Hanukkah 2025

In case anyone wasn't paying attention we got another example of what "Globalize the Intifada" means today.

Once again we see a terrorist attack on Jews on a religious holiday. This time in Australia. An Australian spox on TV said that at least one of the perps was on their radar, "although not for terrorist acts".

I also saw over on X that per Israeli TV, supposedly the Mossad warned the Australian government of an upcoming terrorist attack. See: https://x.com/yudapearl/status/2000197269858271283

On the eve of Hanukkah, the holiday in which we celebrate our triumph over the Greek invaders who desecrated the Temple, we are once again reminded that secular governments will not protect us.

Nobody, Jew or gentile, who is defenseless is protected from harm. The right to self defense is the most basic of human rights. A disarmed populace is deprived of its most essential right to life.

Make no mistake, gun control is EVIL. It disarms victims but never keeps their oppressors from hurting them.

As an American, and as a Jew, I am a Second Amendment absolutist*. I'm a an Endowment Life Member of the NRA, and a Life Member of Gun Owners of America and the Second Amendment Foundation. I've donated to the Firearms Policy Coalition as well.

I'm armed to the teeth -- as ALL good Americans should be. It's been a long standing source of frustration for me that too many of my co-religionists can't get their heads out of their asses on this issue.

There are many Jewish Americans who have woken up to the need to be armed. Not enough, but it's happening. 

As for Israel's gun laws, they are a major reason why I'd never consider living there, permanently or even temporarily for work. Israelis basically live in one of the shittiest neighborhoods on the planet, surrounded by people who want to exterminate them, and their government denies them the means for effective self defence. Fuck. That. Shit.

In the aftermath of October 7th I put together a PDF book, "Guns for Jews," which is available for free from my Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18GXFERy8nH1iM6ERtLs-PXX3qXDo5C0K/view?usp=drive_link

*Absolutist, as in it is my belief that all Americans should be able to purchase military grade arms anonymously online and have them shipped to their door. Further, Constitutional Carry should be the law of the land.

Why I Prefer Revolvers for Pocket Carry

A friend and I were recently discussing home defense and carry guns. We live in an urban/suburban environment. Wild animals aren't really a concern but two-legged cockroaches are. Primary concerns for carry guns are concealability and reliability. Another consideration is that we're both in our late 50s with hand issues.

Both of us used to favor semi autos for concealed carry. He changed over to a Kimber K6S .357 snub, mostly due to problems with grasping the slide on an auto.

In the past I've pocket carried guns like a Ruger LCP .380, a Ruger LCP II Lite Rack .22 LR, and a Keltec P32 in .32 ACP. The problems I've encounterd have been in the case of the LCP .380 is that recoil is extremely unpleasant, while the P32 has had some reliability problems and seems picky with regards to which ammo it functions with. Likewise, the LCP II is very ammo sensitive.

Ruger LCP II Lite Rack .22LR

Keltec P32 .32ACP, with regular and extended mags.

So, earlier this year I changed over first to a S&W Model 632 Airweight and now a S&W 432UC, both in .32 H&R Magnum for pocket carry.

The 632 was retired because it was a gift from my late father, and it's one of only 1471 made in the 1990s. The 432 is new production and has better sights.

The .32 Magnum in a J-Frame is a good choice for concealed carry in my opinion. J-Frames, especially the Centennial-style with an enclosed hammer, is snag-free and can be fired from within a pocket without jamming. In my experience they've been more reliable than subcompact semiauto pistols. The .32s give you 6 shots vs. 5 shots in a .38, .357, or 9mm J-Frame.

The ammo I carry is .32 H&R Magnum 100 grain wadcutter from High Desert Cartridge Company. I've run this over my Garmin chronograph from the 432UC, where it ran a bit over 800 FPS. Per Steve at HDCC it will meet the FBI's minimum penetration requirements in ballistic gel. In effect, this gives me a 5/16" hole punch that will reach an assailant's vitals. Compared with 85 grain JHPs in the same gun it's easier to control.

I should note that my 432UC was not perfect out of the box, however. It has a flaw in the finish which really shouldn't have left the factory but considering it's a carry piece I'm willing to overlook that. Also, the factory grips didn't suit my hand at all so I went on eBay and found a set of the old Uncle Mike's Boot Grips that I like. Finally, the trigger was very heavy, so I got a reduced power rebound slide spring from Wolff. This brought the trigger pull down to an acceptable weight without compromising trigger return, or ignition as a lighter hammer spring might.

S&W 432UC .32 H&R Magnum

I use a Simply Rugged Pocket Protector holster and carry a reload in a Quickstrip.

This is comfortable to pocket carry all day.

Revolver Guy has an unflattering review of a 432UC Ti up. Something he noted is that it's fitted with a short, "California" firing pin to improve its drop safety. It turns out this hurts ignition reliability. I already had on hand an Apex "extended" firing pin, which is actually the same length as the original J-Frame firing pins, so I installed it. I've not had any failures to ignite.

Note, a Colt D-Frame like the Detective Special will get you a 6th shot but be slightly larger, and unless you install a hammer shroud isn't as snag free. It's still nicely pocketable.

Substack: Information Technology with Dave

Over the past week I've made the effort to revive my IT and cybersecurity focused Substack, Information Technology with Dave.

If you like what I write it would really help the Substack if you like my articles and subscribe to it.

Thanks.

Criminal Activity in my Neighborhood Yesterday

We had an incident in our neighborhood yesterday which seems like it was a couple who were either casing my neighbor, or trying the old "distract the victim with a pretty girl" method of robbery.

Note that my neighborhood is not a high-crime area. There is a fair amount of property crime in our township but it's concentrated at a shopping mall about 1.5 - 2 miles away. Violent crime is rare.

My neighbor called me this morning to give me a heads up on the following.

At about 3:30 PM my neighbor came home from work to find his driveway blocked by an SUV, probably a black Honda Ridgeline. As he pulled up he beeped his horn and they moved forward so he could pull into his driveway.

As my neighbor got out of his truck a woman got out of the Honda. He immediately felt something off but was carrying concealed. He asked if he could help her.

She replied by asking if he wanted to sell his truck, which is a 20-year old Toyota Tacoma 4x2, not exactly something in high demand. This raised further red flags in his mind. After a little more questioning and stuttered replies, she got back in her vehicle and then drove off.

Before she drove off my neighbor was able to see through the Honda's darkly tinted windows that there was someone else inside, who tried to lower himself to avoid being seen.

Neighbor called the police. An officer was nearby and was over in about a minute to take a statement. He agreed that they were casing the house or looking to distract my neighbor while the second person in the Honda tried to get into the house.

I have a Ring Doorbell at my front door and a Ring Stick Up camera that covers my driveway and the street in front of my neighbor. They did capture the Honda on video. However, the video from my driveway camera was not able to resolve its license plate due to distance.

My neighbor has been looking into getting security cameras and more external lighting. This incident got him to stop procrastinating and he is now going to move forward. I'm probably going to augment my exterior security stuff as well.

I put together a list of the cameras and exterior solar lighting I have so my neighbor has a starting point for his own system. It's in a Google Sheet which I've shared from my G Drive, here:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CS6mvUdXwghgEi8iP9QDSePdnUr_TxGVmWE9EUWO6RQ/edit?usp=sharing

Edit: Another neighbor captured some better quality video. Looks like it may be a late model Toyota Tundra.

Edit 2: We got a better quality pic and ran that through ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Both IDed the truck as a third-gen Toyota Tundra.

Swisslink Wool Cargo Pants

Every year after Thanksgiving I go deer hunting in north-central Pennsylvania. Late Fall and Winter in that area of PA is cold, with night time temps dipping into the teens or lower, and daytime temps are generally under 40 degrees, frequently under freezing.  On top of that it's frequently windy, with rain or snow. So, warm clothes are a must.

Last year before deer season I bought a pair of wool cargo pants from Swisslink, but didn't get to use them because I didn't get them shortened in time. They are replicas of pants issued by the Finnish Army. They are made from 82% wool and 18% nylon. They're soft to the touch. The quality is very high.

Here's the care label:

The symbols translate, left to right, as:

• Do not wash in a machine. (I've read conflicting info as to whether they're hand washable in water.)
• Do not use bleach.
• May be ironed.
• May be dry cleaned using standard solvents.

Since I don't wear them a lot I plan to get them dry cleaned when needed.

Anyway, I spent a day out in some crummy PA winter weather in them and was happy. It was hovering just below freezing with snow squalls. I wore them over a pair of SmartWool long johns. I was sitting in a deer stand so most of the wind was blocked.

The pants kept my legs warm for a few hours while sitting still. Had I been still hunting, i.e., on the move, they would have kept me warm all day.

The only thing I don't really care for on them is that they have a button fly instead of a zipper. Yes, that's more authentic to the originals and some guys prefer button flys, but I prefer zippers.

Previously I've worn PCU Level 5 pants over cargo pants or BDU pants and long johns, but I was much warmer in these. They'll be my go-to pants for cold weather hunting from now on.

Backpacking Food

This video came up on my YouTube playlist and IMO it's very well thought out, and worth sharing because it's applicable to building a bugout bag or get home bag.

 

(Blogger is acting wonky. If the video isn't embedded, click here.)

Dylan uses gallon Ziploc bags for his meals. For a BOB or GHB vacuum sealing each meal with a Foodsaver might potentially preserve them a bit longer and also compact them so they take less room in your pack.

Sure, you could just take dehydrated meals from Mountain House, etc., but these meals are likely to be less expensive although they won't have the same shelf life as MH.