~A Personal Interview With Author N. Cognito~The author of the book, When Hell Becomes Your Home: How I Survived 14Years In Prison. Published by Lulu Publishing.

~11February2015~

~This is an interview conducted over breakfast on the cold morning of 23January2015 with Author N. Cognito , at the author's home.

~The author of this blog, having personally served closely with Mr. N. Cognito in the military and abroad, has decided to publish this exclusive interview with the permission of Mr. Author N. Cognito whom has recently published a self-help book based upon his past training and personal life experience with the intent of helping others.

~The following abbreviations 'Q' represent 'question' and 'A' represent 'answer' for the global community readers not familiar with the common use of 'Q & A' within the English line of inquiry.

~Q. Goodmorning. We both understand that your name Author N. Cognito is actually a pseudonym by which you've published this book for reasons of both privacy and personal security, is that correct my friend?

~A.  Yes, that is correct.

~Q. Is there a particular reason why you feel personal security is such an issue that you must publish your written work under such a pseudonym as Author N. Cognito? Or are you merely being overly cautious because of the times that we find ourselves living in these days?

~A. Actually I have legitimate reasons for preferring to remain outside of the spotlight, so to speak, for that is where I am most comfortable. And yes, there are other reasons of which I prefer not to recount. Reasons by which any sane individual would take the necessary precautions to remain as grey as possible. I believe that I once read somewhere, it slips my mind exactly where or whom said it, but that a man without enemies has never stood for anything. We shall leave it at that.

~Q. Roger Lima Charley...So can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind this 'self-help' book which you've recently published?

~A. Well, I was at a place in my life's journey where I found myself contemplating a vast many things concerning the past, present and future. But none more so than that of my son whom was  nearing manhood, having been born and grown in my absence, with troubling reports of his behavior weighing heavily upon my heart. The letters I wrote to him did not seem to be enough instruction while my fear was that he may someday find himself upon the same path to purgatory which had brought me down to a place of hell on earth. My instinct told me that, as difficult as it had been for me, he would not be so well prepared for such tribulations were he ever to find himself in the same shoes. So it occurred to me to draw from the well of my hard earned experiences and write down everything that was most crucial in order to set him up with enough knowledge, tools, and wisdom that he would not have to learn through trial and error but have the benefit of years of my hard earned experience. To provide him with an edge to survive the extreme hardships of life.


~Q. So can we ascertain that you initially wrote this book as a block of instruction for your son?


~A. That is correct.


~Q. What made you decide to share it with the public at large, or did you initially intend to share it with the public?


~A. Initially I did not consider sharing it with the public but after having let a few close friends read my manuscript they adamantly advised me that the information within my book could greatly benefit others, particularly individuals whom were struggling to survive in a similar environment, and they pressed upon me the need for this type of information to be shared with the public. Particularly with the subgroup of individuals whom have, or will have, found themselves as a prisoner within a detention camp, jail, or prison. Two of my friends also impressed upon me that the psychological nature of this manual, with it's many tools for stress and fear management, as well as the politics/criminology/criminal science aspects, could also be of great benefit to the civilian public at large and not just to the applicable subgroup implied. One of them asked me a profound question which was the catalyst for my publishing this information to the public.


~Q. Would you like to share that catalyst with us?


~A. Well, he asked me, "What good is the useful knowledge that you've gained through experience if you take it with you when you die?"


~Q. So realizing that we live in a very jaded world and some people can be very critical in a deconstructive manner, what would you say to those whom may or may not say that this book is written by a fraud or that because you use a pseudonym that you can not be checked out and verified as a legitimate authority concerning the knowledge you're sharing from your personal life experiences? (And I only ask this because there seems to be a fixation for some people these days to attack the credentials of anyone whom publishes a relatively successful book.)


~A. That is fine and I agree that we should question everything and pay attention to detail. I was taught to believe nothing you hear and half of what you see. Which perhaps is a jaded philosophy so I can somewhat relate to such distrustful individuals. My sincere answer to them, if there were such critics, would be that the information presented in my book, while being able to benefit the civilian public at large, was and is written more specifically for the benefit of 'at risk' youth and 'at risk' adults whom are either on a path to incarceration or have already been sentenced to incarceration. Such a target group, particularly the ones already having to survive within that world, will recognize the value and truth of the material within my book because they are the ones experiencing it for themselves. The public at large, unless they work within the penal system, will in fact not know for certain whether the information within the pages of my self-help manual are factual anymore than we can assess whether a cooking book is factual until we have tested the recipes and applied it to our specific needs. Veterans or active duty members with similar military training will read the information within the pages of my book and recognize it right away. For most civilians, and most veterans for that matter, having never received the same training and information found in a portion of this book will not, in fact, know whether the information is coming from a legitimate background. To put it simply, anyone whom has, or is having to, walk the same paths will relate to the information in this book and validate it's legitimacy. Those whom have not, are not, most likely can not because the rule of thumb, as my good brother once told me, is that unless someone has walked through it, or is currently walking through it, they can not relate to it. In my own words, "Real recognizes real." I'm out to help those whom are walking through it, or at risk to walk through it, and that is my target audience. If anyone else takes an interest in the viable information within the pages of this brief book than my hope is that something I've shared from my personal experience will positively impact their life...To help just one person, or even save a single life, would make it worth all of the effort I've placed into publishing this very personal work.


~Q. Having read both your manuscript and your published work I noticed that you don't speak very highly of criminal gangs or syndicates. May we assume that is also one of the reasons why you've published under a pseudonym?


~A. That assumption would be correct. Many authors, including the famous Mark Twain, published under pseudonyms for various personal reasons without any criticism from their readers so I see no reason why my readers would have a problem with this. Again, real recognized real and anyone walking through the same tribulations will understand right away the value of the information presented in this self-help book.


~Q. So can we infer that although your book was written to a specific target audience you feel that there may be other individuals within the general civil population whom may also glean valuable and useful information within the pages of this rather brief book?


~A. Yes.


~Q. Can you address a little bit why you chose to publish your book in paper back form and in the type size which it is written in?


~A. Yes, I wanted not only the public to have access to this self-help book but most importantly my target group which of whom many are being held prisoner within maximum security facilities which do not permit hard jacket books of any kind to come in through the mailing system. So it was important to publish this book with a soft cover for security reasons in order for everyone to have access to the information being shared. The type-size that it is written in was for economic reasons and most importantly to allow the book to be less intimidating to readers whom are put off by larger or thicker books. A smaller or thinner book is more compact and more apt to be read by individuals whom normally wont commit to reading a larger or thicker book. I wanted to reach as many people as possible and touch their lives in a positive way so a lot of thought went into how to make this book more accessible and less intimidating to my potential readers.


~Q. Is that also why you chose to offer it at such a low discount price with Lulu Publishing?


~A. Again yes, my intention was not motivated by monetary gain nor by self-promotion but by a desire to hopefully impact someone else's life in a positive manner by sharing knowledge gained through my education and personal experiences. I would have given the book away to the public if it were possible but the publisher must get their money back so we offered it at the lowest price available at Lulu Publishing. Let me also mention that it is more expensive if one orders it from the bigger name vendors.


~Q. Having mentioned that the initial motivation for writing this book was to share this information with your troubled son whom was approaching manhood, did you send him a copy as soon as you published it and did he read it?


~A. That is a rather painful subject for me but I will share that with everyone. I wrote this book while still serving a sentence for attempted homicide in prison but could not get it published from within prison without having outside help. So upon my release I began to work towards publishing my manuscript but within four months of my release from prison I lost my teenage son. He never got to see the book I wrote for him published so I was going to scrap the manuscript when a fellow veteran and dear friend advised me that I should still publish it and share this valuable information with the world in the hope that it may help someone else's child or love one. So after some procrastination that is what I did and I mailed a copy to my son's maternal grandfather. If he read it I can not say since we've drifted apart after the loss of my son, his grandson, and his daughter's remarriage.


~Q. Taking into account that there will always be trolls and destructive critics, What would you say to a pessimistic individual whom may or may not say that you've agreed to let me publish this interview in order to promote yourself or increase book sales for lucrative gain?


~A. Well first I would point out that if I wished to promote myself I'd have published my work under my real name in order to take credit and get my name in the spotlight. Secondly, if my intention were monetary success I would not sell it at the lowest possible price that Lulu Publishing would permit while including the largest percent-discount allowed by Lulu Publishing.


~Q. What would you like to ultimately see happen with the information in this book and why?


~A. I would like to get copies into every prison library, copies to everyone's relative whom is at risk or has recently entered the penal system, and get a copy to every corrections' officer for the purpose of positively impacting the lives of others and promoting a safer environment for both prisoners and corrections administrators. A great deal of violence ensues from a lack of psychological and emotional stress management, miscommunication, hopelessness, despair, and all around naivety to the inner workings of the criminal subculture. Knowledge saves lives while the ignorant perish for lack of knowledge. We all have something to offer that can help others and make this world a little better place before our time on earth is through. From dirt and manure springs forth beautiful flowers and nourishing plants if given proper cultivation, so everyone can take even the bad experiences of their life and use it to touch lives in a positive way and make this world a little bit better with our small contributions. I wanted to take lemons and make lemon-aid, then share it with those in need.
(End of Inquiry)
~Mr. Author N. Cognito, I wish to thank you for your time and for openly sharing so much with me and the readers of this blog. Hopefully anyone interested in reading your self-help book or those whom have already read it will have a better understanding of the author, thanks to this personal interview. There will be a link to your book from Lulu Publishing, because they are offering it at a much lower price than other book vendors, in case any readers wishes to acquire a copy for their self or a loved one.


~I must say that I've read Author N. Cognito's book and was very impressed at how much detailed information and practical knowledge was presented in such a short read. I believe it was only about seven brief chapters and a conclusion, making it a short read. But the amount of information to absorb and the interesting method in which it just flows spurned me to read it over several times while absorbing something new each time I read through it.


~Also, let me add that although the information presented maybe drawn from the author's tribulations within the penal system, while serving time for protecting his pregnant fiancée, and drawing heavily upon his military training, there was nevertheless much information and tools laid out within this book that one could find useful to daily life within our urbanized, exceedingly stressful, and tumultuous world of increasing criminality.


~My acquaintances from varying walks of life, including former convicts, current correctional officers, veterans of infantry special operations units, self-defense instructors, criminology majors, and even a catholic priest have expressed that the practical knowledge shared within this book by Author N. Cognito is applicable to both daily life as well as surviving extremely harsh situations from which the inspiration of this self-help book came. The target audience was blatant when I first began skimming over the first chapter of this book but the information was presented in such a flowing style that I soon found myself half way through the book. By the end I had realized that the information and principles presented by the author would benefit me in my civilian relationships, jobs, struggles and personal outlook on life.


~I've since purchased additional copies for friends and relatives while one of my long time friends has purchased several copies and had the vendor mail them to a prison library in the Northern United States.


~If you're interested in self-help books this one draws upon the author's elite military training and education in counter-detention, counter-interrogation/interrogation, battle-proofing the mind, self hypnosis, physical fitness, strategic thinking, self-defense, survival, psychology, political strategy, criminology, and criminal science, as well as personal testimonies of positive evolution and transformation than I would recommend this very brief and low priced book to you.
~
~http://www.lulu.com/shop/author-n-cognito/when-hell-becomes-your-home-how-i-survived-14years-in-prison/paperback/product-21937195.html
~
~11February2015.

~Differences Between Bareknuckle Punching Opposed To Gloved Punching~

THERE ARE MILITARY PROFESSIONALS WHOM TRAIN IN COMBAT-SPORT METHODS OF BOXING WHILE BELIEVING THAT THEY WILL STRIKE THE SAME WAY BAREKNUCKLE AS ONE DOES WEARING GLOVES~

~During WWI and WWII many military hand-to-hand-combat instructors, like Captain Allan Corstorphin Smith, William Ewart Fairbairn, and Eric Sykes taught that the edge of hand/axe hand strike and palm strike/chin jab, prevalent in the Japanese Jujutsu schools, was a safer and superior method of striking with the empty hands in close combat. However there were other instructors whom taught 'bareknuckle' boxing methods to infantrymen during both world wars, along with grappling methods, as a viable option for close-combat.

~When we say 'bareknuckle' boxing methods, for the purpose of this article, that would include any method of empty hand combat that includes utilizing the hands for striking. Most specifically, that include using the fists for striking in close-combat whether it be English boxing, American rough and tumble, boxe française (also known as French Savate), Thai boxing, Chinese Ving Tsun boxing or the many other schools which utilize the bare knuckle fists as impact weapons.

~Today many military units, particularly western military units, have programs which incorporate various methods of boxing into their close-combat training. Some programs on bases out in the sand box train in western sport based boxing mixed with Brazilian Jiu-jutsu. Some train in Thai boxing mixed with grappling, while some units are even training in Gung-fu based methods.

~Of course the Marine Corp has their MCMAP and the Army has it's MACP while the Army Special Operations have SOCP. But down range some units are actively supplementing their training with individual unit programs which incorporate full contact sparring in sport-based boxing, Muay Thai, gungfu, or kick-boxing with some element of grappling often involved. The 82nd Airborne as well as other units often incorporate some form boxing along with grappling methods into their close-combat training and sparring sessions.

~Contact sparring along the lines of sport-based boxing methods like Western boxing, Thai boxing, American kick-boxing, Savate, or any other school of boxing is great for developing an aggressive spirit in a soldier or marine. In fact, if the goal is merely to foster fighting spirit and impact inoculation with no intention of ever engaging an enemy with lethal intent during a close quarter combat situation than carry-on. 

~ However, if this training is also meant to prepare the fighting man for the method by which he will engage and bring down his adversary in a close-combat situation than something must be said about the difference in how one must deliver a strike using the bare-knuckles as opposed to delivering a strike during sparring with hand protection, like gloves.

~There are some schools of thought which admonish the idea of using the bare-knuckles to strike the hard bony targets of the face and head during a frantic close-combat situation due to the risk of self-injury in the form of a boxer's fracture or busted knuckle. After all if the world heavy weight champion, Mike Tyson, can break his well trained hand in a 1988 street fight against fellow professional boxer Mitch 'Blood' Green than certainly anybody can suffer the same fate. And since professional soldiers are predominantly 'gun slingers' whom fight with weapons and operate sensitive equipment on the battle field, while performing sling-load operations, rappelling, fast-roping, mountaineering, swimming and airborne operations in the field, a badly damaged hand could hinder one's mission capabilities.

~However, there is another school of thought that propagates the use of bareknuckle punching in a close-combat defense situation. And it reflects in the amount of time devoted to their boxing, kickboxing, Thai boxing, etc...

~Ideally all military battles should be fought with weapons, but close-combat training is vital and necessary for when an adversary is able to close distance by surprise or deception before a weapon can be deployed and utilized to eliminate the threat. This has happened at check points while I.D. are being reviewed or when moving through crowds. Sometimes an ally at very close range can turn the tables and become an attacking enemy. Movements through fatal funnels are always potentially a close-combat situation. At any of these times the individual warfighter must fall back on their close-combat training.

~"Train how you will fight." This is a phrase every military personnel in a combat MOS or security MOS has heard and one which has a deep element of truth to it. However, sometimes for the risk of injury one must utilize safety equipment in their training. We utilize MILES gear, blank adapters, blanks, airsoft weapons, paint ball, aluminum knives and other safety gear in training. And yes, some include boxing or MMA gloves into their close combat training and sparring.

~So how does wearing boxing or MMA gloves hinder the development of proper punching technique for bareknuckle striking, in the context of military close-combat? Let's go back to training how we fight.

~When we wear hand protection we can throw punches 'to-whom-it-may-concern' while swinging for the fence. If you're American you will get the implication. In other words, we don't have to be so specific in target selection and are capable of putting our full power behind the punch with the added confidence of wearing hand protection. In addition we can pronate our punches aimed at targets located on the human head in the same way that we would pronate our punch when striking the targets of the torso. It seemingly makes a faster punch and with the protection of gloves we don't think twice about delivering the same pronated punch to the head as we do to the torso.

~The main reason for pronating the punch, or twisting the punch, so that it lands with the palm facing downward is that when we strike the targets of the torso our point of impact will be our first two knuckles. The index and middle finger knuckles are a smaller surface area attached to the two thickest metacarpal bones of the hand. This smaller surface area permits deeper penetration into the targets of the human torso such as the liver, solar-plexus, kidneys, and floating ribs. The key words here are deeper penetration.

~Now the problem is that in a bareknuckle situation it isn't prudent to punch the bony surface area of the face using the pronated two-knuckle punch that we use for the targets of the torso. We do not wish to penetrate the bony facial targets in the way that we wish to penetrate the softer torso targets.

~Generally speaking the bones of the face and head are thicker and harder than the delicate metacarpals and knuckles of the human hand. Again, professional heavy weight champion of the world Mike Tyson is a perfect example of why the modern sport-based boxing technique of pronating the punch to the face has it's disadvantages. In physics we learn that when two opposing forces meet the greater force will prevail. 

-Also, the same amount of force being delivered through an impact is also returned back to the object performing the impact. So the weaker of the two structures will be the one to give under the impact. If you could deliver 300psi (pounds-of force-per square inch) through a bareknuckle punch delivered to the face of another human being then the same amount of 'psi' impacting the bones of the face are also impacting the bones and knuckles of your hand. The 'psi' is shared when it is returns back into your hand, after impact upon the bone of the face.

~Let us also consider that, according to many scientific experiments, trained boxers hit with more 'psi' than martial art black belts. So when one uses that amount of force, which one develops through training with hand protection, and applies it to a bareknuckle close-combat situation where one's fists will be brought to bear against the hard bony facial targets we increase the amount of 'psi' being returned to the metacarpals and knuckles of the unprotected fist.

~Now let us examine the fact that a 'sport-based' boxer who trains and fights with gloves will also wrap and secure the wrists to prevent buckling and injury. When the punch is pronated the structural support in the forearm and wrist is weakened as opposed to when a punch is delivered straight, in a vertical manner. To counter the structural integrity issue common with the pronating, twisting, punch of combat-sports, Western ring boxers, Thai boxers, American kick boxers, Savate boxers will reinforce the wrists, as well as the hands.

~When we examine historical bareknuckle boxing methods like fisticuffs, Ving Tsun (Wing Chun), and Okinawan Toudi, among others, we will find that all punches delivered to the bony structure of the face were delivered with the back three knuckles with the fist in a vertical, or often diagonal, position. With this method the middle knuckle is the primary point of impact while the last two knuckles go along for the ride and support the middle knuckle. This method eliminates the common injury to modern fist fighters which is often referred to by orthopedic doctors as the boxer's fracture, dubbed so for being so prevalent among modern day boxers whom use the pronating (twisting) punch when striking head/facial targets. Especially when fighting bareknuckle.

~Old school bareknuckle boxers and Okinawan fighters understood that the pronating (horizontal) or twisting punch is of value when delivering the (penetrating) two-knuckle punch to the targets of the torso. The two knuckle, twisting, punch penetrates between ribs and digs deeper into the torso to damage soft organs. Particularly the liver and kidneys. But when delivering bareknuckle punches to the bony targets of the face/head they always used the vertical, or often diagonal, punch for the superior structural integrity of the fist and the wrist. Wing Chun/Ving Tsun boxers have always used the vertical and diagonal punch because they are a bareknuckle boxing school whose focus is on civilian-self-defense and they are not a competitive 'combat-sport'.

~A simple test one can try at home is to make a fist and place the first two knuckles against the wall, palm facing down, at torso level while applying one's body weight and pressure behind it, as if to push down the wall. This represents a horizontal or pronating punch. Rock the fist back and forth a bit. Now perform the same exercise with the fist at face level, above your shoulders. Notice how the wrist is weaker and the last two knuckles are floating on their own.

~Now perform the same test with the fist in a vertical or even diagonal position, with the thumb side up, and all of your weight and force resting upon the last three knuckles. You will notice that the fist and the wrist is more solid and secure in this position. This is the fist position which you will want to train and utilize when striking the targets above your adversary's clavicle or collar bone in a bareknuckle close-combat situation.

~Let us address perhaps the most important issue of all that separates bareknuckle boxing punches from gloved punches. The battle field is very different from the combat-sports arena. With the advent of wraps and gloves a combat-sport fighter can deliver much harder punches to the face/head targets without breaking the delicate metacarpal bones and knuckles in the fists. This makes for a more exciting fight for spectators since the boxers can throw more 'punches-in-bunches' toward the face/head in hopes of a spectacular knockout. It also makes modern combat-sports more lethal due to the amount of concussions received by ring/cage fighters. Without hand protection a bareknuckle punch must be held in check when striking the hard facial/head targets.

~When we strike the bony facial/head targets using bareknuckle punches we mustn't punch 'through' the target with all of our power nor throw 'punches-in-bunches' in the same way that we can with hand protection in the sporting arena. Nor in the way that we do when delivering bareknuckle punches into the softer targets of the torso.

~When executing bareknuckle punches to the bony targets of the face/head the rule of thumb passed down through the centuries is that one must 'snap' back the punch as soon as impact is made. The power comes from the quickness of the impact while the 'snapping' back upon impact allows the kinetic force and 'psi' to travel through the target without all of the force returning back into your fist. 

~Modern sport boxing and MMA coaches often teach to 'punch-through' the target. To try to drive one's fist through the adversaries face and out the back of their head. This is very effective in the ring or cage considering that the athlete is training and going into a bout wearing hand protection but here we are discussing 'bareknuckle' punching for a military close-combat situation since so many military units abroad and in the sand-box are currently training in various boxing methods for CQC/H2H.

~Old school soldiers and Marines going back to WWI and WWII whom received bareknuckle boxing instruction in their close-combat/hand-to-hand training were taught that the rule of thumb in bareknuckle punching in actual combat was:

A. When striking the torso, punch 'through' the target.

B. When striking the face/head, always 'snap-back' your punch upon impact.

~This seems to be lost knowledge among modern day fighters whom transition their combative skills from combat-sports into military close-combat/hand-to-hand/CQC training programs with the intention of being battle ready in a frantic life or death situation against a highly motivated, dedicated, enemy intent upon killing them so that he can earn a special place in paradise.

~If you are going to incorporate modern day western boxing/Thai boxing/MMA into your military combatives programs and individual unit training than it would behoove you to consider the necessary modifications which must be incorporated into your 'boxing' training. 

~Lets reiterate what we have discussed here in this article about the difference between bareknuckle striking and sport-based striking as it relates to 'punching' and the transition from combat-sports to the battlefield, or one's area of operation. Hoo-ah?

~1. The warfighter must use a vertical, or diagonal, punch when striking targets located above the clavicle (face/head) but may use a pronating/twisting punch, vertical, or diagonal punch when striking the targets of the torso below the clavicle.

~2. The warfighter must 'snap-back' his punches upon impact when striking the targets of the face/head but 'drive-through' the targets of the torso. Snapping-punches delivered to the face and digging-punches to the body.

~Let us make mention that in the realm of military combatives, unlike combat-sports, it is important to drill simulated strikes in training which would be illegal in combat-sports. Rabbit-punches using the radial bone to attack the back of the neck in close-combat is highly effective and dangerous, which is why it is illegal in combat-sports. 

--Everyone likes to discuss dirty tactics like eye gouging, biting, PPC, spitting in the eyes, fish hooking, striking the testicles, kicking the knees, striking the trachea, tearing off the soft tissue targets of the face and head, when they discuss the difference between combat-sports like MMA and CQC/Hand-to-Hand Combat. But there are many other attacks that are simple, efficient, and highly effective while being illegal to every combat-sport arena. 

-This is not meant to be an article for disseminating those specific attacks, which every warfighter should be training, but one need not look any further than studying every illegal attack banned from both catch-wrestling and boxing. Also study the attacks which ancient Greeks banned from their Olympic Pankra'tia matches, which were also the reasons why the Spartans were banned from competing in the same matches.

~If we wish to prepare for CQC/Combatives we need not look to modern innovations but rather examine that which was used with great success in the past. In more recent military history the greatest proving ground for effective methods of both training and employing combatives/CQC/hand-to-hand combat for the life and death struggles faced by the Infantryman or special operations commando would be both World Wars. No wars since have seen as much close-combat as WWI and WWII.

~Considering that the adversaries were Germans, trained in both western and eastern martial arts, and Imperial Japanese, trained in Asian martial arts, yet the American and allied troops were consistently able to prevail in close-combat engagements with the enemies at a much higher success rate is no small testament to the methods trained and employed by the military men of that era. 

-But everyone wishes to reinvent the wheel and some believe that the same techniques that achieve success in the sporting-ring will apply, unmodified, to the battle-field or area of operations. Let's also remark that combat-sports of that era still retained much of their practical self-defense/street credit compared to the evolution they've undergone with the advent of the post WWII commercialization of the competitive-martial/combat arts.

-As for the aforementioned Okinawan Ryu of pugilism let's give honorable mention to the most lethal empty hand (Kara te) school known to mankind. . .Uechi Ryu, aka Panghai-Noon, of Okinawa. 

-The legendary Shinjo Kiyohide sensei, aka Superman of Okinawa, is perhaps the most renown master of Uechi Ryu in my earthly life time. 

-Uechi Ryu is a tier one bare knuckle school of physical training, discipline and self defense which combines indigenous Okinawan Toudi with Chinese Panghai-noon dragon, tiger and crane boxing. 🐉 🐅 🐦 

~Si vis pacem para bellum...In omnia paratus.

12February2015, 

♣Hoo-ah♣

Soldier's Book Review: WHEN HELL BECOMES YOUR HOME, By Author N. Cognito.

                                                                BOOK REVIEW


   ~If you're interests delve into the realms of criminology, criminal science, psychology, stress/fear management, people management, self-protection, combatives, counter-detention, survival, fighting fitness, Budo, prison politics, prison sub-culture, spirituality and much more than this is a book which will grab your attention and hold onto it until the last page is turned over.
   
   ~Written as a self-help/personal development book, When Hell Becomes Your Home: How I Survived 14Years In Prison by Author N. Cognito, this manual is actually so much more!
   
   ~Not only a valuable manual for a newly incarcerated love one or someone whom possibly faces incarceration and wishes to possess the psychological tools and wisdom to survive the most challenging moment of their life, but also an extremely insightful manual for anyone whom works in corrections, teaches self-defense/self-protection, works in law enforcement, studies at university, wishes to better understand the psychology of human survival, works with at risk delinquent youth, majors in sociology, has ever been on a spiritual quest, or simply has a respect for what it takes to over come extreme circumstances in the face of major adversity.
   
   ~This personal development book is written by an elite U.S. Army soldier with no criminal history whom was thrust into the prison system and forced to survive on his own within a world that he knew nothing about. Imagine being a soldier trapped alone deep behind enemy lines, in an urban environment, vastly outnumbered by superior forces, unarmed, no back up, no one coming to rescue you, no chance of escape and evasion, surrounded by atrocious brutality, no adequate medical care, no adequate nutrition, and for the most part ignorant to the local culture...How would you feel? Most importantly, how would you survive?
   
   ~The author of this book survived very similar situations, over a fourteen year period, learning through trial and error. Drawing upon his personal military training and experiences the author adapted and overcame as a survivor until one day while contemplating the question in his mind of how well his own son, without the same benefit of the author's prior training, would fair should he find himself in such a horrible place the author began to write for his son all of the most important things he would need to know.
   
   ~Sitting in his prison cell his pen began to write, as if writing to his own son, the most vital pieces of information that one would need to possess in order to have a fighting chance of surviving such a world and avoiding the most dangerous pit falls that await the uninitiated. Only later was he made to realize that this work should be shared with the public in order to help others in the way he had desired to help his own son.
   
  ~The information within the pages of the personal-development/self-help book are drawn strictly from the author's personal experience. Some have said that experience is the best and most cruel teacher of all. The knowledge and wisdom that the author had to earn the hard way: through a life of adversity and tribulations, is being readily given to the reader without having themselves earn it through the same crucibles.
   
   ~I would classify this work as being a self-help/personal-development book derived from the author's autobiographical experiences. Thus, in my humble opinion, making it more valuable than the theoretical. For if one should teach from theory and another should teach from their personal experience than with whom does the wisdom lie?
   
   ~This book is available in paperback print at Lulu.com and is offered 'on sale' for $3.63 U.S. dollars. If interested parties would log onto the book publishing site Lulu.com and search for either the title When Hell Becomes Your Home or the name Author N. Cognito then a copy can be readily attained at such a discount price. It is the author's desire to share life saving knowledge with readers more than to merely accrue monetary profits, so he offers it at the lowest price possible.


    ~Having read this book myself, as have many of my associates, I must say that the amount of knowledge contained in such a relatively brief book is astounding and yet written in a manner that one's attention never strays from it's pages. Though originally intended to give the reader the tools necessary to survive within the dangerous criminal underworld of prison the concepts and tools found within these pages just as easily apply to the dangerous streets of civil society while providing the reader with vital tools for dealing with stress, fear, anger, grief, and an assortment of other challenges we all face in our daily lives!~


http://www.lulu.com/shop/author-n-cognito/when-hell-becomes-your-home-how-i-survived-14years-in-prison/paperback/product-21914575.html

WHY BOXER FRACTURES ARE MUCH MORE COMMON OUTSIDE THE RING.

*Thanks to the combat sports of western boxing, de-militarized martial arts for the purpose of sport or civilian self-defense, and Hollywood action movies most people across the globe today think of punching with the clenched fists, as percussion weapons, when they think of unarmed combat. So for the sake of this blog we will break down the science and mechanics of bare knuckle punching verses gloved punching in sport.


*Let us begin with the fact that the sport fighter when using punches most often has the protection of wrist support and wrapped hands to reinforce the structural integrity of the wrists, metacarpals, and knuckles. In addition to all of that, many modern ring fighters also don gloves.


*Contrary to popular misunderstanding the wraps and gloves are not meant to make the strikes less lethal to the recipient of the blows but rather to reinforce and protect the hands of the striker so that they can strike much more forcefully to the facial and head targets without breaking the wrists, metacarpals, or knuckles as would be very common injuries were they to engage in such action bare knuckle. Long ago they first began wrapping the wrists, hands, and knuckles in cord and sometime even covering the cord with a hard resin to allow the fists to be used as hard blunt force trauma weapons against the hard bony targets of the face and head in man to man combat matches. The reason the ancients did this across the earth was because they knew what every bone and joint doctor knows today, which is that the delicate metacarpals of the human hand and the knuckle joints are not meant to sustain massive impact trauma against the rounded and hard surfaces of the human skull.


*What about the Okinawan masters who conditioned the bones and strengthen the wrists and hands to absorb massive impact against very hard boards, brick, stone, and concrete block? And why did they train clenched fist strikes so extensively in the Okinawan schools of unarmed combat?


*First let us examine the fact that in many arts where the practitioners devote decades, if not a lifetime, to conditioning and strengthening their hands through what they call Hojo Undo training they are striking very hard flat surfaces with their bare knuckles when they perform breaking demonstrations to exhibit their achievements. With such intense strengthening and conditioning the bones through what science now calls Wolff's law the practitioner can strengthen the bones to sustain massive impact at the proper angles without breaking the metacarpals or wrists. However, let it be known that in these demonstrations one is striking a stationary, flat, surface with great attention focused to ensure that the middle knuckle, along with at least one other knuckle, impacts flat at the proper point of impact. Some schools will strike with the middle knuckle and the index knuckle as the point of impact at the weakest point of the board, brick, block, or flat stone. Other schools will strike with the middle knuckle and the back two riding along to reinforce the middle knuckle and metacarpal's structural support. But they do not ever punch bare knuckle to break a rounded and hard object, like a bowling ball, with a massive follow through punch because there is no way to evenly distribute the load of the impact upon the knuckles of the clenched fist. To take it even farther let us acknowledge that they would never attempt such a feat against a rapidly moving, rounded, hard, object using bare knuckles.


*In fact when we examine or train in an old style of Okinawan 'boxing' be it Toudi or Kara Te we will notice that the makiwara are almost always set at breast level height and never set at head level for bare knuckle punching. The makiwara is set at the level of the solar plexus or rib cage for conditioning and training hard bare knuckle strikes for a specific reason. The open hand or even hammer fist strikes are trained at the higher level makiwara, set above torso level, but the bare knuckle punches are not trained upon the makiwara above the torso level because the old masters understood the wisdom of using bare knuckle punches to the softer torso targets and bones of the chest cavity to inflict massive trauma or death, while utilizing other empty hand strikes to targets above the torso. They followed the rule of hard to soft and soft to hard.


*The close fist strikes were used in sparring or practice quite often in some schools to feign strikes above the torso in order to prevent serious accidental injuries. At the high levels where practitioners had developed more control they used the correct alternative strikes above the torso level during practice while reserving the bare knuckle punches to the torso targets, sometimes including the groin.


*With the advent of sport and de-militarized civilian self-defense methods (less than lethal methods) the bare knuckle punches were adopted for striking both below and above the torso to coincide with civil laws prohibiting deliberate killing another human being in a civil dispute. Teachers not wishing their students to kill or maim and receive a prison sentence or death penalty for murder under the law, nor wishing to be implicated for teaching or encouraging their students to use lethal methods were obliged to modify and demilitarize their methods by adopting the closed fist bare knuckle strikes for targets both below and above the neck.


*Never the less, with this de-militarized method being adopted by the Okinawan masters they also taught two methods of bare knuckle punching for striking. When striking the torso targets they taught to 'drive-through' the target and exert maximum force, as had always been the method used when striking the torso targets. But when bare knuckle punching the hard bony targets of the face and skull: chin, jaw, tempro-mandibular joint, nose, temple, etc, they taught to 'snap-back'. This snapping back combined with a pronation


*Let us examine bare knuckle boxing methods like Chinese Wing Tsun. The bare knuckle punches or the straight punches used to strike the bony facial targets, also being a less than lethal method taught for civil self-defense and safe practice, utilizes a punch that does not rely so much upon massive impact force to create a knock-out as in the harder punching methods of Okinawan, Thai, or Western boxing methods. But rather the Wing Tsun bare knuckle straight punches to the bony facial targets rely more upon the speed of overwhelming the opponent while using forward body momentum to keep the opponent on their heels and off balance until a take down can be achieved followed by a finishing blow of dropping the knees into the rib cage or the solar plexus while striking at the throat to finish the fight, or until the opponent surrenders in defeat. The Wing Tsun punches travel a very short distance and therefore do not generate the amount of force necessary to break the metacarpals of a conditioned fighter's hand.


*Western bare knuckle boxing or fisticuffs does not enjoy the protection of wrapped and reinforced wrists, metacarpals, and knuckles covered with gloves in an attempt to protect the wrists and hands from injury during a man-to-man combat match. Which in fact this practice of reinforcing the wrists and hands has made boxing combat sports much more lethal than the bare knuckle counter part because now the fighters can strike full force and need not be as surgical in their targets during a bout. Throwing "punches in bunches."


*With this new found power and confidence the boxer can afford to be a hard hitting head hunter and swing with all of his might at the bony skull/face of his opponent. A thing that would be foolish and most likely self destructive in a bare knuckle boxing match. And imprudent against multiple attackers in a potentially life or death struggle. Yet even with all of  this conditioning, reinforcement and protection for the sport boxers' hands their have been several incidences of professional fighters in boxing and other competitive martial arts venues whom have sustained broken hands. 


*Now when fighting outside of a ring or cage, many bone and joint specialists will attest, it is very common for fighters and practitioners of these modernized combat sports and competitive martial arts to sustain what is called in the medical community a 'boxer's fracture', a crushed knuckle, broken metacarpals, or broken wrist when applying the same methods of punching in the competitive venue to the proverbial 'street' fight. Even the American heavy weight champion of the world, Mike Tyson, was reported to having broken his hand in a street fight against a fellow professional boxer, Mitch Green, during a one-on-one fight that took place outside of a store. And we can't say it's because he doesn't know how to punch or that he was an untrained amateur, as many often claim when a fighter breaks his metacarpals, knuckles, or wrist in a bare knuckle fight.


  ♣WHAT THE OLD SCHOOL BARE KNUCKLE BOXERS KNEW ABOUT STRIKING♣


*When striking the bony facial targets with the bare knuckles always 'snap-back' upon impact. Don't try to punch through the target the way you can with taped, wrapped, and gloved hands.


*Bare knuckle punches above the torso should impact with the middle knuckle and the last two riding along to reinforce the second metacarpal and middle knuckle. Either strike with the fist in the vertical position (thumb up) or the fist in a diagonal position (a three quarter twisting punch but not the full twisting or reverse punch used in boxing and many martial arts). Do not impact with the first two knuckles and the palm down when bare knuckle punching above the torso to the bony facial targets. *The straight punch is ideal for the lead, jab, hand while the diagonal punch is ideal for the cross punch.


*When striking bare knuckle to the torso targets below the neck one may train to punch using any method of punching they prefer: horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, but the diagonal is still the most structurally sound punch. Preferred targets are the solar plexus, liver sack, kidneys, bladder, and testicles. The floating ribs (short ribs) are also targeted to cause injury and pain but seldom will cause a knock out in the way that the other targets can.


*Always 'punch-through' the softer torso targets as opposed to 'snapping-back' when punching the bony facial bones. This is always without exception the rule of thumb in bare knuckle striking and it is LAW. If any self-proclaimed guro, master, sensei, or expert teaches you to punch through the target when striking bare knuckle toward the bony structure of the face and head in a fight then you may consider them dubious or merely unexperienced outside of the competitive boxing/martial arts arena and they shouldn't be teaching 'bare knuckle' combat methods. They should stick to teaching what they know best, 'sport-based' combat methods.


*When throwing a 'hook' bare knuckle the method was to clench the fist in a way that the thumb rests upon the top of the index knuckle with the tip of the thumb nail barely protruding over the index fore knuckle. It was not a punch in the way it is thrown today in gloved boxing nor was it named because it is thrown in a 'hooking' motion. The 'hook' got it's name because the thumb, in the aforementioned position, would be slightly extended upon impact into the outside corner of the adversary's eye to 'hook' the eye! (This is bare knuckle boxing and it is dirty. Not 'sport' boxing.)


*The upper cut is not so much used in bare knuckle boxing though the shovel hook sometime is. If an uppercut is employed bare knuckle, one only used the heel of the palm much like a WWII 'chin-jab' uppercut under the chin at very close quarters or grappling range while slapping the lumbar of the adversary with the opposite hand. Sometimes a knee is brought up into the groin to cause the adversary to react by leaning forward at the same time the heel of the palm (carpal bone) is striking from under the chin to facilitate the knockout. Their head should snap backward, pinching at the brain stem, ideally resulting in a knockout.


*The round house punch is also delivered in bare knuckle boxing in a much different way, having the point of impact being predominantly upon the heel of the closed hand as the thumb is out of the way and resting atop of the index finger fore knuckle. The targets are the jaw, TMJ, ear, and steno-mastoid. As well as the temple.


                                                             ♣SUMMARY♣            
*I do not intend to make this a lesson in bare knuckle boxing according to the very old school methods before it became a sport, so I will not go any farther here. But in sticking with the subject at hand, we have laid out many of the common reasons why boxer-fractures and injuries to the hands and wrists are much more common outside of the ring when fighting 'bare knuckle' without the protection and reinforcement, despite professional training or years of conditioning.


* If one intends to train for the competitive ring then realize that one's methods and approach will be drastically different than if one intends to train for bare knuckle pugilistic applications outside of the ring, as for a self-defense situation. Not only will your method of striking, point of impact, and intention completely change but so will one's guard, defensive methods, and even footwork once the context has changed from inside the ring to outside of the ring.


*Let us also add that when the horizontal punch is used in bare knuckle boxing to strike above shoulder level the muscles in the forearm disengage and permit the wrist to buckle under massive force. And let us consider that the horizontal bare knuckle punch, as in a fully pronated punch used in competitive sport boxing and competitive martial arts, where the palm is facing down at the moment of impact, that should one slightly miss during the frantic bobbing and weaving of the adversary's head during real combat that the last two knuckles of the clenched fist (or quite often the last knuckle all by itself) will impact upon the hard bony structure of the adversary's face/skull with all of the massive kinetic force behind it which results in a boxer fracture. The same thing will happen if all of the force of a powerful bare knuckle hammer-fist impacts the little finger's knuckle upon the bony round structure of the face/skull.


*Again, striking a hard flat surface where the force is evenly distributed across two or more of the knuckles is drastically different than striking a hard rounded surface where the force of impact is more likely to be absorbed by a single knuckle when striking with both the horizontal (full twist reverse) punch or a hammer-fist when using bare knuckle punches in a frantic combat situation against a single adversary or multiples.


*This is why in bare knuckle boxing we 'snap-back' when striking bony surfaces but we 'punch through' when striking softer torso targets. And we never use the horizontal (palm down) punch when punching above the adversaries torso targets but rather train to employ vertical and diagonal punches to the targets above their torso (I/E: the bony facial targets) but may employ any type of bare knuckle punch we prefer to the softer torso targets below their clavicle.


*If you're trained in competitive sport boxing then you already have excellent body mechanics honed through training and all you need to do is now consider these reasons why boxer's fractures are much more common outside of the ring when throwing bare knuckle and incorporate these simple bare knuckle rules into your training so that your muscle memory will respond properly should you have the misfortune of having to resort to bare knuckle boxing for a self-defense situation.


*Remember, self-defense is all about self preservation so it makes no sense to destroy the tools which you must rely upon throughout your survival in daily life. And our hands are some of our most important tools. So if you are foolish enough to be caught unarmed and then decide to 'punch' your way out of danger with bare knuckles than at the very least learn the difference between punching in a competitive sporting arena and bare knuckle punching in a close combat defense situation.


16October2014
AnDrew Soldier

P.S.
  The author of this blog does not contend that bare knuckle boxing
is a preferred or even prudent form of empty hand self-defense in
a potential life or death struggle against single or multiple attackers.
  And if the situation is not potentially life or death then one could
argue that there is no need to engage in such aggressive negotiations.
  And finally if one feels the need to aggressively resist a potential
life or death situation than the author contends that a more dedicated method
than one's bare knuckles may be justified and more prudent.
  Never the less, all empty hand methods of practical close quarter combat
have their benefit as a method of last resort until one can escape or create
space and access a better 'tool'.

The author believes that boxing's greatest asset to the realm of unarmed combat defense is in it's outstanding evasive maneuvers, trapping and tying up the attackers limbs and in safely acquiring the clench without getting knocked out in order to utilize standing grappling techniques from Kodokan Judo, Jiujitsu or Catch Wrestling.  
♣Hoo-ah♣

" Too Easy: An Infantry Soldier's Life "

   I recall when Tennessee Titans football team went to Fort Campbell, Kentucky to try and do morning physical training with my unit 3rd Battalion, 327th Infantry 1st Brigade Combat Team "Bastogne" 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Steve McNair (RIP) said on television news, "We are NFL football players but we can't hang with these men. They look like ordinary men but these guys are like supermen. It's incredible what they can do."
 

  On news footage they showed all the Titans falling out of a ruck-run, some couldn't get up with a full ruck load, some gave up and said 'no way, can't take this'...It was a reality check for NFL athletes and the fans who watched that news broadcast.
 

  Infantrymen don't do it for money, cause the pay sucks, nor for fame or recognition because most people never hear about our work and the rest don't believe it, nor because it's glamorous...It's just 'who' one is and 'what' one does...You're either cut out for that life or your not...A happy band of masochists who (rather than complain) say when their cold, wet, hungry, sleep deprived and humping 120lbs of extra weight for 25miles, "Hoo-ah!!! Let it suck some more!"
 

  When they've done enough physical exercise that their limbs are jelly and they can barely stand up, the Infantrymen will shout, " We like it! We love it! We want some more of it! Make it hurt! Make it hurt! Make it hurt! " Men who say, "Pain is just weakness leaving the body! Pain is our best friend, it lets us know we're still alive!"
 

  Men who get off on the pain and misery that makes other men cringe and withdraw...Men who value honor, camaraderie, brotherhood, courage, strength, and altruistic love above all other things...Men who mean what they say and say what they mean...Men who are not afraid to suffer and sacrifice their lives for honor, loyalty, and to protect the people they love (or the people they don't even know)...Men who hate bullies and whose greatest joy in life is to make the predator become the prey...Men who are professionals even before they are old enough to shave or buy a beer...Men whom, despite hunger, fatigue, muscle failure, sleep deprivation, cramps, blisters, flu virus, high temperature, or injury, will parachute or rappel into an area of operation and then run a literal marathon under a full combat load just to get to the fight of their lives!
 

  So tell me again, how 'sports' athletes who get paid multi million dollar contracts have it so tough playing with a broke finger or cramps (Lebran James), how a gangsta rapper (50cent) on stage feels like his job is equal to being a combat soldier, or an actor (Tom Cruise) says his job is every bit as hard as being an Infantry Marine in Afghanistan...Maybe we should give them another 50million dollars annually, along with a hug, since those cup~cakes got it so tough.
Hoo-ah4Life,
AnDrew*

'It Is No Mark Of Success To Be Well Adjusted To A Profoundly Sick World'

  The Brazilian military, at the behest of mining and logging corporations, has been forcefully removing, attacking, beating, and even killing Indigenous Natives.

  Many Indigenous Natives have traveled by foot into the cities to go before the courts and complain only to have their pleas for justice and salvation ignored...The more things change the more they remain the same...Atrocities many claim have passed into history are still happening today against indigenous peoples whom have attacked no one, terrorized no one, and have even tried to grieve to the law of the land about the abuses, terror, and murder they are suffering from an attempt to drive them from their home land which lies deep in the jungles of Brazil far from cities or towns. 1stTimothy 6:10: "For the love of money is the root of all manner of evil." 

  It would seem that the so-called Roman Catholic Government of Brazil has never studied their countries' most popular religion...Or perhaps they have and are merely following in the steps of the Roman Vatican's historical enslavement and murder of indigenous populations.

  What ever happened to, 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?' Or 'love thy neighbor as thyself?'
  Just like every other Government: U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Columbia where they have and sometime still are killing indigenous Native people to drive them from their homes and farms, or African countries where the mainstream population and Government often hunt and kill Sani Bushmen and Pygmy people. Southeast Asia where Governments commit genocide against Karen people, The Laos Government who hunt the Mong people, the Arab countries where Government tries to force Bedouin people onto plots of land with Government housing, and Australia Government whom still attempt to drive indigenous Aboriginal people from their homeland. 

  The Brazilian Government has not changed very much from their historical days of hunting and oppressing indigenous Native people.
  Perhaps in 50-100years they shall teach in Brazil's schools how these peaceful people they now terrorize and kill while stealing their home land were violent people who attacked the Latino/Afro Brazilian population and so the military had to be sent in to quell their uprisings.

  They will not mention in history books how even after being attacked, beaten, homes burned, abused, and even some of their family killed these indigenous people, showing the restraint of true Saints, traveling by foot to appeal before the law of the land and plead for salvation and mercy from these crimes committed against them...

  I'm sure the history books will white wash the entire actions of the Brazilian Latino Government and villainies the Indigenous People, just as they have their ancestors in times before when the Latinos and Africans were conquering Brazil and building a Latin country. And just as the U.S. has done here in building an Anglo/Afro, and in some parts Latin, country...Latin meaning 'Roman' and referring to descendants of the Romans: Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Just to clarify because many today whom are predominantly Indigenous Americans by blood, some having no European blood in their veins, claim to be Latin/Latino. Anglo referring to descendants of the English and Euro-countries conquered by the English.

  In Jamaica almost all Indigenous Guarani 'Indans' are extinct, but for some of the local black Afro~Jamaicans whom have Guarani blood in their ancestry, because after the Afro~Jamaicans drove out the French slave owners in a civil war they eventually eradicated the remaining Indigenous Guarani living in the mountains.

  No other peoples on this planet seem to be historically (and evidently up until the present) hunted and eradicated at such a high rate as Indigenous American peoples from the Arctic all the way down to Argentina whenever their land and natural resources are to be desired.

  The King Family of Texas owns more land than any other family in the U.S. and yet throughout history the U.S. Government has not forced them off their land or forced them to give up mineral rights or any other rights on their thousands of acres...If it were only about land why are they too not victims of corporate Government greed?
  This is 2014 and I see more Facebook posts and media outrage about protecting stray dogs and cats or leaving pets in a locked car (which 'is' cruel) than I see about the human atrocities and crimes still being committed against Indigenous people in the Americas: from the epidemic rate of missing and murdered First Nation women and girls in Canada, to the same epidemic here in the U.S. and in Mexico, the Government sanctioned murders of Tarumara people in northern Mexico, the Columbian Government and the Cartels' attacks and crimes against the Indigenous Kogi people of the Mountains of Columbia, and the Government atrocities also against the Indigenous jungle people of Brazil, among many others I have failed to mention for brevity sake.
  Why is that the world gets in more upheaval over the killing of a single 17 year old young man in Florida (which is a tragedy) but does not bat an eye over the current epidemic kidnappings, rapes, multiple murders, or Government sanctioned attacks against Indigenous people across the Americas and in the U.S.A.?

  Why does the kidnapping of a Caucasian or African American child make national news in both the U.S.A. and Canada but the epidemic kidnappings and murders of Indigenous girls and women seldom make the local news?

  Even now many reading this would ask, "What epidemic of disappearing women and girls? I've never heard about it on local or national news?" (Exactly...)
  But PBS has done numerous documentaries about it, Independent Lens has covered it, Native News Letters have covered it, books have been written about it, and it's often on the Net.

  The Indigenous Movement 'Idle No More' was raising huge awareness about this epidemic and when they were getting some media attention on the web 'someone' within the media decided to avert the attention away from this extremely important issue (along with others being raised) just as they were gathering momentum and redirect the massive national attention to the issue of bigotry in the professional sport teams' mascots which denigrate Indigenous people.
  Now is it perhaps because multitudes of disappearing Indigenous women is not as upsetting to mainstream Americans and Canadians as challenging the mascot of some stupid sports team?
  Does it take attacking a professional sports team's mascot to get mainstream public up in arms when other issues concerning life and death (some affecting all Americans and Canadians) such as the 'fracking', continental oil pipeline, toxic waste dumping in drinking and fishing waters, and neglected massive oil spills in drinking and fishing waters were barely making ripples in the media nor causing much uproar in mainstream society during the earlier Idle No More movement?
  If such life and death issues concerning all people, along with an epidemic of disappearing and murdered bodies of women, can barely cause a ripple then why is the calling into question about the mascot of 'sports' teams creating such a massive recoil throughout the U.S. and Canada? Now ask yourself for a moment, what does this say about the integrity and priorities of the people?
  Where is the outrage where outrage is due? When does injustice take a back seat to entertainment within a nation of peoples? How can you call yourself and Christian, Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim, Mormon, Seven Day Adventist, or even a person of conscience and be so profoundly sick?
  "It is not the mark of success to be well adjusted in such a profoundly sick world."

Hoo-ah4Life,

 

AnDrew Soldier.

'What This World Needs Today'

We need less religion and politics...More faith and prayer to the Creator Almighty.
We need less 'what can you do for me' and more 'what can I do for you'.
We need less 'tic for tat' and more grace.
We need less bitterness and more gratitude.
We need less hate and more mercy.
We need less destruction and more creation.
We need less violence and more compassion.
We need less demand for respect and ...more giving respect.
We need less greed and more generosity.
We need less social networking and more personal interaction.
We need less 'trolling' and more encouraging.
We need less grudges and more forgiveness.
We need less lust and more love.
We need less taking and more giving back.
We need less seeking offense and more seeking blessings.
We need less 'f*** the world' and more 'how can I be a positive change in the world.'
We need less leaders and more servants.
We need less destructiveness and more healing.
We need less demand and more being content with less.
We need less knowledge and more understanding.
We need less emotion and more reason.
We need less pursuit of pleasure and more self-sacrifice.
We need less self-serving love and more altruistic love.
We need less making promises and more keeping promises.
We need less pride and more humility.
We need less curses and more words of blessings.
We need less destructive criticism and more constructive criticism.
We need less focus on ourselves and more focus on Holy Creator (God).
Peace be with you.
AnDrew*