Readers;

This Fourth of July marked the 233rd anniversary of the birth of our great nation, the day when brave and dedicated patriots signed the declaration that founded our country based on freedom and liberty. This holiday weekend, we should extend our thoughts and reflections on this day, and honor the United States' continuing commitment to protecting freedom and the spreading of democracy. Since declaring independence from Great Britain in 1776, the United States has risen as the world's champion of liberty and freedom. As Lafayette put it, "Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country." For more than 200 years, America has stood for freedom, hope and prosperity. As we reflect on the forefathers, who courageously resolved to sever ties with England, we also must remember the men and women who fought so dutifully to defend that decision. We should also take time to honor the sacrifice of all men and women who have worn U.S. military uniforms in the ensuing 232 years. These countrymen (many of you) have served to ensure our freedom and the freedom of people throughout the world. Today you continue to serve, out of uniform but not diminished as we continue this struggle in Afghanistan and Iraq—and we know that freedom and liberty will prevail.

So, on this Fourth of July we mark more than a birthday. We celebrate our God-given rights to liberty and life, and we honor all those who, over the centuries, have been willing to fight and die to keep our country free. Today we are engaged in a struggle as great as any the United States has faced throughout our long and honored history. It is a struggle that is a fight for freedom as was the war fought for independence in 1776. Once again it is a battle for humanity, for the rights of all people, not just Americans, to live in a world free of terrorism and fear.

Stay safe.

John Adams

Managing Editor, Blackwater Tactical Weekly
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- Greg Evans

This week at the ProShop

On sale this week
5.11 Covert Casual Short Sleeve Shirt.

Offer good July 6-July 12, while supplies last.

Today marks the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraqi urban areas, the result of a deadline contained in the Status of Forces Agreement (SoFA) that the Bush administration negotiated and the Obama administration embraced. It is a milestone on the road to Iraqi sovereignty and a useful moment, I think, to consider three widespread -- and to some extent inter-related -- arguments that were made about Iraq in recent years.

North Korea launched seven ballistic missiles on Saturday morning, further escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and exposing the outlaw regime to the threat of more UN sanctions. The provocative timing of the missile tests - July 4th is US Independence Day - signals Pyongyang's determination not to be cowed by recent moves by Washington to crack down on North Korea's suspected trade in arms and weapon-related material.

Waxman-Markey is part power-grab, part enviro-fantasy. Here are 50 reasons to stop it.

The stimulus bill was the legislative equivalent of the famous cantina scene from Star Wars, an eye-popping collection of the freakish and exotic, gathered for dubious purposes. The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, known as ACES (the American Clean Energy and Security Act), is more like the third panel in Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights - a hellscape that disturbs the sleep of anybody who contemplates it carefully.

Two main things to understand about Waxman-Markey: First, it will not reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, at least not at any point in the near future. The inclusion of carbon offsets, which can be manufactured out of thin air and political imagination, will eliminate most of the demands that the legislation puts on industry, though in doing so it will manage to drive up the prices consumers pay for every product that requires energy for its manufacture - which is to say, for everything. Second, it represents a worse abuse of the public trust and purse than the stimulus and the bailouts put together. Waxman-Markey creates a permanent new regime in which environmental romanticism and corporate welfare are mixed together to form political poison. From comic bureaucratic power grabs (check out the section of the bill on candelabras) to the creation of new welfare programs for Democratic constituencies to, above all, massive giveaways for every financial, industrial, and political lobby imaginable, this bill would permanently deform American politics and economic life.

A submarine scouring the Indian Ocean on Sunday picked up the signal beacons of the two black boxes of a Yemenia Airways flight that crashed off the Comoros Islands, the French aviation agency said.

A 12-year-old girl, Bahia Bakari, is the only survivor of Tuesday's early morning crash that killed 152 people on the flight from Paris to Moroni, the capital of the Comoros islands.

The one-line statement Sunday from the French investigation agency BEA gave no indication of when the flight data and cockpit voice recorders in the black boxes of the Airbus A310 jet might be recovered.

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Tactical Equipment Evaluation

Most of the knives I've had the pleasure to review have a decidedly tactical look about them. Of course, that's kind of like saying "assault weapon". If the knife is used for tactical purposes then it is, by definition, a tactical knife. That said, the Buck Knives' Vantage doesn't have that military / cop look about it. It looks more like the knife you'd expect your grandpa to have in his pocket to pull out for general utility use. Taking that into consideration I did the only thing I could as I tested it: treated it like every other knife and beat the hell out of it to see if it would hold up. Let's see how it did...

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

Recreational Equipment Review

There has never been a time like the present for professional learning and development in law enforcement. Between professional organizations, professional conferences, police-specific web sites, and books, any police officer or trainer who wants to learn more and get better can easily do so. One of the largest publishers of law enforcement books is Paladin Press, and two of their new books are reviewed here: "Winning a High-Speed, Close-Distance Gunfight" by Lou Chiodo and "Tactical Perfection For Street Cops" by Steve Albrecht. Adam Kasanof is a retired NYPD lieutenant, lawyer and gunfight victor who has written a book titled "How to be an Expert Witness" which is reviewed here, too.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/recreading/3booksmroz.htm

INDEPENDENCE, LIBERTY, FREEDOM...

233 YEARS OF LESSONS... Have we learned?

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

http://www.ustraining.com/new/btw/Chaplain/070609chaplain.htm

Are you looking at gaining some serious mass? Well this article is going to take you through how to do this and show you how to gain quality mass rather than just fat!

It's really important how many calories you are taking in when trying to bulk up so you must set an eating plan and stick to it as you can easily lose track of your food. What you need to determine is how much carbohydrates, protein and fats should you be getting from your diet. A very popular ratio is a 50/30/20 ratio where you are in taking 50% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 20% fats in your diet

As far as the calories go you need to be taking in more calories than you are burning off. If you are not then obviously you are going to be losing weight no matter what!

Full Story

Here are some links for charitable organizations.

The Blackwater Tactical Weekly does not endorse any organization over another nor encourage charitable contributions, we provide these links as a public service, and take no responsibility for the actual sites. Although we strive to validate the sites before linking we caution you to do your own research, as the internet is ripe with scams.

Founded in 1978, Vietnam Veterans of America is the only national Vietnam veterans organization congressionally chartered and exclusively dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA is organized as a not-for-profit corporation and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(19) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

VVA'S FOUNDING PRINCIPLE

"Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another."

GOALS
VVA's goals are to promote and support the full range of issues important to Vietnam veterans, to create a new identity for this generation of veterans, and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans.

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