Christopher > Christopher's Quotes

“WHEN NEWCOMERS to the hunting game suddenly find themselves possessed of a lively imagination and start to draw on that imagination for facts, the result, as a rule, is amusing. If the story they tell is a “tall one,” as it generally is, the old-timer will sit and listen and his only comment will be a laconic “Oh yes!”
― John F. Burger, Horned Death

“Justice among the nations of mankind, and the uplifting of humanity, can be brought about only by those strong and daring men who with wisdom love peace,”
― Theodore Roosevelt, The Complete Works of Theodore Roosevelt

“Justice among the nations of mankind, and the uplifting of humanity, can be brought about only by those strong and daring men who with wisdom love peace, but who love righteousness more than peace. Facing the immense complexity of modern social and industrial conditions, there is need to use freely and unhesitatingly the collective power of all of us; and yet no exercise of collective power will ever avail if the average individual does not keep his or her sense of personal duty, initiative, and responsibility.”
― Theodore Roosevelt, The Complete Works of Theodore Roosevelt

“before a problem can be solved it must be formulated precisely.”
― Jordan B. Peterson, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

“A friend of mine who is a political activist said something interesting the other day, and that was for most people on the left political violence is a knob, and they can turn the heat up and down, with things like protests, and riots, all the way up to destruction of property, and sometimes murder… But for the vast majority of folks on the right, it’s an off and on switch. And the settings are Vote or Shoot Fucking Everybody. And believe me, you really don’t want that switch to get flipped, because Civil War 2.0 would make Bosnia look like a trip to Disneyworld.”
― James Tarr, Dogsoldiers

“I looked out and saw the world’s biggest lion walking past my cot, growling in that low, gutteral tone they apparently use to scare things. It worked in my case. Those lions can’t do that for pleasure, because it has to scare them, too.”
― Peter Hathaway Capstick, Death in the Long Grass: A Big Game Hunter's Adventures in the African Bush

“Thin-Red-Line-of-Empiah”
― Peter Hathaway Capstick, Death in the Long Grass: A Big Game Hunter's Adventures in the African Bush

“Clearly, the buffalo had not read the energy charts for the .460 and was blissfully ignorant that he should have collapsed like a dynamited bridge from the “shock” alone.”
― Peter Hathaway Capstick, Death in the Long Grass: A Big Game Hunter's Adventures in the African Bush

“You don’t shoot a man until you think he’s dead — You gotta shoot him until HE thinks he’s dead. (Or the PC version: “Until the threat is neutralized.”)”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“Many feel there is greater potential today than at any other time in our history for the shiny coin to jiggle outta the slot. Such scenarios are kinda like God or jihad — whether you believe in ’em or not makes no difference; they believe in you, and they’ll come for you sooner or later.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“Are you prepared?” ain’t a question, it’s a koan; an interrogative not intended to elicit an immediate answer, but to stimulate thought on the complex, multi-faceted factors involved. If somebody just blurts “Yes,” they’re not — count on it.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“you know what a liberal is? A liberal is a guy who walks out of the room when the fight starts.”
― Brian Garfield, Death Wish

“He’s a very frightened man.’ “‘I had the feeling he was just the opposite. You get the impression he has steel cables for nerves.’ “‘Quite the reverse. He’s terrified. It’s only that his rage is even greater than his fear.’ “‘Do you think his fear is real or imaginary?’ “‘Fear is always real. The question is whether it’s justified by the actual conditions. If it isn’t you have paranoia in some form.”
― Brian Garfield, Death Wish

“Sorcery cannot harm good Christians.”
― Poul Anderson, The High Crusade

“Live fire is analogous to mid-term exams; dry-fire is the study you put in to be truly prepared for those exams.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“I think an acquaintance, a former Soviet Army soldier — now a US citizen — explained it best: “The nation is like a huge sponge which routinely refreshes itself with blood, sweat and treasure. All governments squeeze out what they dare. The citizens’ rifles are like needles hidden in that sponge. You can only be squeezed so much; never squeezed dry. This is why first they want the rifles. Then, all other guns. Then, everything.” He added something more foreboding.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“DOJ is in a curious position. They demand states not enforce federal immigration laws, refuse to address cities and states contravening federal drug laws, but insist any federal gun laws be stringently enforced. Lady Justice, with her scales, is supposed to be blindfolded, not bipolar.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“It makes no difference whether you’re disarmed and your rights trampled by Marxists or Martians, rightists or Rastafarians. Our Constitution’s framers were not only smart but also wise. They recognized any person or element seeking to enslave the free citizens of the new Republic must first disarm them of effective weaponry. The Second Amendment was written to safeguard against tyranny — not against any particular polity or person. Someone who favors a “progressive socialist” government should be just as vehemently opposed to infringement of their right to bear arms as one who might favor government by military junta.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“There is nothing more iconically American than resisting overreaching government. With great reservations we consent to be governed, not ruled, by our Constitution, not by imperial edict.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“Never step out — not even halfway out — without a gun, a light, a knife and an attitude. Always be prepared — clothing, footwear and in your head — to run, fight and climb fences.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“My S.O.P. is to never open a door or turn a corner unprepared to deal with Zombies, Nazis, PCP freaks, giant rabid wolverines, Martians, mad mullahs and laser-guided psychotic polar bears. You don’t have to go full-boogie Connor though.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“Uncle John calls ’em Millennial Orphans, springing from fractured homes and forming their own “families.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“For many, the big awakening came about 2009. “Our teachers and professors had hammered us with America is evil, defy authority, capitalism kills and crap like that,” Lead Dog said. “Then all of a sudden it was don’t question authority; obey the government; embrace the collective. Don’t think, just obey. That’s when we started teaching ourselves.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“orangie-zsherbett kielbassy-fitz-kibble.” His English wasn’t too hot, but that was okay; ours was barely warm.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“As a wise gunfighter once said, “the best spare part is a spare piece.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“Please, never step out your door, no matter where you live — not to the backyard, the barn, the mailbox or your Maserati — without a gun, a light, a knife and an attitude.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“At 25 yards, starting with a chambered round and seven in the mag, he methodically fired two mags right-handed, then two mags left-handed, doing both lefty and right-handed reloads. Next up were two mags rapid-fired 2-handed. He finished with one mag fired slowly and precisely, going for the tightest possible grouping. Fifty rounds, well invested in very little time.”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“A good but plain-Jane drill you prob’ly know pits the shooter against two to four standard IDPA/ USPSA cardboard torso targets. Using a shot-timer like the PACT Club Timer III, from the beep, put two rounds in each, slow enough to assure all hits are in top-scoring zones. Check your elapsed times. Push faster until you start dropping rounds outside the sweet spots, then back off, slow down and work your way up again. Maybe you integrate a reload. It’s sound, but it lacks panache. Kick it up. Between and around those full-size cardboards, add in half-size*, and some 10" and 5" mini-torsos**. Vary your drills; don’t just shoot left-to-right and back again. Shoot the little guys first, then the larger ones or vice versa or “Connor-versa,” which appears to onlookers to be a spazz-pattern. It is actually coldly calculated — by a spazz. Me. The variety is healthy. You can snap-shoot the full and half-size targets, but the minis force you to concentrate, bear down and get squinty. Sure, program reloads in too, and switching from right to left hand. Now add more fun with malfunction drills: Say you have 10 identical 15-round magazines and six inert dry-fire rounds. In six mags, stagger placement of duds, like second round in one, sixth round in another, blah-blah. Then mix the mags up so you don’t know where the surprises are. And on the timer, give yourself no slack for correcting your malf’s. Now for the spicy stir-fry sauce: Between sweeps of the targets, while gripping your pistol in one hand, bring your other hand back, touch your thumb to your nose, waggle your fingers vigorously, and shout as loudly as possible “O ye sinners, now shall ye repent! Let the Great Slaying begin!” or, “For freedom, Fritos and chicken-fried steak!” or, “Back awaaay from the bulgogi and nobody gets hurt!” Note: Never mess with my bulgogi. Never. Or, try shouting “I love you and blood sausage too!” — but shout it in German; makes it confusing and terrifying. Ich liebe dich und blutwurst auch! Exercising exemplary muzzle control and strictly observing all range safety protocols, slump your shoulders, hang your head and slowly turn around, looking dazed, lost, spaced-out ... Then, by degrees, “recover consciousness” and smile. It’s unlikely anyone will be there by this point, so that smile can be very genuine. If any looky-lou’s are still present, they’ll prob’ly be frozen like deer caught in headlights. Perfecto! If you see me at the range and I’m munchin’ a sammich and sippin’ coffee, stop and say howdy. But if I’m shooting drills, well ... Trouble not, etcetera. Connor OUT”
― John Connor, Guncrank Diaries

“Remind me to write my congressman when I get out of quarantine.” “You know every member of congress is dead, right? At least, dead-ish.” “Sir, you are a ray of sunshine. Got any other good news?”
― Shane Gries, Dead Storm Rising

“He never imagined that he’d go out this way, in a gunfight with a group of raiders over a teenage girl in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, but here they were.”
― Shane Gries, The Big Dead One