Comments from the countess:
FIRST OF MANY? Have you heard about the one-and-only school district in the United States which allows its faculty members to be armed while at work? The Harrold Independent School District (near Wichita Falls in northern Texas) is now officially the only educational entity to take a logical step towards solving the problem of random shooting (or any other means of committing murder) of helpless victims on "gun free" campuses, But the best part of this great news is that these privileged members of the Harrold District faculty have been trained by two graduates of Gunsite (early American Pistol Institute under the tutelage of Jeff Cooper). Bill Price (instructor/rangemaster) and Curtis Foote (250 graduate) were asked to provide the vital basic training which would guarantee the effectiveness of carrying for defense of self and/or others. All who took the instruction were required to have permits to carry under Texas law (TCH). Bill reported that the 5-day class was similar to a Gunsite 250. Not only did the administrators of this pioneering district make the right decision to execute a bold (and sensible) plan, but also they implemented it wisely. Hooray for the Harrold Independent School District! It will be interesting to see if other districts follow suit!
Since as long as I can remember the Cooper household has subscribed to National Review. (I have a copy of a letter Jeff wrote to Bill Buckley in 1973.) The current (Aug 18) issue I found to be particularly enlightening and gratifying. Note the following editorial comment: "There are a few things in this world that truly live up to their reputations for excellence: a .44 Magnum, a convertible Ferrari, Pavarotti hitting a high C, the United States Marine Corps. Also Rush Limbaugh, who is now celebrating his 20th year of 'Excellence in Broadcasting'..." Both NR and Rush exhibit a marvelous sense of humor which softens the harshness of reality. And, as Jeff often explained, ridicule projects a sharp sting that other forms of criticism cannot match. How about "It's tempting to dismiss Obama's Berlin speech as a gassy concatenation of sophomoric platitudes" (Jonah Goldberg, p.18). It may send us to the dictionary, but we are better for the insight. (I'm not selling subscriptions but just mentioning in passing.)
THE JEFF COOPER MEMORIAL COMBAT MATCH is "in the works" as I write and is still scheduled for early May of 2009. The venue is a large expanse of land in northwest Arizona adjacent to Interstate 40 and roughly midway between Seligman and Kingman. The ranch will have accommodations in the lodge, a big common area, and hookups for campers and RVs. And plenty of targets! We'll keep you posted as progress and decisions are made.
ONE LAST REMINDER: Orders for a Jeff Cooper 1911 Commemorative Pistol will be accepted up until 25 September 2008. Thereafter, it will be unavailable from Ed Brown Products 573-565-3161 or www.edbrown.com. And if I were a professional pitch-person I'd say, "And don't forget your FREE bonus just for ordering - a very special edition of the classic Principals of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper, leather-bound, which retails for $150.00!! So CALL NOW - and tell 'em Janelle sent you." (The person who answers the phone may not known who Janelle is, but don't let that deter you.)
THE MESS WE ARE IN: How did we (the United State of America) get into this mess (dependence upon foreign oil and the dire consequences of such a position)? We have all read many ideas on the subject. To my mind the most rational explanation comes from Dr. Arthur B. Robinson, President and Research Professor of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. This non-profit learned center is independent of public funds and conducts research on degenerative and neurological diseases and analytical tools for clinical health evaluation (for starters), as well as producing civil defense educational materials and CD-ROMS on home school curricula. Our friendship with Art and his outstanding family (he has six children) goes back many years. He and Jeff held mutual admiration and respect for each other's areas of expertise. Jeff often quoted Art's words of scientific knowledge and heartily supported his efforts to counter the human-caused-global-warming-scare-hoax. Art circulated petitions amongst fellow scientists urging our government to reject the Kyoto Agreement. (Art's efforts garnered about 17,000 signatures in 1998-1999, and recently about 32,000 more, from university graduates with BS or higher degrees in Physical Science.) It's no wonder that I could find from Dr. Robinson wise answers to the question of why our country is seemingly so vulnerable in today's world. In the December '07 issue of his newsletter "Access to Energy" (which is devoted to general scientific topics that affect public affairs), he writes: "Since taxation, regulation, and litigation have made America an increasingly unfavorable place for productive industries, the export side of America's trade balance has weakened. Simultaneously, an enormous increase on the import side of the deficit has occurred because taxation, regulation, and litigation have stunted America's hydrocarbon and nuclear power industries-so Americans are importing the energy that they do not produce." There is a lot more to be learned from Art's publications. If you are interested in a subscription to "Access to Energy" just drop a note to Box 1250, Cave Junction, OR 97523. And if you want more information about the Petition Project, access the website: www.petitionproject.org.
Interesting note: Whittington Center is planning to issue a 2009 calendar and it is soliciting good photographs of Whittington events, scenery, wildlife, etc. So bring your camera! We'll be there just prior to the deadline (September 30th) so there will be some urgency in submitting the pictures, but let's not pass up this opportunity to help NRA Whittington publicize the beauty and vitality of the most comprehensive shooting facility in the country. The NEW MUSEUM will be open for our viewing! It is an addition to the welcome center and should be fascinating to all of us. Thanks to the Brownell family this thirty-year dream has finally become a reality and Mike Ballew deems it "one of the finer firearm museums in the Rocky Mountains."
See you there!
"Obsession with the past and fear of the future are the thieves of TODAY."
Mark Twain
Janelle Cooper
26 August 2008