COMMENTARY - "MY OPINION ONLY"

IT IS NOT OFTEN THAT I HAVE THE TIME OR FEEL WELL ENOUGH TO SPEND HOURS TYPING A PERSONAL COMMENTARY WITH MY ONE FINGER BUT THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AND IT SHOULD BE TO YOU. I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE THE TIME TO READ WHAT I HAVE TO SAY RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW. ADDED ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY IN RED... 8-29-07 - MUST READ 9:30am Central Time

SEE VERY BOTTOM FOR LATEST ARTICLE 8-30-07 THIS IS A MUST READ.

GO TO http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57354

I always take one day at a time and I was super sick when I read the headlines on World Net Daily, www.worldnetdaily.com This article is by AARON KLEIN and states that Israel is going to give the control of the Temple mount to the Arabs.
This is where the Golden Dome Mosque is located.

Turning Over the Temple Mount—Stone by Stone

Israel stands idly by as Arabs plow through Jewish history.

KING SOLOMONS TEMPLE TO BE REBUILT, BUT THE MOSQUE IN ON THE SITE.

This is a picture of the valley of Megiddo where the final battle is to take place.

I look at this world some what differently than most people, there is my BIBLICAL BELIEFS and there is MY ACTUAL PHYSICAL WORLD BELIEFS. WE OPERATE ON THE CALENDAR AND THE CLOCK AND TIME IS VERY IMPORTANT IN THIS PHYSICAL WORLD, BUT ON THE OTHER "SIDE" - THERE IS NO WAY WE CAN UNDERSTAND THEIR CONCEPT OF TIME. WE ARE NOW OPERATING ON G-D's TIME SCHEDULE. We have no way of knowing the value of time that is in prophecy according to G-D's Law... We are close to this final scenario...

At this point in time before I go into detail, let me say that I do not have the formal education of college degrees but I am quite well read and I understand things many people do not. I will start with my Biblical beliefs as I have been reading them since I was 7 years old and now I am 66 years old. No secrets here, as those who know me understand how honest I really am.

We are now living in a world gone mad, look at this world as a play that has been written and the cast of characters may change but the script will not. I consider these the end of days as we know them, now I did not say the end of the world. Certain Biblical events must take place before the MESSIAH or in my case the MOSHIACH can come and solve this worlds problems. There is one question that keeps eating away at me and that is in my opinion General SHARON of Israel was assasinated and he has been dead from day one and JUDAH (Jews) always bury within 24 hours. Half of Sharons skull has been in a freezer and I do not understand why he has not been buried. The last great warrior of Israel must be buried, before the great battle that is coming.

When I read that the state of ISRAEL's is going to give the TEMPLE MOUNT TO ISLAM I could not believe how the "EREV RAV" leaders of Israel could do this. Let me explain why, in order for the Messiah to come the third temple which is going to be rebuilt must be in the very location of where the ISLAMIC dome of the rock now stands. G-D will now take his revenge and this is my opinion only. The EREV RAV are misguided Jews installed at the time of the PHAROH when the Jews left Egypt, this was intentional, they have evolved into the government and are traitors and they probably do not even know what they are.

You can not give away something that does not belong to you. I speak of very holy sites, such as the city of Peace - JERUSALEM. This is G-D's city and man is not to just make a deal because their will be a terrible price to pay. Jerusalem has been the bloodiest city on the face of this earth and it sits in the very middle of this planet, and it will erupt into a major war that this world has never seen before.

It is my personal opinion as we are being dismantled from within, the new power of the world will be "GERMANY"...We have won two world wars that they started and this next go around they will see that we are in no position to beat them again. They used the US to help them take over quiet control of the Balkans. If "GERMANY" is the leader of the "EU" and the 10 major countries and there may be a total of 27 countries in the "EU", it will give GERMANY access to all of their arsenals. THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE SEEING EVOLVE. Keep your eye on GERMANY...

In ISAIAH Chapter 26, Verse 19, it says I WILL BEAK THE PRIDE OF YOUR POWER AND YOUR MILITARY WILL BE SPENT IN VAIN. THIS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW TO THE US AND THE UK AND ISRAEL. America has not won a major war since 1945. The UK is down to a 25 ship navy and countries like Indonesia probably have a larger navy than the UK. America has some of the very best front line soldiers in this world, there are the 50 year old national guard that are going house to house in 120 degree heat, these soldiers are too protect the US on American soil, not in a foreign war. On the other hand you have 20 year old soldiers that are dying to maintain a corrupt government that can not agree on anything. this Iraqi government is totally out of control. These fine American soldiers are restricted to a 7 point rules of engagement and when they fight to win, many are put up on charges. If Teddy Roosevelt were alive he would go crazy and or is turning over in his grave. WHERE ARE THE B52 Bombers in Diego Garcia ?? AMERICA CAN NOT BE THE POLICEMAN OF THE WORLD WITH A BROKEN ARMY AND POLITICIANS ON BOTH SIDES THAT ARE CORRUPT. If you are fired upon from a MOSQUE, you can not fire back, tell that to the Germans of WW II... they would laugh their sides off.

OUR TOP GENERALS ARE BUSY WORRYING ABOUT THEIR RETIREMENT AND WHAT WILL THEY DO, MAYBE BECOME A LOBBYIST, FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL.

The ISRAELI's have another problem as they are run by traitors and G-D is going to teach all of us a lesson because they have ignored his 10 commandments. Giving back the Sinai was when things went sour for Israel because G-D gave that land to the Israeli's because that is where MOSES received the 10 commandments, and who pressured them to return it to EGYPT... you tell me... there will be a price to pay for this betrayal of G-D's law. JIMMY CARTER made MENACHAM BEGIN GIVE BACK THE SINAI IN THE LATE 1970's..... This was the very worst thing that Israel has done to go against G-D's law. THIS WAS THE TURNING POINT... PAYBACKS OF DEVINE INTERVENTION HAVE BEGUN.

When I listen to all the politicians world wide and in "DC" its like they are all speaking a different language and can not communicate with each other. Remember the TOWER OF BABEL ?? We have now been sold out in this North American Partnership, it is the beginning of the end for us, this is my opinion only.

I remember the 1950 era when I grew up in Brooklyn, this was the best of times, we had no money, we had no TV, we had no Air Conditioning, etc... but everyone was basically pleased with this country and the direction it was going. America made everything and their politicians tried to do what was right. We had a simple life and if I wanted to use a pay phone I had to walk about 4 blocks and it cost one dime. The subway cost 15 cents if I remember right. You could go to sears and buy a rifle anytime and there was no problem buying ammunition in Brooklyn.

Right now the key target area to watch is BASRA, IRAQ... because this is where the oil spicket is and everyone wants BASRA. Read ISAIAH Chapter 34, Verse 6....it says there will be a slaughter for G-D in Basra and this has not yet happened but it will. All the countries want the wealth in the ground (oil) in Basra and the very worst is coming. Speaking of oil, the globalists wanted to build an over land pipeline accross AFGHANISTAN but the TALIBAN GOVERNMENT refused, but now that they have the country they can build their overland pipeline from the CASPIAN SEA to move the oil, remember its always been about oil and power and money. THE CASPIAN SEA IS VERY RICH IN OIL.

You can not make a THEOCRACY INTO A DEMOCRACY... it can not be done. The neighboring countries will not allow this to happen. As America grows weaker militarily and this is sadly prophecy we will no longer be a factor in the very end game and neither will the UK. Israel will turn to GERMANY as they just bought two nuclear subs from them. It will get much worse as they become more dependant on the "EU"... Do you think that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and all of Islam will allow a Democracy to prevail in an Islamic country when they want a world Caliphate Government only controlled by ISLAMIC SHARIA LAW. Get real, this will never happen.

Lets remember little Viet Nam with a population of 20 million people and we were there for 12 years and our politicians would not let our military win when we had 500,000 boots on the ground. Then in Korea we never won. Now we are facing 1.4 BILLION MUSLIMS, lets just say that only 10% are RADICAL and I believe that figure is much higher. WE CAN NOT WIN. There is some significance to this time frame as "HITLER" was in power for 12 years. There are 25 million people in IRAQ, we now have about 160,000 troops on the ground in IRAQ., there is no way to get the shietes and the sunni's and the Kurds and the Turks and the Iranians and the Syrians and the Drews and the rest of the Islamic world to all of a sudden become friends and devide the oil. Lets not forget the Wahabbees in Saudi Arabia, its all about money and oil and power of who will be in control. We are in a no win situation 1000 times worse than Viet Nam.

They have come out with figures that for every insurgent killed in Iraq that 250,000 rounds were fired and we are running out of 5.56mm ammunition, so they are buying Israeli ammo. I have not even scratched the surface of what I want to say but you get the idea. This administration has now placed an order for 93 million rounds for Afghanistan of various types of ammunition.

In this physical world we have a nightmare scenario not only in this world but in this country. We have no one in control, they can not win a war in the middle east. Russia is very upset because of things you do not know. America ha constructed many bases at Russia' southern border and now that they are in bed with china, they are a force only the "EU" will be able to deal with. CHINA can raise an ARMY of 200 Million men overnight and have 350 Million men in side of a week. Lets not forget about American missles being installed in Poland. We can not be the policemen of this world with an army of 1.4 million men. We should be providing the best medical care money can buy for our wounded soldiers instead of giving everyone and his brother in the world money. OUR BORDERS REMAIN WIDE OPEN BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN AGENDA THAT IGNORES OUR CONSTITUTION.

We now have 1.4 million men in our army and it saddens me to say our military is broken and stretched too thin. They can not fight another war on the ground. Our only hope is our air force and our Navy but ships are vulnerable to new technology. If we lost our satellites it will be like living back in the 1850's. Our military concentrates on high tech weapons, meanwhile people wearing rags and sandals are killing us using a 60 year old "RPG"... I once asked a military official, why don't we have a weapon to compete with this cheap rocket propelled grenade that has been killing us since Viet Nam and his answer was = "I DON'T KNOW"

You see the weather is doing tremendous damage to this entire world, this is G-D trying to teach this world a lesson before it gets worse and in my opinion this is nothing compared to what is coming. IF YOU WERE G-D AND SAW WHAT YOU CREATED, JUST ASK YOUR SELF WHAT WOULD YOU SAY AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO...

You are not going to be able to prevent these end time scenarios and I suggest you start or get ready for you and your family to be able to survive the day after. Having a gun is important because its the human vultures that will want what you have. You must have all kinds of items for survival. If your wife will not allow a gun in her house then she will pay the price, its that simple. RAPE = INVOLUNTARY SEXUAL BATTERY... Get survival items now including medical kits that include chemicals to stop bleeding, get either Fox 40 or Storm whistles. DO IT KNOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE, THE CLOCK IS TICKING. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EXTRA EYE GLASES.

Even if you just buy a 22 rifle, that is better than nothing, but without ammunition, you have nothing. There are approx. 120 million rifles and 70 million handguns and 3 million assault weapons in this country in the hands of the people. AND YES THE CONSTITUTION IS WORTH FIGHTING AND DYING FOR, ITS NOT JUST ANOTHER PIECE OF PAPER.

I hope you will take me serious, no one really knows who owns what due to private sales, so its reasonable to assume they will go after the ammunition and reloading components. DO NOT WAIT TILL ITS TOO LATE. READ YOUR BIBLE AND PRAY TO "YOUR" G-D. but buy ammunition along with your other food supplies as the very worst is coming. NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHAT GUNS ARE IN THIS COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD, THESE ARE JUST ESTIMATES, BUT WITH OUT AMMUNITION YOU HAVE NOTHING. BUY RELOADING EQUIPMENT. ALL YOU NEED IS A SINGLE STAGE PRESS.

DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING WRITTEN IS MY OPINION AND BASED ON MY PERSONAL VIEWPOINT.

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DEBKAfile Exclusive: Major shakeup in elite Revolutionary Guards executed by supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Sept 1 takes Iran a step closer to war September 1, 2007, 11:32 PM (GMT+02:00) Supreme ruler Ali Khamenei and new Revolutionary Guards chief Gen. Jaafari review IRGC Shihab missiles In a special decree, Khamenei suddenly sacked Gen. Rahim Safavi and appointed Gen. Mohammad-Ali (Aziz) Jaafari, commander of missile forces, in his place as Revolutionary Guards chief. Safavi was kicked upstairs as special security adviser to supreme ruler. DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources disclose: Two years ago, Khamenei entrusted Jaafari, then commander of the corps’ ground forces, with charting a war strategy for the IRGC, the bulwark of the regime, to meet a foreign attack on Iran. His formal task was to set up the corps’ “center for strategy,” which would be given “unlimited national resources in case of a foreign military confrontation. The new center was mandated to “draw up the new strategy and the necessary changes to ensure rapid an efficient transformation of the country’s civilian infrastructure and resources to military footing under the control of the IRGC.” Our sources that Khamenei has now assigned his most trusted adviser in the elite corps with taking supreme command of the IRGC and carrying out the strategy he developed. This appointment takes Iran a step closer to armed conflict. DEBKAfile’s sources note that the Revolutionary Guards bear responsibility for Iran’s national nuclear and missile programs. Last month, Washington indicated its intention to designate the IRGC as a global terrorist organization. ........................................................................................................................................................................

"GERMANY" on the rise to world power: (my comment)

Forbes: Merkel Most Powerful Woman
Email this Story

Aug 31, 7:43 AM (ET)

(AP) German Chancellor Angela Merkel ,right, listens to Master of Tea Ceremony Genshitsu Sen as she is... Full Image

BERLIN (AP) - Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel tops Forbes magazine's list of the world's 100 most powerful women for the second year in a row, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice slipped to fourth from second last year.

Merkel "continued to impress the world with her cool leadership at two back-to-back summits," Forbes said.

The magazine cited her work getting leaders at the Group of Eight summit to agree to goals for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and persuading European Union leaders to get moving on a treaty to replace their failed constitution.

China's vice premier Wu Yi was No. 2, and Ho Ching of Singapore, chief executive of Temasek Holdings, was third ahead of Rice.

Several other female heads of state or government made the list, including Britain's Queen Elizabeth at No. 23, New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark at No. 38, Finland's President Tarja Halonen at No. 50 and Philipines president Gloria Arroyo at No. 51.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was No. 25 and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was No. 26, while first lady Laura Bush was 60th.

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U.S. most armed country with 90 guns per 100 people





By Laura MacInnis

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens,
making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released
on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms,
according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate
Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each
year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without
the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10
people," it said.

India had the world's second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an
estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military,
though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China,
ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100
people.

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the
ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.

On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry
behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by
Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.

France, Canada, Sweden, Austria and Germany were next, each with about
30 guns per 100 people, while many poorer countries often associated
with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun
per 100 people.

"Firearms are very unevenly distributed around the world. The image we
have of certain regions such as Africa or Latin America being awash with
weapons -- these images are certainly misleading," Small Arms Survey
director Keith Krause said.

"Weapons ownership may be correlated with rising levels of wealth, and
that means we need to think about future demand in parts of the world
where economic growth is giving people larger disposable income," he
told a Geneva news conference.

The report, which relied on government data, surveys and media reports
to estimate the size of world arsenals, estimated there were 650 million
civilian firearms worldwide, and 225 million held by law enforcement and
military forces.

Five years ago, the Small Arms Survey had estimated there were a total
of just 640 million firearms globally.

"Civilian holdings of weapons worldwide are much larger than we
previously believed," Krause said, attributing the increase largely to
better research and more data on weapon distribution networks.

Only about 12 percent of civilian weapons are thought to be registered
with authorities.
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PREMEDITATED MERGER
U.S. under U.N. law in health emergency
Bush's SPP power grab sets stage for military to manage flu threats

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Posted: August 28, 2007
11:15 p.m. Eastern


By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com


David Nabarro is new U.N. system influenza coordinator
The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America summit in Canada released a plan that established U.N. law along with regulations by the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization as supreme over U.S. law and set the stage for militarizing the management of continental health emergencies.

The "North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza" was finalized at the SPP summit last week in Montebello, Quebec.

At the same time, the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, has created a webpage dedicated to avian flu and has been running exercises in preparation for the possible use of U.S. military forces in a continental domestic emergency involving avian flu or pandemic influenza.

With virtually no media attention, in 2005 President Bush shifted U.S. policy on avian flu and pandemic influenza, placing the country under international guidelines not specifically determined by domestic agencies.

The policy shift was formalized Sept. 14, 2005, when Bush announced a new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza to a High-Level Plenary Meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, in New York.

The new International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza was designed to supersede an earlier November 2005 Homeland Security report that called for a U.S. national strategy that would be coordinated by the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Agriculture.


The 2005 plan, operative until Bush announced the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, directed the State Department to work with the WHO and U.N., but it does not mention that international health controls are to be considered controlling over relevant U.S. statutes or authorities.

Under the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza, Bush agreed the U.S. would work through the U.N. system influenza coordinator to develop a continental emergency response plan operating through authorities under the WTO, North American Free Trade Agreement and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

WND could find no evidence the Bush administration presented the Influenza Partnership plan to Congress for oversight or approval.

The SPP plan for avian and pandemic influenza announced at the Canadian summit last week embraces the international control principles Bush first announced to the U.N. in his 2005 International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza declaration.

The SPP plan gives primacy for avian and pandemic influenza management to plans developed by the WHO, WTO, U.N. and NAFTA directives - not decisions made by U.S. agencies.

The U.N.-WHO-WTO-NAFTA plan advanced by SPP features a prominent role for the U.N. system influenza coordinator as a central international director in the case of a North American avian flu or pandemic influenza outbreak.

In Sept. 2005, Dr. David Nabarro was appointed the first U.N. system influenza coordinator, a position which also places him as a senior policy adviser to the U.N. director-general.

Nabarro joined the WHO in 1999 and was appointed WHO executive director of sustainable development and health environments in July 2002.

In a Sept. 29, 2005, press conference at the U.N., Nabarro made clear that his job was to prepare for the H5N1 virus, known as the avian flu.

Nabarro fueled the global fear that an epidemic was virtually inevitable.

In response to a question about the 1918-1919 flu pandemic that killed approximately 40 million people worldwide, Nabarro commented, "I am certain there will be another pandemic sometime."

Nabarro stressed at the press conference that he saw as inevitable a worldwide pandemic influenza coming soon that would kill millions.

He quantified the deaths he expected as follows: "I'm not, at the moment at liberty to give you a prediction on numbers, but I just want to stress, that, let's say, the range of deaths could be anything from 5 to 150 million."

In a March 8, 2006, U.N. press conference that was reported on a State Department website, Nabarro predicted an outbreak of the H5N1 virus would "reach the Americas within the next six to 12 months."

On Feb. 1, 2006, NORTHCOM hosted representatives of more than 40 international, federal and state agencies for "an exercise designed to provoke discussion and determine what governmental actions, including military support, would be necessary in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States."

NORTHCOM and other governmental websites document the growing role the Bush administration plans for the U.S. military to be involved in continental domestic emergencies involving health, including avian flu and pandemic influenza.

NORTHCOM participated in a nationwide Joint Chiefs of Staff-directed exercise - code-named Exercise Ardent Sentry 06 - to rehearse cooperation between Department of Defense and local, state and federal agencies, as well as the Canadian government.

A pandemic influenza crisis was one of the four scenarios gamed in Exercise Ardent Sentry 06, involving a scenario of a plague in Mexico reaching across the border into Arizona and New Mexico.

As has been customary in SPP documents and declarations, the Montebello, Canada, announcement of the North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza acknowledges in passing the sovereignty of the three nations.

The announcement says, "The Plan is not intended to replace existing arrangements or agreements. As such, each country's laws are to be respected and this Plan is to be subordinate and complementary to domestic response plans, existing arrangements and bilateral or multilateral agreements."

Still, the SPP plan argues the risk from avian and pandemic influenza was so great to North America that the leaders of the three nations were compelled "to work collectively and with all levels of government, the private sector and among-non-governmental organizations to combat avian and pandemic influenza."

Moreover, the SPP plan openly acknowledges, "The WHO's international guidance formed much of the basis for the three countries' planning for North American preparedness and response."

WND previously reported NORTHCOM has been established with a command center at Peterson Air Force Base, tasked with using the U.S. military in continental domestic emergency situations.

WND also has reported President Bush signed in May two documents, National Security Presidential Directive-51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive-20, which give the office of the president extraordinary powers to declare national emergencies and to assume near-dictatorial powers.

Following the Montebello summit last week, the SPP North American Plan for Avian & Pandemic Influenza was published on a made-over SPP homepage redesigned to feature agreements newly reached by trilateral bureaucratic working groups.
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from www.thetrumpet.com

Why the U.S. Can’t Afford to Attack Iran

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Even to skeptics, it’s becoming clear that Iran is the culprit fomenting terror in Iraq and across the Middle East. Why would President Bush still hesitate to take military action against Tehran? It seems there is no end to discussion about a possible U.S. military strike on Iran. On the one hand, there is the powerful United States with the greatest military in the world. On the other is a rogue state—the greatest terrorism-sponsoring country in the world—which is providing insurgents, arms and funding for attacks against U.S. forces. The U.S. commander in chief has just a few months left in office; he doesn’t have to worry about votes in the next election. Some believe a decisive strike against Iran could improve his legacy. Hence, some expect President George W. Bush to order a strike against Iran before his days at the White House are finished. President Bush’s options, however, have diminished over the past few years. The U.S. is far more vulnerable than many would assume. The core of America’s problem is that it is increasingly being threatened by regional powers intent on knocking it off its superpower perch. The U.S. is already fighting two wars simultaneously in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has limited military resources left. If these were to be absorbed by a crisis involving Iran—whether instigated by the U.S. or Tehran—the U.S. would likely lack sufficient military resources to respond meaningfully to any other crises. In other words, the world would be an open playing field for other powers to do whatever they liked. This is America’s current predicament. “U.S. forces are stretched perilously thin from the Middle East to Northeast Asia, and top-level U.S. military planners are trying to do something before yet another conflict flares up beyond the strength and ability of the Pentagon to do anything about it.” This was essentially the message of Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr., speaking at the National Press Club in Washington earlier this month, according to Asia Times Online. “If the demands don’t go down over time,” Casey said, “it will be increasingly difficult for us to meet those demands.” Stratfor explained, “To an extraordinary degree, the United States does not have a real strategic reserve in its ground forces, the Army and the Marines” (August 21). If the U.S. became militarily engaged with Iran, “The United States would be throwing all of its chips on the table, with few reserves left. With all U.S. forces engaged in a line from the Euphrates to the Hindu Kush, the rest of the world would be wide open to second-tier powers.” At the same time, if a non-Iranian crisis arose that demanded an American response, “all pressure on Iran would be lifted,” says Stratfor. “The United States is strategically tapped out.” Essentially, the U.S. has backed itself into a corner. Stratfor asserts that President Bush “lacks the sheer military resources to achieve any meaningful goal without the use of nuclear weapons” (ibid.). This is a situation the Trumpet has been keeping an eye on for some time. Biblical prophecy reveals that the days of America being the world’s singular superpower are numbered. We stand by Herbert W. Armstrong’s declaration in 1961 that, unless the U.S. as a whole repents, “the United States of America has won its last war” (Plain Truth, October 1961). Stratfor stated: The United States has entered a place where it has almost no room to maneuver. The president is becoming a lame duck in the fullest sense of the term. This opens a window of opportunity for powers, particularly second-tier powers, that would not be prepared to challenge the United States while its forces had flexibility. One such power in particular has recently started flexing its muscle more threateningly. Not only is Russia beefing up its military and making aggressive moves in parts of the former Soviet Union, it has announced the resumption of patrols in the Atlantic Ocean, along the U.S. coast. “During the Cold War,” points out Stratfor, “patrols such as these were designed to carry out electronic and signal intelligence.” More than only making a political gesture by such actions, says Stratfor, the Russians “are trying to redefine the global balance.” Stratfor went on to explain: [W]hen American aircraft on the East Coast start to scramble routinely to intercept and escort Russian aircraft, two things happen. First, U.S. military planning has to shift to take Russia into account. Second, the United States loses even more flexibility. It can’t just ignore the Russians. It now needs to devote scarce dollars to upgrading systems along the East Coast …. The increased Russian tempo of operations in areas that the United States has been able to ignore for many years further pins the United States. In this context, President Bush’s options in the Middle East decline further. “The United States already has limited options against Iran. The more the Russians maneuver, the more the United States must hold what forces it has left—Air Force and Navy—in reserve. Launching an Iranian adventure becomes that much more risky. If it is launched, Russia has an even greater window of opportunity. Every further involvement in the region makes the United States that much less of a factor in the immediate global equation” (ibid.). Based on biblical prophecy, the Trumpet does not believe Russia will attack the U.S. At this stage, American policy makers do not believe this either. Still, the fact that Russia—along with China and Europe and a host of smaller powers—is actively trying to limit U.S. influence in the world takes away Washington’s power to act. Its contingency planning has to take this into consideration. When current and future alliances are taken into account, America’s position becomes even more vulnerable. America’s enemies—the U.S. is hated by most of the world—bide their time for their opportunity to change the global balance of power. The more the U.S. becomes tied down in the Middle East, the wider the opportunity for these other powers. Of course, America’s options concerning Iran looked much different several years ago, before U.S. forces became almost exhausted by the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was at that time the Trumpet pointed out that the only way for the U.S. to eradicate the scourge of terrorism would be to target the “head of the terrorist snake”—Iran. But, lacking the willpower to do so then, a weakened America is now up against a strengthened foe. Today, Iran’s involvement in terrorism—whether it be in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Israel or Lebanon—is in plain view, and is attracting much attention. It is becoming obvious to some that Tehran must be dealt with more forcefully, and directly. But is it too late? Because America did not have the will to deal with Iran when it more easily could have, today it is doubtful it has the military bandwidth to do so even if it wanted to. This whole situation—the lack of political will, the inadequacy of even a massive military, and the increase in global enemies—fulfills a biblical prophecy, that of curses descending upon America as a result of its rebellion against God. It further proves the veracity of Mr. Armstrong’s 1961 prophecy that the U.S. had won its last war. Watch for such trends to continue, and for the U.S., despite its still-great military strength, to lack the power to direct and even influence world events. Soon, it will not only be the presidency of the U.S. that will be a lame duck, but the country itself.

STEPHEN CAMP - MASTER GUN WRITER - BHP

Browning Hi Power or 1911 for Defense ?

By Stephen Camp

www.hipowersandhandguns.com

It's not unusual to find fans of the single-action automatic at this crossroad somewhere down the shooting trail. Folks who are wedded to one or the other of these classic designs wouldn't change …and that's fine. There are some for whom it presents a "dilemma". Note that I did not say a serious dilemma. That doesn't mean that it's not worthy of discussion.

I'll present some long-term observations on carrying and defensive use of these two pistols.

Reliability: Contrary to the experiences cited by some, the 1911 and Hi Power are both capable of extreme reliability. The designs are time proven to be grand. Unfortunately, execution frequently is not. Every manufacturer will have a gun slip by quality control and results in a dissatisfied customer. Out of the box, it's been my observation that the Hi Power runs more reliably than the 1911. In other words, if we get 100 new Hi Power's and the same number of 1911 pistols, I believe a greater number of the Hi Powers will operate reliably.

That said, it often doesn't take much to turn a jamming 1911 into a paragon of virtue. Either pistol can run without stuttering when set up correctly. It is not true that hundreds of dollars are required to make the 1911 operate correctly. These guns often run fine right out of the box and when they don't the fix may cost nothing or but a few bucks. Fans often spend great amounts having their 1911's customized, but this is to obtain precisely what they want and not necessarily to make the gun "work."

If you have had reliability problems with either pistol and just cannot fully trust that design again, go with the one you trust. Faith in one's equipment is an overlooked quantity in my opinion.

Caliber: If you are absolutely convinced that 9mm is just not enough for self-defense, Hi Power options are limited to forty-caliber unless you opt for a .357 SIG conversion. Obviously you can with .40, 10mm, or .45 ACP in the 1911 pattern pistol. I purposely omitted .38 Super on the caliber discussion, as it offers no more than 9mm +P in most factory loads. That's sad as it's capable of considerably more. (There is a detailed article on 9mm vs. 38 Super via this link: http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/38SuperTo9mm.htm for those interested.)

If you are confident in 9mm power levels and prefer the 1911 platform, the pistol can be had in either 9mm or .38 Super. (Ammunition for the latter will be considerably more expensive.)

Size: As can be seen on the home page of this site, the Hi Power is smaller than the 5" 1911, being about the same as the Commander. Weight is less unless one goes with an aluminum alloy frame 1911 or one of the 3" compacts. I do not care for the compact versions of the 1911 that are smaller than the Commander. This is probably a minority opinion as the little guns are quite popular. Options for compact Hi Power's are extremely limited. FM offers the "Detective" and some gunsmiths will convert a full-size into one for a hefty fee. Frankly, I don't see the point as the butt on the standard Hi Power is not all that difficult to conceal and the gun's handle is usually the hard part to hide. Folks using the cut-down Hi Powers are well advised to replace the recoil springs every few hundred rounds. It seems that these things go through recoil springs far more quickly than the regular size Hi Powers.

Tangentially related to "size" is thickness. The Hi Power slide is thinner than the 1911, but the grip is thicker. Using an IWB holster for either gun, I find either easy to conceal under a loose fitting shirt, jacket or sports coat. I do find the 1911 more comfortable when pressed against my side. The Hi Power magazine floor plate is not flush and the rear corners are at 90 degrees and sharp. This may not be a problem for you, but it has been a minor one for me over the years. Using an OWB holster, no such inconvenience has been noticed. I find spare 1911 single-stack magazines more comfortable in concealed carry also.

This 9mm Hi Power has been very lightly customized and can make a very satisfactory "carry gun" if desired.

Safety: Probably the two "safety" concerns most discussed in Hi Power/1911 comparisons is the lack of the grip safety and seemingly less positive thumb safety engagement on the Hi Power. The classic Hi Powers with the small thumb safety are not a concern, but on some people using some IWB holsters, it is possible to inadvertently wipe the larger thumb safeties into the "off" position. In a proper holster, the trigger is covered so the gun is almost certainly not going to be fired inadvertently but this can be disconcerting. I have not noticed it happening nearly so much in OWB holsters.

The Hi Power and 1911 thumb safeties are tensioned in exactly opposite ways:

· A spring-loaded plunger on the 1911 fits into a detent on the 1911 safety with tension being applied from the frame-mounted plunger tube to the safety.

· The Hi Power safety has a spring-loaded plunger within the safety itself. The frame has a dimple at both the "on" and "off" positions.

More positive thumb safety engagement can be had on the Hi Power. The slide detents can be made a tiny bit deeper and reshaped or one can use a safety from Cylinder & Slide. The detent is more pointed than that on the factory version.

If you really prefer having the additional grip safety, the 1911 is the only choice between the two guns. There is no such conversion made for the Hi Power.

The thumb safety on the Hi Power contains the plunger and spring that tensions the safety either "on" or "off." In the frame "ledge" immediately in front of the thumb safety are the two detents in which the plunger rides. In most instances this is not as positive an arrangement as the 1911 thumb safety. Most report that disengaging the Hi Power safety is more "mushy" than with the 1911. The Hi Power safety blocks sear movement.

The 1911 incorporates two external safeties. The thumb safety blocks the sear while the grip safety blocks rearward movement of the trigger until depressed. The tension for the 1911 safety is via a spring within the plunger tube that is attached to the frame just above the grip and forward of the safety.

Depending on the particular version of either pistol, there may or may not be an internal firing pin safety present.

Accuracy: In the vast majority of instances, either design is capable of greater intrinsic accuracy than the shooter, particularly under the stress of a life-or-death deadly force scenario. Either pistol will usually be capable of dropping their shots at least into a 3" circle at 25 yards. For more on "Hi Power Accuracy", here is a link that might be of interest: http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Accuracy.htm

Either gun can be accurized, but in most cases, this is simply not necessary. Match barrels are available and can be fitted by competent hands for a tighter shooting gun. Done correctly, this does not reduce reliability.

More aftermarket match barrels and accuracy work is done on the 1911 than the Hi Power. Most agree that when taken to the extreme, the 1911 can be made more mechanically accurate than the Hi Power.

The 1911 pattern pistol has been refined over decades and is capable of extremely fine accuracy. It can have far more than we can use in a terror-filled life or death situation when adrenaline is flowing and we realize that we will be dead or injured in the next few seconds unless we prevail. Where the Hi Power has a non-removable barrel bushing, the 1911 often comes with a loose one. These can be replaced with fitted bushings. Used in conjunction with a fitted match barrel and a slide that is mated to the frame, the 1911 will almost always have greater mechanical accuracy than the Hi Power. How much can actually be used is another question.

If concerns about either gun's potential accuracy are a problem, dismiss it. Either is has more than enough.

This group was fired with a 1911 .45 ACP at fifty yards. Most shots would be covered with a grown man's clenched fist.

Trigger Pull: Conventional wisdom has it that the defensive pistol's trigger pull should be no lighter than about 4.5 pounds. I agree and have no problem with slightly heavier trigger pulls for such purposes. Either design can be adjusted by a competent pistolsmith to clean-breaking pulls in this range.

There is one area in which the 1911 trigger is clearly superior to the Hi Power: reset. The Hi Power trigger simply cannot be made to reset in as short a distance, as can the 1911; it just ain't in the design geometry.

In slow-fire one will never notice the difference. In rapid-fire where at least a "flash sight picture" is obtained (as in shooting "controlled pairs"), the same holds true. The problem shows up with really quick 1911 shooters doing "double taps" or "hammers". In this shooting, one sight picture is obtained and the second shot is fired from muscle memory. Practiced shooters can fire extremely fast this way and the good ones can get pretty darned good "practical accuracy." When these folks try it with a Hi Power, they frequently do not release the trigger quite far enough and don't fire the second shot. I've observed this numerous times but only with really fast 1911 fans. This is not saying that extremely fast and accurate shooting cannot be done with the Hi Power, only that the required reset is slightly longer.

Magazine Capacity: Here the 9mm wins when compared to the "normal" single-stack 1911 magazine. The Hi Power's double-stack magazine simply holds more ammunition and is compact compared to many of the "high capacity" 9mm pistols. Even the forty-caliber version holds ten shots compared to the 1911's 7 or 8 in .45 ACP. Extended 1911 magazines are available, but I've experienced varying levels of reliability with them and they're a bit hard to conceal for me if carried in the pistol. I prefer 7-round .45 1911 magazines as these work in all my 1911 pistols. The 8-round magazines work in many of them.

Frankly, I believe that under the vast majority of circumstances both guns hold sufficient ammo. It's been my observation that the first few shots are the most important ones and that we will run out of time before ammunition unless our "problem" is quickly "solved."

The 9mm Hi Power holds a total of 14 rounds with standard capacity13-shot magazines. Some are available holding 15, 17, or more shots.

Sights: A pretty fair crop of aftermarket fixed and adjustable sights exists for the Hi Power and the 1911. I see no advantage here. Sights intended for use primarily on 1911 pistols often work fine on the more petite Hi Power. There are plenty of choices available in plain black-on-black, or three-dot, and most are available with tritium inserts as night sights.

These Mk III Hi Powers have been fitted with Novak fixed sights. The same sight style can be had for 1911 pistols as well. I like the Novak sights but in truth do no better or worse with them on the Hi Power than with the factory fixed sights.

This Commander has a "melted" King-Tappen rear sight. Not as often seen as the Novak or Heine rear sights, I've found King-Tappen to be a very serviceable and have used them on Hi Powers as well. The one shown on this 1911 replaced the smaller GI-type rear sight.

Customization: Both designs lend themselves to "personalization" if desired. There will be more gunsmiths specializing in the 1911 custom work than for the Hi Power, but owners should have little problem finding a competent 'smith to work over the pistol of their choice. For defensive arms I have found that "less is better". What I'm suggesting is that we go with only that we need:

· Reliability

· Sights that are useable at speed and set up so that POA = POI at a desired distance

· Clean trigger at 4 1/2 to 5 pounds

· Acceptable accuracy (Usually nothing need be done here.)

· A gun that is comfortable to use (This may mean new grips or a wide grip safety tang on the 1911, etc. Grip straps may be checkered or stippled, or skateboard tape can be used if desired.)

For most of us factory guns in near stock condition will serve about as well as high-dollar custom guns. I like to keep my carry guns (1911 or Hi Power) relatively close to factory trim, having every feature I think I need and none that I don't. Over the long term, these have been the ones I've kept.

Conclusion: The Hi Power and the 1911 are THE choices for single-action defensive handguns. Both have legions of fans, but in the US the 1911 is still most popular. Make your decision on which one you shoot better or trust most. Don't go with the Hi Power strictly for magazine capacity unless you have a specific need; go with it because it fits you better or you can get quick, accurate hits with it more easily than the 1911. Likewise, if carrying cocked-and-locked presents a problem without a grip safety, the 1911 is the obvious choice. If a shooter simply doesn't trust anything less than .45, the decision is made by default for the 1911 pattern gun.

This magazine holds "only" 7 shots. I suggest that for most of us this will be more than enough. We will be able to deal with our adversary effectively or be out of time before ammunition runs out. The 9mm Hi Power does hold more shots between reloads, but is this a marked advantage in the real world? Sometimes, yes, but a majority of the time I don't believe it really matters.

For strictly self-defense, I prefer the 1911 in .45 ACP…but only by a very slight margin to the 9mm Hi Power. In my situation the extra shots available from the Hi Power are nice but not a major factor. I like the feel of the Hi Power and the way it shoots for me. The 9mm Hi Power remains my favorite all around, general purpose automatic. The 1911 is ever so slightly easier for me to conceal. I believe that when using the best 9mm ammunition, difference in terminal effect will be very slight if any compared to the .45 using most loads. I also believe that in its best loads, .45 ACP is more potent than the best 9mm loads. I do not believe that there is much difference at all and that it's probably not going to make any real difference on the street.

I do not see using the 1911 or the Hi Power as an "either-or" situation. I use both and appreciate these fine handguns for their abilities to deliver quick and accurate shots. Each has its weaknesses as well as its strengths. Each of us places different priorities on these and thus, our decisions will differ as to which is best. If possible try both and make your decision on what works best for you.

Either gun is capable of serving very, very well as a defensive pistol.

STEPHEN CAMP - MASTER GUN WRITER - SA "XD"

A Look at the Springfield XD 9

By Stephen Camp

www.hipowersandhandguns.com

Hello. Like many traditionalists, I was wrong in thinking that "plastic guns" would break quickly and not last the test of time. Though I strongly prefer blue steel and old, "out of date" Hi Powers and 1911s, there are many who rather like these "modern" pistols using polymer in place of the traditional steel or aluminum alloy frame. Though there were such pistols before Glock, it was the design that entrenched polymer into the making of handguns.

Of late I've been reading and hearing about a newcomer to this field, Springfield's XD. The pistol's available in a compact version, the service version, and a longer, tactical version and is chambered in 9mm, .357 SIG, and .40 S&W. There are rumors of a forty-five in the future.

Some opine that's it's a superior pistol to the Glock, which it obvious emulates while others firmly disagree. I don't know, but decided to add one to my collection and find out. Understand that while I will make observations and give opinions, such are frequently subjective and might not be true for you. This report is a bit more detailed than others I've done as not all of us are so familiar with the XD as we might be other guns. I'm well satisfied that some are considering buying as well.

The 9mm XD proved reliable with a wide number of ammo types.

Specs from Springfield Armory:

Barrel Length: 4.05"

Weight: 25 oz.

Length: 7"

Trigger Pull: 5.5 to 7.7 lbs. (They have the Glock-like safety lever mounted in the trigger, but refer to it in combination with the grip safety as "Ultra Safety Assurance" (USA) action trigger system.

Magazines: 10 round stainless steel "Easy Glide"

Finish: Bruniral

I also took some measurements that might be of interest:

Slide Thickness: 1.04" (Glock 26 measures: 1.003" for comparison.)

Frame Thickness: 1.18"

(Both are at the widest points.)

Barrel Diameter at Muzzle: 0.53" (It holds this diameter rearward for 0.36".)

Barrel Diameter Beyond Above: 0.52:

Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Depressed: 0.01"* (Gun not cocked.)

Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Not Depressed: Same (Gun not cocked.)

Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Depressed: 0.015" (Gun cocked.)

Vertical Bbl Movement w/Grip Safety Not Depressed: 0.02" (Gun cocked.)

Distance from Middle of Fully Depressed Grip Safety to Middle of Trigger w/o

Depressing Trigger Safety: 2.598"

*When released, the bbl moved back upward as do the Glock barrels when pressed in the same manner.

Unlike the Glock pistol that is close kin to a DAO auto in that pressing the trigger fully cocks and releases the partially cocked striker. When a round's chambered in the XD the striker's fully cocked and blocked by a sear and also has an internal firing pin safety that allows the pistol to fire only when the trigger's in the rearmost position. In this instance, I DO like the internal firing pin safety, as there is no half-cock notch should something go wrong.

The polymer frame around the magazine well, which is beveled on the sides and rear, does not flex, as do the Glocks, not that this really matters in terms of function. The front and rear grip straps are coarsely checkered and do provide for a secure grip. The thumb rests are more like thumb depressions and are actually very comfortable to me? I find the grip angle and grip "feel" more comfortable than any Glock. There is a slight relief cut under the rear of the trigger guard.

The recoil spring system consists of two springs and the dual guide rods are steel. I don't have any idea what strength these amounts to, but am guessing about 18 lbs. This system closely resembles the two-piece system sold by Wolff Gunsprings for the Glock 26. Unlike the Wolff, however, these springs are captive, something I don't like as it makes it more difficult to change out recoil springs. Also, the forward end of the guide rod consists of a flat disc, which protrudes from the front of the slide by 0.06". I'm sure that this prevents any problems or damage to the part, but this does not look all that great to me. Like most pistols these days, Springfield managed to squeeze in three front cocking serrations, so as not to be out of style.

Here's the front of the steel spring guide in its normal position.

The grooved trigger is steel with the safety being polymer. The trigger pull is long, but with a very minimal amount of over travel. Despite this weapon's firing from a fully "cocked" position, the trigger pull feels about the same as that of the standard factory Glock, but maybe not quite as smooth. Whether or not this smooths up with use, I do not yet know. Trigger reset is considerably longer than the Glock; it proved no problem for me as I'm an old double-action revolver shooter and currently shoot Browning Hi Powers quite a lot. Those who are really quick and welded to the 1911's exceptional trigger and short reset might have a problem with this pistol during speed shooting strings. The XD trigger is approximately 0.373" wide, centered in a trigger guard that's about 0.603" wide. This means the trigger's about 0.115" narrower than the trigger guard is on each side. For comparison, I measured my Glock 26 for these dimensions. The trigger measured 0.385" in width centered in a trigger guard that's 0.625" wide. Thus, the trigger is protected by 0.12" of trigger guard on each side. I see no particular "threat" from either being too wide for the trigger guard.

The ambidextrous magazine release is mounted behind the trigger guard ala 1911, SIG-Sauer, Browning HP, et al. Depressing the steel mag release retracts the catch from the notch located in the front of the magazine body. The stainless steel body is very highly polished and smooth as a mirror. It does drop free w/o hesitation. The follower is black polymer as is the magazine floor plate. It loaded smoothly and w/o excessive effort. Rounds stripped by hand did so very smoothly and the follower/spring/lips set up is such that loaded rounds are angled upward for slick feeding. Don't worry about losing this magazine at night. Just shine a flashlight in the general area and it should reflect like a diamond! Nothing bright shows while in the pistol. There is a hollow area behind the magazine well as is the case with the Glock.

The slide release lever looks very similar to the Glock, but is larger and operates the same way.

The pistol's take down lever is mounted on the left, forward side of the frame, but is rotated upward rather than downward for dismantling. It is an easier system than the Glock. Other than this, takedown is quite similar.

An obvious difference in these pistols is that the XD uses an internal extractor that's sort of similar to that of the traditional 1911's. There's a cylinder of steel at the end that fits a recess in the slide to hold it in proper position. This cylinder has a groove cut in it and it appears that the firing pin safety-retaining pin fits in the cylinder portion's groove to keep the extractor in place. At the top rear of the very Glock-like ejection port is the loaded chamber indicator. This pivoting indicator does have what appears to be an extractor-like claw on it, but in checking it with 9mm hulls, it does not appear to aid in extraction. It does not protrude upward enough to interfere with sight picture nor does it present any potential snagging problems.

The extractor is on the cartridge's right side facing forward with the loaded chamber indicator on top. It holds the case firmly.

On the rear grip strap sits the grip safety. Much narrower than the 1911's, it is easy to depress and really isn't even felt at all when preparing to fire. When the pistol's got a round chambered a small pin protrudes from the rear of the slide through the locking plate in a manner similar to the HK P7, but it doesn't protrude nearly so far. With a round in the bbl, but the grip safety not depressed, the slide will move rearward only about 0.12;" call it an eighth of an inch.

Sights are fixed and the common 3-dot style and mercifully, made of steel. SIG-Sauer pistol sights will work in this pistol. Though more durable than the polymer fixed Glock sights, the sight picture's similar with both pistols and both sit on the flat slide top. To me the Glock slide is "cleaner" than the XD. The latter's is wider at the bottom than the top and kind of reminds me of SIG-Sauer P226 and 228 slides.

Ammunition: Four handloads and six factory rounds were tried. They were:

Federal M882 124 gr. FMJ

Speer Lawman 124 gr. TMJ

Federal 115 gr. JHP

PMC Starfire 115 gr. JHP (This load's not offered in anything but 124 gr. now to the best of my knowledge.)

Winchester USA 115 gr. FMJ (This is NOT the same company's "target ammo.")

Remington 115 gr. JHP +P

Handloads included cast, plated, and jacketed bullets. This was done as some will want to reload for this pistol.

124 gr. Hornady XTP

6.0 gr. Unique

Winchester SP Primer

Starline Cases

LOA: 1.11"*

124 gr. Speer GDHP

6.0 gr. Unique

Winchester SP Primer

Starline Cases

LOA: 1.115"*

*(Both of these hit over 1200 ft/sec from Browning Hi Powers.)

124 gr. Rainier Plated RN

6.9 gr. Blue Dot

Winchester SP Primer

Starline Cases

LOA: 1.15"

122 gr. Rucker Cast FP

6.9 gr. Blue Dot

Winchester SP Primer

Starline Cases

LOA: 1.075"

The handloads using Blue Dot average about 1140 ft/sec from Browning Hi Powers and have proven reasonably accurate, something frequently not so easy to find in 9mm pistols.

Shooting: There was no 50-yard shooting today; it was sprinkling off and on between true showers and I stayed dry shooting at the closer distances as the 50 yard range was ankle deep in water. Groups were fired off-hand at 15 yards standing and w/2-hand hold. I did shoot the groups at 25 yards seated and using a rest. The 10-yard rapid-fire group was fired standing w/2-hand hold. Due to the rain, I did NOT chronograph ammunition from the XD today. I'd never fired this pistol before today and had no idea where it would hit so I aimed "dead on" at the 15-yard targets.

Fifteen Yards:

The arrows indicate the position of the first, hand-cycled round compared to the rest of the group.

Twenty-five Yards:

Cast bullets did pretty well out of the XD. The pistol uses does not use polygonal rifling, but has lands and grooves as do most service pistols

Observations: The most obvious one to me was that this particular XD suffers from "first-shot flyer syndrome." The first shot fired (chambered by hand) usually hit a bit low and left from the subsequent group. Until I saw the pattern developing after a few groups, I had thought it was just my shooting. The range master came over and fired with the same results and he is a very fine shot. I'm not sure if this will be common to the gun or just individual specimens.

Feeding, extraction, and ejection were 100% reliable in this admittedly low-round test. The loaded chamber indicator caused no problems that could be seen. Fired cases landed about 5' to my right regardless of their being standard pressure or hotter.

All rounds chambered w/o hesitation.

Recoil from any service-size handgun in 9mm is not much and this gun proved no different. I did note more muzzle flip than expected, but whether this has to do with its bore axis being 1.79" above the middle of the trigger, grip angle or a combination, I don't know. (On the Glock 26, the same measurement yielded 1.48".) The XD bbl was conventionally rifled, having lands and grooves and appeared to be a 1:10 twist.

This pistol hit a bit high for me. Switching to a 6 O' Clock hold helped, but it is still on the high end on POI. Windage seemed about right out of the box and while I prefer plain black on black fixed sights, these were not hard to use.

I found this pistol "hard" to shoot accurately in slow-fire @ 15 and 25 yards but got a little better as the testing proceeded. While I had no scales by which to measure the trigger-pull, it did not seem that much different than the Glock, although it did seem less "smooth." I could get decent groups, but had to work/concentrate for them more so than with some other pistols. In rapid-fire, I could tell no difference between this pistol and a Glock in terms of getting good hits.

Certainly, this pistol would need to be shot more before I'd consider it for self-defense use and I plan to use it as a "loaner" in CHL class I teach as well as personally shoot it quite a bit. Should there be dramatic changes, I will report them, good or bad. I have no idea how this gun's dark rust-resistant finish will hold up compared to the Glock's tennifer. Time will tell and so will I.

A personal concern that I've had with striker-fired pistols is reliability in firing "hard primered" rounds. I recall some Greek surplus 9mm that was not recommended for Glocks due to this. I checked primer strikes with CCI, known for harder primers, a military Federal load, and a +P Remington load. Though not definitive, it does show reasonably well-centered strikes along with some cratering and firing pin "wipe." This caused no problems, but I'd sure be sure of my ammunition, not only in feeding/extraction, but also in firing.

This particular XD9 was reliable with lots of varied ammunition, but was reliably unreliable with Glaser Safety Slugs. I suspect that has to do with the recoil impulse of this particular light bullet, high velocity load. With standard 115 to 124-gr. bullets at standard and +P velocities, there were no problems. Not many of these expensive Glaser rounds were fired due to cost, but all failed to extract. Always test a potential defense handgun with the ammo you intend to use.

It's my opinion after looking the gun over pretty closely that its intrinsic accuracy potential is there, but I had a somewhat challenging time in practically being able to get it due to the trigger. Part of this is just me. I can usually be found shooting light, crisp 1911 triggers or very nice BHP triggers. However, some more practice and familiarization with the XD might result in some tighter groups.

So what's it good for? I think it's obvious that the pistol's meant to be a down-and-dirty defensive tool rather than a match-precision target pistol, but I do think it has the mechanical capability of doing some tight groups with practice and ammo it "likes." If you like holsterless carry and prefer the Glock genre of defensive pistols, this would be the one I'd pick over the Glock. Fully loaded, weight is NOT a problem and I personally find the feel of the XD more comfortable than the Glock 19. (I think the G19 is the best Glock to compare the Service XD to, but I only own one Glock, the G26.) Assuming reliability, I would not hesitate to carry this as a trusted personal defense pistol and think it would be capable of "rescue shots" at 15 yards in my hands right now. However, in a tactical type situation or taking small game, I'd have to go with my 1911s and P35s. This does not mean that I wouldn't take a shot at a jackrabbit 40 yards out, only that I'd have to "work at it" more. I'm sure that this is due to my having used the single-action automatic pretty heavily for just over 3 decades now.

I have no perfect pistols and didn't find it with the Service XD, but I did find a pistol that appears well thought out and reliable for "serious" purposes. As they've become a bit more common, they have gained a pretty respectable following, but just don't appeal to me the way that a more traditional semiautomatic does.

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MY FLASHLIGHT OF CHOICE - GENERAL PURPOSE

ProPolymer 4AA LED, 7 WHITE LEDs, Yellow Body ... $24.95

Streamlight ProPolymer 4AA LED, 7 WHITE LEDs, Black Body ... $24.95

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US READY TO STRIKE "IRAN"

Geoff Elliott, Washington correspondent | August 25, 2007

BOB Baer, the former Middle East CIA operative whose first book about his life inspired the oil-and-espionage thriller Syriana, is working on a new book on Iran, but says he was told by senior intelligence officials that he had better get it published in the next couple of months because things could be about to change.

Baer, in an interview with The Weekend Australian, says his contacts in the administration suggest a strategic airstrike on Iran is a real possibility in the months ahead.

"What I'm getting is a sense that their sentiment is they are going to hit the Iranians and not just because of Israel, but due to the fact that Iran is the predominant power in the Gulf and it is hostile and its power is creeping into the Gulf at every level," Baer says.

He says his contacts have told him of his book: "You better hurry up because the thesis is going to change. I told them submission is in January but they said, 'You're probably going to be too late'."

Washington's intelligence community is abuzz about possible military action against Iran, which is being weighed at the highest levels of the Bush administration. While the guessing game has become "will they or won't they?", at least some experienced and trusted intelligence sources have told The Weekend Australian that the possibility of a strike in the next 12 months remains remote.

"The success of a strike is limited and the downside could be enormous," said one source, noting the possibility of a regional conflagration involving the entire Gulf because Iran would look to hit back at the US's strategic interests.

For his part, Baer is not an advocate of a demonstration strike on Tehran and he is scathing of the Bush administration's handling of Middle East policy, as he is of previous administrations, marking 1979, under the Carter administration, as the point in which US policy on Iran went awry.

He agrees with many in the intelligence community in Washington that a strike on Iran could be a disaster and counterproductive to US interests, but he says that the rising level of impatience in the Bush administration over Iran's belligerence on its nuclear program and its destabilising role in Iraq could mean that something snaps.

"In the CIA, they are calling what the Iranians are doing to us in Iraq as the slow cook -- where we get cooked there for the next 10 years and then we give up completely and leave."

But Baer says an emboldened Iran in the event of mass US withdrawal from Iraq "scares the shit out of Saudis, the Bahrainis and all the Arab gulf states". "They are saying: 'What are you going to do now that you've created a mess in Iraq and what are you going to do about Iran?'."

Intelligence sources say military contingency planning on Iran under the Bush administration has been under way since 2003 but the latest speculation has been a surgical strike on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

A case for a strike became more prominent last week when The New York Times reported the Bush administration was preparing to declare the Revolutionary Guard Corps a foreign terrorist organisation.

"If imposed, the declaration would signal a more confrontational turn in the administration's approach to Iran and would be the first time that the United States has added the armed forces of any sovereign government to its list of terrorist organisations," the Times reported.

The Revolutionary Guard is said to be the largest branch of Iran's military.

"While the United States has long labelled Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decision to single out the guard would amount to an aggressive new challenge from an American administration that has recently seemed conflicted over whether to take a harder line against Tehran over its nuclear program and what American officials have called its destabilising role in Iraq," the newspaper said.

The Bush administration continues to try to ratchet up the pressure on Iran, pressing the US's allies to apply sanctions against Iran in the UN Security Council. The State Department and Treasury officials are pushing for sanctions that include an extensive travel ban on senior Iranian officials and further moves to restrict the ability of Iran's financial institutions to do business abroad.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has consistently denied US allegations that Iran was furnishing weapons to both the Taliban in Afghanistan and insurgents in Iraq. Two months ago, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said the volume of weapons reaching the Taliban from Iran made it "difficult to believe" that the shipments were "taking place without the knowledge of the Iranian Government".

Baer says the Iranians are "masters at using surrogates" and disguising their role in conflicts.

"They are not stupid, they are the least stupid people in the Middle East," he says. "If they are providing the EFPs (explosively formed penetrators), they are not leaving serial numbers, return addresses; it's not the way the world works out there."