction era, when they were designed to keep freed slaves and other disfavored groups disarmed. Here is a link to a copy of the order of the three judge panel.
The case was filed as a civil lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the two statutes. The case was referred from the Chancery Court in Gibson County. Chancery Courts in Tennessee are equity courts. They do not hear criminal cases. The Gibson County Court referred the case to the Tennessee Supreme Court, which created a three judge panel Chancery Court, as required by Tennessee law, specifically to hear civil cases challenging the constitutionality of Tennessee statutes.
The Supreme Court created the three judge panel to hear the case in accordance with Rule 54, as meeting the requirements of a civil challenge that:
(1) challenges the constitutionality of a state statute, including a statute that apportions or redistricts state legislative or congressional districts; or an executive order; or an administrative rule or regulation; and
(2) includes a claim for declaratory judgment or injunctive relief;
The three judge Chancery Court, created by the Supreme Court, held for the plaintiffs the challenged statutes were facially invalid. They infringed on rights protected by the Second Amendment. From the last page of the opinion:
"For the foregoing reasons, Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED, and Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment is DENIED. As a result, the Going Armed Statute, Tenn. Code Ann.§ 39�J7-l307(a),38 and the Parks Statute, Tenn. Code Ann.§ 39-17-131 J(a), are hereby DECLARED unconstitutional, void, and of no effect.
The State of Tennessee appealed the decision. It is the oral arguments of the appeal which were heard on June 23, 2026. Judge Andy D. Bennet asked most of the questions.
Mr. Edwin A. Groves, Jr. submitted oral arguments for the state. The major argument appeared to be a claim the Chancery Court does not have jurisdiction in the case. The claim was Chancery Courts cannot hear criminal cases. But, the case is a civil challenge to the validity of a criminal statute, no a criminal case. The Supreme Court appointed the panel. Judge Bennet appeared skeptical of the idea the Supreme Court would appoint a court without jurisdiction in the case.
Mr. Groves also claimed the Appelees could not win a facial challenge, because the laws could apply to "dangerous and unusual weapons" and/or that the intent to go armed could mean the same as going armed to the terror of the public.
Judge Bennet asked if the case is about the Second Amendment, because the Tennessee Constitution cannot have less protection than the Second Amendment. This clarified the merits of the case were about infringements on the Second Amendment.
John I. Harris, II. gave the oral arguments for the appellees. He first decreed this was a civil case, not a criminal case, and the three judge Chancery court had jurisdiction. Then he made clear the statutes in question infringed on Second Amendment rights. He cited law to the effect states may not use procedural mechanisms to defeat a right the federal courts would uphold.
Harris also stated the Supreme Court in Heller, Bruen, and Rahimi held the fringe issues of "Dangerous and unusual weapons" or "going armed to the terror" of the public did not invalidate the facial challenge, because they did not invalidate the challenge in the Supreme Court decisions Heller, Bruen, or Rahimi.
Analysis: It is difficult to understand why the State of Tennessee is challenging the three judge Chancery court on this issue. The Tennessee statutes clearly infringe on Second Amendment rights. The State is primarily arguing procedural issues. It is difficult to see how this benefits Governor Lee or the State of Tennessee.
©2026 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
At around 5 a.m. on Sunday, Alaska State Troopers responded to Old Steese Highway after receiving a report of a burglary with shots fired.
According to investigators, two individuals were allegedly stealing copper, fuel, and other items when the homeowner arrived on the scene.
Troopers say the suspects fired shots at the homeowner, who then returned fire.
When officers arrived, they found a man who had been shot by someone in a white sedan as he was driving through the parking lot, Phoenix PD said.
Police said the victim was armed and returned gunfire, striking the suspect’s sedan. The suspect then fled the area.
First responders took the man to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said.
“Take a large Sifter full of Bra Hops to your Taste -- Boil these 3 hours. Then strain out 30 Gall. into a Cooler put in 3 Gallons Molasses while the Beer is scalding hot or rather drain the molasses into the Cooler. Strain the Beer on it while boiling hot let this stand til it is little more than Blood warm. Then put in a quart of Yeast if the weather is very cold cover it over with a Blanket. Let it work in the Cooler 24 hours then put it into the Cask. leave the Bung open til it is almost done working -- Bottle it that day Week it was Brewed.”
The resulting beer would have been a dark, unfiltered ale. The generous amount of molasses likely imparted a noticeable sweetness, producing a flavor profile quite different from what most beer drinkers are accustomed to today.
As part of its America 250 celebration, the New York Public Library asked the New York-based Talea Beer Co. to brew a couple hundred bottles based on Washington’s original recipe for internal events. The brewery also used the recipe as inspiration for “Liberty Lager,” which is available at its taprooms in New York.
History often feels distant, preserved in books and museums. But occasionally it finds its way into our glass. George Washington’s small beer is more than a curiosity — it’s history you can taste, offering a small but tangible connection to the daily lives of those who helped shape America.
Image courtesy of the Mount Vernon website.
Cheers!By Dave Workman The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear two combined cases this fall which could become the gun rights battle of the decade, and finally determine whether modern semiautomatic rifles including the AR-15 and its clones are protected by the Second Amendment. Both cases were brought by the Second Amendment Foundation, which […]
The post Supreme Court will Hear 2 ‘Assault Weapons Ban’ Cases This Fall appeared first on Liberty Park Press.
I see that our gurl, Associate Justice Amy Comey Barrett, has sided with the liberals and Chief Justice (hack, spit) John Roberts on a case involving mail-in ballots. Amy hails from Louisiana so she should hae better sense.
Unfortunately, the court ruled 5-4 in favor of allowing Mississippi to count ballots received up to five days after Election Day. This is a disaster, obviously a huge opportunity for fraud, an encouragement not to count expeditiously, approval for ballots not mailed in time and possibly harvested, and also indirectly ensures other states like California will count until they get the results authorities want. It was a very disappointing decision from SCOTUS, especially given our supposed conservative majority.
I thought that she was a conservative. I guess not. We'll have to put her into the liberal wing of the Curt.
In other news, I was at my local hooch dealer today and saw that they have upped their Scotch whisky game. I found a bottle of Lagavulin and picked it up. Never tried it, but I've heard good thing. We will crack it the next time the Scotch drinkers assemble.
Backpack bolt rifle that packs up small and reaches out long! Half-Candian, Half-American, all badass.
In 1975 a guy named Richard Davis invited some friends – including some cops whose lives had been saved by Davis’ Second Chance brand body armor – to a pistol match at his place in Central Lake, Michigan. The targets were bowling pins. His concept caught on and, by golly, he had created a new […]When deputies arrived, they found 49-year-old Jeffrey Wade McTaggart dead in the backyard of the residence.
According to the sheriff's office, the person who admitted to firing the gun stayed at the scene and immediately called 911.
Investigators say that person told deputies an altercation had taken place and that the gun was fired in self-defense.
F-25142-26
34S - AGGRAVATED BATTERY BY SHOOTING
06-25-2026 12:23 PM (CDT)
3400 blk Franklin Av.
Victim Information: Known adult male, Known adult female
Suspect Information: Known adult male (apprehended)
Gist: Two known victims were outside alongside two additional individuals in front of the location when the suspect emerged and began shooting, hitting the victims. In response, the other two individuals returned fire, successfully striking the suspect. The victims were transported in a private vehicle, while the suspect was taken by NOEMS to a local hospital for treatment before being placed in custody.
This Week in History: As we prepare for the semiquincentennial celebration of the Declaration of Independence, Americans reflect on the meaning of our liberty and independence. — Happy birthday to actor/director Mel Brooks, who turned 100, on Sunday! — In June, 1786, Bishop Alexander Macdonell and more than 500 other Roman Catholic highlanders left Scotland to settle in Glengarry County, Ontario. — June 30th is the anniversary of the tragic death of 19 hotshots in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. — June 30, 1908: A giant fireball, most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteor, flattened …
The post Preparedness Notes — June 30, 2026 appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
Full Disclosure: After a conversation I had with Gene Kelly of American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI), he offered me this course at no charge in exchange for an honest review in a written article for SurvivalBlog. There were no other strings attached, and I was not pressured in any way about the outcome of this review. He did not ask for a preview of the article, nor was he offered one before publication. This review is my own opinion of the course after having spent time taking it and passing the tests involved. My Background I have been interested in firearms …
The post A Review of AGI’s Professional Gunsmithing Course Level I, by Gunsmith appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
The following recipe for a Simple Apple & Cheese Salad is from SurvivalBlog reader D.G.. Ingredients 4 Apples (select crisp and firm ones) 1 teaspoon Juice of ½ lemon 4 oz Mozzarella cheese 1 tablespoon Spring onions, chopped Scallions, Green Onions, or Chives 1 tablespoon Olive Oil or Coconut Oil ⅛ teaspoon Salt (to taste) Directions Wash the apples, and cut them into slices vertically. Lay down each piece of apple and cut them into long rectangular sticks French Fries shapes. Add the chopped apple sticks to a bowl and toss them with lemon juice. Cut the block of cheese …
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Today’s graphic is a map that shows the most often misspelled word in each state. No offense, but I had to chuckle when I saw that “School” was the tough one, for Floridians. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail image below is click-expandable. — Please send your graphic ideas to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.
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In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Economics & Investing Links of Interest Investor Who Scored 900% Win in 2008 Crisis Has New Big Short Bet. (Pictured above is Lee Robinson of Altana.) In The WSJ: California’s Billionaire Tax Kicks Off a Democratic Civil War. “Unlike Anything I’ve Seen In 40 Years”: Explosion In Data-Centers And Memory Costs Fueling Third Inflation Wave. EIA: Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update. At the leftist Politico: Inflation hits 3-year high, pressuring Fed to raise rates as election nears. …
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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, more about Wikipedia’s blatant bias. Wikipedia Bans One of Its Founders First up, there is this piece by Larry Sanger at The Free Press: I Co-Founded Wikipedia. Now …
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Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — Reader Mary L. sent this: Virginia ‘Assault Firearm’ Sponsors Say Governor Wants Amendments to New Law. JWR’s Comments: Governor Spanberger is a Big Government Democrat stalwart who is strongly anti-Second Amendment. This draconian law is scheduled to take effect on July 1st. I hope that Virginians have already heavily stocked up on …
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This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. REDOUBT NEWS LINKS Another hydrothermal explosion has occurred at Yellowstone National Park. (Pictured above is Yellowstone’s Electric Peak, at sunset, in a NPS photo.) Migrant Lyft Driver Convicted of Raping Passenger in Idaho. From Cafés To Clinics, Wyoming’s Labor Crunch Is Holding The Economy Back Invasive mussel found near Prineville Reservoir is a first for any Oregon water body. Send Your Media Links Please send your links to …
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To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds …
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The latest meme created by JWR: Meme Text: Our Thoughts and Prayers for the Health of Joy Reid… She Has Developed a Chronic Blabber Infection Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks! Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.
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“The Constitution … is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary which they may twist and shape into any form they please.” – Thomas Jefferson, letter to Judge Spencer Roane, September 6, 1819
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The main weather channel I watch is Ryan Hall, who I have come to trust among the weather-weenies. In addition to tornadoes and hurricanes, he talks about other topics and today he's talking about a broad weather pattern called a Super El Nino.
Click here and go listen. It's interesting stuff and may have implications through this winter. As always with weather, it's liable to change, but Ryan makes the argument that this weather pattern is interesting and may affect us all for several months.