Streets of Fire is one of those movies that you either like or don’t give a darn about it. It is a cinematic Music Video in an era when MTV actually played music videos. I liked the music, the atmosphere (some mythical New York-like city but without what you don’t like of NY) during what looks like the 50’s, cool cars, good and great actors beginning their careers and with 2 exceptions nothing but lever action rifles and revolvers. Walter Hill directed the movie and I came to find out he also directed some of my classics like The Warriors, Southern Comfort, Long Riders (I just watched it for  the first time 2 months ago), Crossroads and written produced or was somewhat involved in a bunch of other movies, TV shows and miniseries.

Eve though the movie was supposed to ride on the fame of Michael Pare, just fresh from the hit movie Eddie and The Cruisers, my attention got caught by a couple of relative unknowns:

The bad guy was called Raven Shaddock played by Willem Dafoe. It was his second role in a movie and I cannot think of anybody back then who did not have a comment to make about him.

Make no mistake, all the characters in the movie are two dimensional, but Dafoe even back then manages to pop above and makes you think that there is something more that you need to know.

The love interest, Ellen Aim was played a very nubile Diane Lane.

During the whole thing she was nothing more than eye candy but I was not the only one that went “Whoa!” at the closing when she “sings” the centerpiece song of the movie “Tonight is what it means to be young.” She let’s herself go and she’s been in my radar ever since.

In summary, not an Oscar winner movie and Diane won the Razzie that year for worst supporting actress but I enjoy the heck out of the darn thing. Any movie with classic cars, classic guns, Willem Dafoe and Diane Lane can never be too bad.

In another post I showed video of Cavim (Venezuela’s Firearms and ammunition factory) going up in smoke. The intial reports that some of the ordnance was found up to four miles away apparently was inaccurate. It seems that some of the ammuniotion went as far as a thousand miles away landing in the Tolima Department of Colombia in the middle of a FARC camp as reported by the Colombian Army:

Patriot battalion troops found 1,300 rounds belonging to the FARC guerrillas in the village of El Retiro. Inspected the equipment was found that ammunition is manufactured by the Venezuelan military industry. In the same operation were found documents referring to the illegal armed organization.

I guess Venezuela’s Armament industry has advanced to levels no one ever suspected. A sure triumph for the revolution of Uncle Hugo.

By now it is out there that ATF’s forays into “controlled” deliveries of weapons to the mexican cartels might have caused the death of an a Border Patrol agent. But if the rumors are true, this is not the first time that ATF screwed the pooch at international level.  During the 90s and after their magnificent interventions in both Ruby Ridge, Waco and the scandal of the Good O’ Boy Roundup, ATF went to South America and attempted to build up cases of gun running amongst the Colombian Cartels and the US dealers to prop up their damaged reputation. Their investigations were so unprofessionally made that other federal law enforcement agencies in the region were soon complaining to D.C. about them and asking to have them removed. This was not your average inter-agency rivalry moaning and groaning but serious concern due to the well deserved reputation for bungling cases ATF had (and still has) and the fact that the “competing” agencies were used to work closely due to the reality of working in dangerous countries where their lives were literally at stake every second made and silly bureaucratic jealousy was likely to kill agents.

Again this is a rumor heard through federal Law Enforcement grapevines and other sources, but the almost-worst case scenario did come to pass, ATF meddled were they were told not to and not only ruined a major drug case but also almost cost the life of an agent. It is said that the country head of the agency whose agent almost got killed was so incensed, he promised that he would shoot any ATF agent in country on sight. Soon after ATF was sent back to the El Norte and ceasing all operations in and about South America other than being used to trace weapons from the comfort of their Washington headquarters. Still, the other agencies were pretty pissed about ATF and began lobbying on their own to have them disbanded and somebody else to absorb ATF responsibilities. Supposedly ATF was pretty much in the bag with lots of congressional backing to make them go away when 9-11 happened and they were spared from the chopping block. Somebody said that the two great winners of 9-11 were Bin Laden and ATF and that is some nasty stuff to say but reflects the respect that ATF has amongst almost all levels of our society…..other than the L.A. Times, Washington Post, N.Y. Times and some selected members of Congress.

As for the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, common sense would indicate that ATF is directly responsible for his death by providing his murderer with the weapon used. Also that ATF is responsible for any and all deaths that have occurred by using such “controlled” weapons. The Attorney General should be right now in deep investigation and the agents involved suspended without pay pending charges for Murder and/or Manslaughter just like any other citizen. The truth is that we will not see such prosecutions since the Government whitewash and the media spin has already started. At the most, they will get a slap on the wrist and a verbal spanking for their deeds. One must remember that the ultimate goal for the ATF was not to interdict gun trafficking to Mexico but to restrict gun sales to law abiding civilians and the current administration will make sure that it remains the same. The best indicator of future behavior is past behavior and we saw this type of cover and burial of bad actions during the last Democratic Administration. Back then Wayne LaPierre said something that I am sure it will apply in the very near future:

“I’ve come to believe he (Clinton) needs a certain level of violence in this country. He is willing to accept a certain level of killing to further his political agenda. The vice president, too. How else can you explain this dishonesty we get out of the administration?

I am sure Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Rep. Carolyn McCarthy will soon demand hearings on the subject.

Why am I engaging in chauvinistic self-flagellation? Because it is the truth. Male shooters are the worst at promoting shooting amongst women, period.

I’ve been trying for over a decade to get my wife to carry a gun for self defense and the best I was able to do was to convince her to have one on her night stand. I took her a couple of time to the range to shoot (and she can shoot!) and to come with me to IDPA matches with the secret wish she would get in the mood and, if not compete, to get excited enough to carry and practice regularly. Of course I failed miserably.

For Christmas, I gave my dearly beloved wife a copy of The Cornered Cat: A Woman’s Guide to Concealed Carry by Kathy Jackson. The next thing I know, she is quoting me chapter and verse from the book and showing a sudden interest on shooting. I has made the mistake of buying her a gun but although she was good with it, she was not comfortable so she demanded a new gun and that she would decide which gun to buy. Luckily a couple of guys at the club had guns for sale and she picked a Kahr CW9 that fit her very petite hands. How petite? The darn gun looks like a full size 1911 when she holds it. My only intervention in the process was to shed the bucks I had saved for another gun (bye bye Glock 34) and pay the guy.

So, having heard Kathy Jackson in a couple of ProArm Podcasts (the all female podcasts are called Broad-Casts) I decided not to compound the mistakes I have been making and trying to instruct her myself so I floated the idea around the club to have an Estrogen Only Class meaning all females including the instructors. Boy were we not ready for the avalanche! The guys asked their wives/lovers and the response has been HELL YES! pretty much across the households specially when explained that our jobs will consist in maybe driving them to the range if needed, go do the shopping and taking care of the house and the kids while they are in the class. Any male that crosses the range entrance would be considered viable target to be used in the class after properly neutered. I think so far we have some 15 ladies interested and the idea was suggested just last Sunday in the Club’s Forum.

So right now I am bouncing from website to website finding all the equipment that she will require. Midway USA already has the order for the range bag, eye and ear protection and other sundries. Spare mags are in back order from Tombstone Tactical (very cool and polite people BTW) and she is hunting for the belt. I think for the class, I will be forced to alter a Fobus holster and give it the proper offset for her while she decides in her particular method of carry. Have you seen the prices for concealed carry purses? My jaw dropped when I saw that I could almost by 2,000 rounds of 7.62×30 for what those things cost!

Oh well, she’ll be getting her Concealed Weapons permit this month anyway and start carrying. That was the idea from the get go.

So guys, I don’t know if our experience can be applied to your particular cases, but it is worth a try. We do need to get more women in to the shooting sports and the Gun Culture. Let’s bury or ego and get to it.

Cairo (BSNews Agency):

CNN’s host Anderson Cooper got his ass handed over by a mob today. According to CNN Producer Steve Brusk, Cooper was surrounded by a group of  people and hit him upon the head 10 times ruining his silver coiffure .  Mr. Cooper promptly sought refuge at the nearest hole and called his hairdresser for emergency assistance. In a self-interview, Christiane Amanpour announced that the mob that attacked Cooper were in reality Tea Party protesters disguised as Pro Mubarak supporters who chanted Anti Obama slogans and demanded the elimination of Obamacare.

Senator Barbara Boxer, appalled by the attacks on Cooper immediately called for a total ban of Assault Weapons and any restrict firearms to a maximum capacity of two rounds in the U.S. “It is weapons like this that allowed the attack on Mr. Cooper and it is time to end the madness. My legislation will guarantee peace in the streets of Cairo for generations to come.” said Senator Boxer.

In the meantime, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs blamed the events in Cairo and the attack on Cooper on the “Heated Rhetoric” coming from certain elements of the press. He called for a “tone down” by Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Ted Nugent reminding them that “we should seek peace above all other things. Right after the White House comments, Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she intends to introduce legislation to set once and for all the Fairness Doctrine as the law of the land. “There is no doubt in my mind that the situation in Egypt is directly related to the incendiary verbosity of the Right and they must be reigned in at all costs. Those evil merchants of hate, racists and seeking the extermination of every single  chicano in South California must be brought under control even if we have to arrest them for opening their mouths.”

President Obama’s teleprompter was not available for comment.