Readers;

As you may have noticed the name is back. The Blackwater Tactical Weekly name was changed to the Tactical Weekly when Blackwater Lodge and Training Center changed its name to US Training Center. In a license deal just completed with the Blackwater Pro Shop LLC we are again permitted to use the name. I am sorry for the confusion but the BTW is back! Hooyah!!

Stay safe.

John Adams

Managing Editor, Blackwater Tactical Weekly
Please continue to submit your suggestions to btw@ustraining.com

-Groucho Marx

Deal of the week: FREE SHIPPING on the Storm Single Point Sling!!

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Offer not valid on orders placed after 3/30/2009.

Putting Troops on Mexican Border Needs to Be 'Looked at Very Carefully,' Senator Says

The violence caused by drug cartels along the U.S.-Mexico border might not be as serious a national security concern as the war in Afghanistan, but it is a threat that calls for adequate resources, personnel, and perhaps military force, lawmakers said last week.

More than 6,000 people were killed last year in drug cartel-provoked violence, and in January 2009, another 1,000 were killed, according to the U.S. State Department. Some of that violence is spilling over into U.S. cities along the border with Mexico. On Feb. 25, more than 700 drug-cartel members operating in the United States were arrested.

One of many concerns raised by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington is the security of U.S. borders. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 established border security as a major mission for the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The failed congressional attempt at comprehensive immigration reform focused renewed attention on the U.S. border with Mexico as well as on the challenges of illegal border crossings and surges in cross-border crime. In response, the Bush Administration employed additional Border Patrol agents, deployed new technologies at the border, and erected physical barriers.

These efforts have contributed to a decrease in the illegal alien population in the U.S. and to an expansion of cross-border security cooperation with Mexico. Sustaining these efforts is an essential component of regaining control of America's southern border and battling cross-border crime cartels while improving the flow of legal goods and services across the border. This was a good start. Today, however, the Obama Administration must continue these measures and work to integrate national efforts with state and local governments as well as with private citizens.

Lack of proper training and/or deficient training is handicapping cops and exposing them to danger and possibly even death. Training ought not to be an afterthought or an activity that law enforcement agencies cannot afford. Training is a matter of survival, and not only that, but also has a huge impact on morale as well.

Every law enforcement agency should have a minimum of one complete working day set aside for training every month and at least one week a year for specific or targeted training. Training requirements for specialized units should be more intense.

The usual 40 hours of training required every other year by some state departments of criminal justice services to maintain certification should not count as training per se because officers are allowed to select the courses that will take. Many law enforcement agencies are getting by with a half hour of training now and then during roll call. The whole thing is a sham, because the roll call room and what is going on there is not conducive to learning anything.

A fourth Oakland police officer was pronounced dead Sunday in the wake of a shooting rampage by a 26-year-old parolee who, according to family members, knew he was a wanted man and did not want to go back to prison.

Motorcycle officer John Hege, 41, was declared brain dead Sunday morning at Highland Hospital in Oakland and remained on life support to preserve his organs for donation.

His death made Saturday's shootings in East Oakland the deadliest attacks on California law enforcement in almost four decades.

KABUL (AP) - NATO troops struck a compound in southern Afghanistan, killing 10 suspected militants - including a senior Taliban commander - while eight Afghan police officers and two NATO soldiers were killed in separate attacks in the same area, officials said Monday. Senior Taliban commander...

Tactical Equipment Evaluation

Law enforcement professionals and soldiers wear body armor because they work in environments where they expect to get shot (at). Knowing the risk, they'd be silly not to wear it, right? In today's world, it's sad to say, there are plenty of other places that carry an increased risk of being shot at; heck, anywhere in public is getting to somewhat of a reality. We've seen mass shooting attacks in churches, schools, restaurants and more. Given that unfortunate reality of life, a number of companies have developed unobtrusive looking soft armor products. This week I shot the heck out of one from SafetyBook and this review is about that testing and how well it performed.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

Recreational Equipment Review

Yes, another book; and this time one I swore I'd never read. In case you haven't read the book (and I haven't seen the movie that comes out on DVD sometime soon), you may want to pick it up. Yes, it's a vampire tale. Yes, it's a story about young love (at least half of the love is young, 'cause the other half is vampire and he's way old). That aside, it's also a story about facing your fears; recognizing and prioritizing the emotions that flow through all of us; over-coming some embarrassing moments most of us experience. I wasn't sure if I was going to write this one but recent events conspired against me and here it is. I hope you're not too cool and macho to dismiss it out of hand... like I tried to be until circumstance caught up with me.

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

http://www.borelliconsulting.com/recevals/recreading/twilight.htm

"The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch." Jim Rohn

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all." Helen Keller

Helen Keller had a very interesting view of security... But then a deaf-blind achiever would likely have a radical view. Most of her other views would be radically different than most of ours but in this quote there is much stated that states the position of many of us. That last sentence very closely aligns with my own opinion... "Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all."

Full Story Can Be Viewed At:

http://www.ustraining.com/tw2009/article/032309chaplain.htm

Fire up your engine and burn that excess weight once and for all with these surefire metabolism boosters

Full Story

Is your body a temple? Do you nourish it and treat it like a sacred place or do you abuse it and treat it like a trash receptacle? If you eat like more than 65 percent of American adults then you do not treat your body the way it deserves to be treated. More than 66 percent of adults aged 20 or older are considered obese or overweight 2. We've become a country of on-the-go convenience eaters-and it shows; both in our pants size and at our doctor's offices. Obesity, diabetes and a number of other havoc-wreaking diseases are on the rise, and many can be attributed to our poor diets. As a society, we are poisoning ourselves, and not giving our bodies the tools it needs to detox.

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.

Women Organizing Women
For Women Who Served in the Military

Promote safety of American military troops, and Homeland Security troops (Coast Guard) by educating government officials and representatives on dynamics of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and working to change current policies, procedures, and laws regarding MST through the White House, Congressional inquiries, the Pentagon and beyond.

Promote prosecution and incarceration and monitoring of active duty sex offenders through victim advocacy to include legal and media representation.

Don't make me use UPPERCASE!

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