Taking the Offensive Against ISIS: A Historical View- Part 2, by S.G. in Florida

Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal recently identified political beliefs that are endangering Europe.iii Mr. Stephens should have broadened his view to the West in general. Piggybacking on his ideas, the first thing that the West must do is recognize that there is something in the West worth preserving. It requires a great unlearning of the political mythologies on which modern society is ingesting. Among those mythologies: that the relative peace of the post-World War II world is the result of a postwar moral commitment to peace rather than a Paz-Americana; that Christianity is of merely historical importance rather than central to Western identity; “that there’s no such thing as a military solution; that one’s country isn’t worth fighting for; that honor is atavistic and tolerance is the supreme value. People who believe in nothing, including themselves, will ultimately submit to anything.” Ultimately, identity is the “great preserver of liberty, and that free societies cannot survive through progressive accommodations to barbarians.” Western Civilization should not only be taught but followed and defended by its beneficiaries.

Some have argued that World War III is already upon us and that this war pits the Islamic world against everyone else. To the extent that a person believes this, and if the fight is to be joined, the means to be employed can be escalated depending on the severity of the threat. Using history as a guide, there are several strategies that exist that are not currently being employed (at least as far as the general public knows). Other people argue that we are not at war with “Islam” but that only a minority of that religion are Jihadists. That may or may not be true, however, I think we can all agree that a certain segment of Islam is at war with us, and that portion, whatever the percentage may be, is the part that believes in global Islamic domination, violence, slavery and murder or subjugation of non-Islamic people. This self-identifying group is the one that would be targeted. Those imams who advocate violence, slavery, and conquest make themselves the enemy. If we are truly at war with them, then they are legitimate targets for the retributive acts. They are clearly at war with us. Given that traditional war models fail when dealing with this threat, unconventional means are an alternative response that may be effective in the long run.

One strategy is targeted assassination of Jihadist propagandists and leaders by secret agents who are “licenced to kill” and afforded diplomatic immunity by the sanctioning state in the case of capture. This is done to a limited extent by the Obama administration that employs targeted killing drone strikes throughout the world. Unfortunately, these actions are only weakly employed so as to deflect political criticism that no action is being taken. For this strategy to be effective, Islamic leaders who advocate Jihad and celebrate Islamic terrorism must be systematically targeted.

A second action that can be taken is the denial of safe operating bases worldwide for the training and recruitment of Islamic Jihadists by use of conventional military forces. This was the rationalization for the initial occupation of Iraq by the United States (since abandoned and filled by ISIS). This is the current justification for the current U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. This strategy requires at a minimum the destruction and occupation of ISIS-held areas of Iraq, Syria, and Libya by non-Jihadist forces.

Another area that could be explored to prevent future mass casualty attacks are symbolic psychological acts designed to deprive Islamic Jihadists of ideological victories. For example, Osama Bin Laden was given respect and an Islamic burial. Many critics have derided this decision, instead advocating for the disposal of dead Islamic Jihadist bodies in ways designed to deny glory or heavenly escape. Push back against symbols of Muslim conquest should also be considered. Hindus accomplished such an act by destroying the Babri Masjid in 1992. While such an act is clearly provocative, in the long term the non-Islamists must demonstrate that Allah is not with the Jihadists. Only through a symbolic war can such a message be delivered to the Muhammadan masses.

A policy of summary execution of out of uniform, non-state enemy combatants could be reinitiate. This policy was carried out by the United States in a limited way during World War II under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and it was used much more widely by Nazi Germany, particularly in Crete. This idea could be expanded to include all imam leaders preaching Jihadi ideology to Jihadi foot soldiers and out of uniform fighters planning to execute mass casualty attacks. In the World War II example, eight out-of-uniform Nazi saboteurs were captured and executed by the United States. The United States Supreme Court upheld the authority of the U.S. to summarily execute the spies, citing their non-conformity with the Geneva Convention and laws of war. The Jihadi attacker is entitled to even less protection than the Nazi spies, since they are not even protected by the laws of nation states. The Nazi experience in Crete also demonstrates the extreme limits of warfare that can be exercised by a Western power. Summary executions of civilian populations in order to pacify the un-uniformed partisan resistance was found to be an authorized act of war. For example, Commander Kurt Student was not charged for his actions against the civilian populations in Crete but only for actions taken against uniformed prisoners of war at the Nuremberg trials.v While this is at the extreme end of what might be contemplated, it must be understood what acts are within the realm of possibility.

In pursuit of a conventional war solution, some military strategists have advocated that the Western militaries play into ISIS mythology by designing a set piece battle in Dabiq, Northern Syria designed to destroy and humiliate Islamic Jihadists who have bought into ISIS propaganda.vi To ISIS, Dabiq is where they will battle and defeat the armies of Rome, bringing about the Apocalypse. Such a set piece battle would be an irresistible attraction to Jihadists and would essentially call the bluff of the Jihadi propagandists. This “flypaper strategy” would pit the Jihadist against our best soldiers and would result in annihilation of all attackers. By defeating the incoming masses of Jihadists, the West would demonstrate the falsity of the claims of blessings by ISIS propagandists.

Utilizing World War II as a model, many have compared the current Jihadist Islamists to the Japanese Kamikaze. After the Battle of Okinawa, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified as the only way to prevent mass national suicide on the part of the Japanese. Along these lines, a more limited but symbolic act may be necessary. For example, the West could insure the utter destruction of Al-Raqqah, Syria– the home base of ISIS. Note that Syrian dictator Assad determined that this type of act was necessary when battling the Moslem Brotherhood when he authorized the destruction of Hama, Syria in 1982.vii An ancient example is the destruction of Carthage by the Roman Republic in the Third Punic War. Cato the Elder understood that allowing Carthage to continue to exist as a symbol of Roman resistance was dangerous to Rome and its citizens. In furtherance of this idea, Cato the Elder would end all of his Roman Senate speeches, no matter what the subject, with the phrase “Carthago delenda est” meaning “and in addition, I consider that Carthage must be destroyed.” Eventually, despite weak casus belli and a prostrate Carthage, Rome famously sacked its ancient enemy, even systematically destroying the city and walls to render the site uninhabitable. Whatever target chosen, it must be demonstrably destroyed in order to send the message of defeat to the ideology of Jihad.

Most importantly for the long term survival of humanity, the denial of nuclear technology and capability to State actors who support Islamic Jihad is essential towards preventing the conflict from becoming a generalized nuclear war.viii As Richard Fernandez of the Belmont Club has shown in his frightening “Three Conjectures”, such a war would inevitably end in the complete destruction of all Muhammadan populations on earth, with the non-Muslim world suffering some blowback.

Note that I am not advocating any of these particular strategies, and it would be very hard to identify or rank the effectiveness of any of them. It is also possible that none of these strategies can be politically sustained given the demonstrated lack of American and Western commitment to a long fight. Even bi-partisan agreement on a strategy (for example, Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 passed after 9-11) is quickly betrayed for narrow partisan advantage. If this is so, then Fernandez’s nightmare scenario may be inevitable. However, it is important to take a historical view of the options mankind has opted for in the past, when dealing with death cults.

References


[1]Nedivi, Lior, “Gun Control And Mass-Casualty Shootings: Comparing Israel and the United States” SWAT Magazine. Retrieved on July 15, 2016 from http://www.swatvault.com/special-reports/gun-control-and-mass-casualty-shootings-comparing-israel-and-the-united-states/


[2]Goldberg, J. (2016) “The Obama Doctrine” The Atlantic, April Issue. Retrieved July 26, 2016 from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/


[3]Stephens, B. (2016) “Is Europe Helpless” The Wall Street Journal, July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016 from http://www.wsj.com/articles/is-europe-helpless-1469488738


[4]Ex parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942).


[5]Case No. 24 Trial of Kurt Student. British Military Courtm Luneberg, Germany 1946. Retrieved July 26, 2016 from http://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/Military_Law/pdf/Law-Reports_Vol-4.pdf


[6]Wood, Graeme (2015). “What ISIS Really Wants”. The Atlantic, March Issue. Retrieved July 15, 2016.


[7]Friedman, T. (1998). From Beirut to Jerusalem. London: HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-00-653070-2. Chapter 4: “Hama Rules”.


[8]Fernandez, R. (2012). Three Conjectures. Kindle Edition. Retrieved from Amazon Digital Services LLC.

Letter Re: Fireproof Safes

Hugh:

I did some consulting for a well-known gun safe manufacturer. They make a premium product, and their clients never suffered loss due to either break-in or fire damage. The only heat resistant insulation they used was common sheetrock. They used multiple layers with offset corners and edges, similar to the wall between living space and garage in a modern home. They did not tape or use any mud, just a snug fit. It seems reasonable that the heat resistance of an ordinary inexpensive safe could be enhanced by fabricating a welded enclosure insulated with sheetrock and inserting the safe inside this outer shell. Remember: most safes are not water resistant! If you have a raging house fire, your valuables may not get burned up, but they may be water damaged during firefighting. – +P+

Economics and Investing:

Buffett Loses $1.4 Billion as Wells Fargo Tumbles on Scandal – DSV

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U.S. credit card balances may soon top $1 trillion – B.B.

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Census Bureau: 118,395,000 on ‘Government Health Insurance’ in 2015; 28,966,000 Uninsured for Entire Year – B.B.

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Video: Why I Bought Silver NOW – Mike Maloney

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

EPA Proposes New Water Rules for Nuclear Emergencies. In the wake of a nuclear emergency, the Environmental Protection Agency thinks it would be acceptable for the public to temporarily drink water containing radioactive contamination at up to thousands of times normal federal safety limits. Note to self. Never live too close to a nuclear facility. – P.S.

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Germany arrests three ISIS suspects with ‘links’ to Paris attackers – A.S.

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More Akin To Goebbles – B.B.

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Ky Gov Talks Revolution, Shedding Blood, If Hillary Wins – B.L.

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‘Got Water?’ Riots in India over water rights dispute – M.H.

Taking the Offensive Against ISIS: A Historical View- Part 1, by S.G. in Florida

Islamic mass casualty attacks have been all the rage among the Islamic barbarians. Unfortunately, the current administration has allowed the Jihadi idea to metastasize so that now, instead of taking the fight to the enemy, the enemy is bringing the fight to our homes. This article will examine the implications of the current wave of Islamic attacks and contemplate the possibility that this is a world wide clash of civilizations, requiring a systematic and unrestrained unconventional military response.

When it comes to the prevention of mass casualty attacks, it is very difficult to discuss successful prevention methods, since by definition a successful prevention would not be widely publicized and the projection of what would have been would be impossible to know. However, the presence of police forces in proximity to the event, as well as the presence of firearms in the hands of law abiding citizens, could limit the impact of any potential attacker. Let’s look at three examples. The first is a mass shooting at the Appalachian School of Law in Virginia that was cut short by two legally armed students. On February 12, 2007, a mass shooting event at a Utah shopping center was stopped by an off-duty police officer with a firearm. On December 17, 2012, a mass shooting at a San Antonio, Texas movie theater was prevented by a police officer before the shooter could harm anyone in the theater. While these were not Islamic inspired attacks, the successful civilian response can be instructive. Further, the civilian populace needs to be mentally prepared to resist mass attackers, as was the Christian youth minister Todd Beamer on Flight 93.

There are currently numerous Constitutional restraints to government when attempting to prevent mass casualty attacks. In fact, the entire Constitution is designed as a limitation on government. Some specific provisions stand out as particularly onerous, when one is attempting to design a preventative government system targeting potential attackers. For example, the “right to privacy” stands in the way of preventative surveillance in many cases. While the right to privacy is not explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution, it is explicitly guaranteed in some state constitutions, and case law has firmly ensconced this right in the minds of the general public. Some have argued that privacy is impossible, given the current state of technology.

The perpetrators of recent mass casualty attacks are generally perpetrated by Islamic Jihadists. The First Amendment’s guarantee of the free exercise of religion, freedom of speech and of the press, as well as the right to assemble all pose substantial barriers to preventing mass attacks by Islamic Jihadis. For example, the collection of these rights would seem to allow for a imam gathering together his forces in a mosque, preaching that Allah would reward suicide attackers, distributing firearms to his followers, and publishing how-to manuals on inflicting mass casualties. Each of these actions has a Constitutional protection associated with it, yet taken together, these acts serve as a loud warning that mass casualty attacks are going to take place.

Understanding the American Constitutional limitations on domestic anti-terror actions, the question of what policies could be effective in battling Jihadist Islamic attackers is a very difficult and complex one. The first step is to stop the importation of Islamic populations into the United States. While deportation is generally a high cost and ineffective response, there is no reason why the country cannot limit or deny entry to high risk groups. No foreigner has a right to emigrate to our country, nor do we have to allow immigration from any country. If we do allow immigration, then we should select for admission those groups that are most compatible with our nation’s heritage, rather than those whom are least compatible. It is a perplexing question of why, for example, the leftist progressives are dead set on importing thousands and thousands of Syrian refugees into our country with no way to vet them for terrorist sympathies and no connection to the United States, while there are thousands, if not millions, of Filipinos lined up waiting to come to America who share our values and have a close connection to our country. The same could be said of the African state of Liberia, which is populated by Christians with strong historical connections to the United States. The unanswered question for the left is: Why pick the least likely to integrate and the most dangerous populations to import as future citizens?

Given the fact that most Jihadist Islamic attackers intend to die in the commission of their act, the application of retributive criminal law to such a person would necessarily be ineffective. Therefore, extralegal actions and warfare are the only possible response that could be effective. Some have advocated that we do nothing and live with the existence of mass casualty attacks by Islamic Jihadists. This line of thinking observes that the world population is very large and that the deaths attributable to Islamic Jihadism are relatively few in number, percentage wise.ii Therefore, the Western World should just ignore the Islamic Jihadist as a fact of life. Unfortunately, ignoring the problem may lead in the long term to either world domination and enslavement by the Jihadist or, alternatively, lead to nuclear war destroying the entire Muslim world.

Those who wish to resist the barbarian Islamic onslaught are generally those who believe that the idea of Western Civilization is worth preserving and the 1500 years of resistance to Islamic invasion should not be casually sacrificed on the alter of diversity, virtue signaling, multi-culturalism, and moral equivalence. The Christian peoples of the West are following the historical examples of Charles Martel in his 732 victory in the Battle of Tours or the 1571 Battle of Lepanto. Early Christians, such as John of Damascus, viewed Muhammadanism as a Christian heresy and its teachings as a perversion of Christian monotheism, designed by Mohammad as a tool of earthly conquest and power. This idea is echoed by modern twentieth century thinkers G. K. Chesterton and Halaire Belloc, who identified Islam as an evil Christian heresy. Much of this history has been systematically eradicated from school curriculums by leftists who are fundamentally hostile to Western Civilization and make a perverse common cause with the Islamic Jihadist.

It is important to understand that the suicidal cry of “Allah Akbar” is not translated as “God is Great” as many of the Western mass media claim, but it is rather more properly translated as “Allah is greater (than your god)”. It is a battle cry of Islamic dominance over the infidel. It is also important to distinguish between Allah and the God of Christ. Although both religions are monotheistic and mass media atheists confuse the issue by a campaign of moral equivalence, they are not the same. Suicide is a mortal sin in Christian doctrine. Murder is a moral sin in Christian doctrine. Christians believe in loving thy neighbor, while Islamists seek to dominate their neighbors with violence. There are many more distinctions, but it is clear that no Christian would excuse the mass killings of innocents in the name of Jihad. Without understanding the history, the West is unable to properly deal with this enemy.

The Islamic enemy knows his history and is following a 1500 year tradition of conquest against the infidel. These Jihadists look to the conquest of the Byzantines and Constantinople (the capital of Eastern Christiandom) in 1453 by the Islamic Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II as an example. Symbolism is not only important, it is a critical recruiting tool and objective of the Islamists. This is expressed in the physical world by the desire of Islamists to build mosques directly on top of religious sites of others. For example, the Al Aqsa Mosque sits atop the site of the Jewish Second Temple. The Babur Mosque was built atop the birthplace of Rama (a Hindu religious site) in 935. Upon the capture of Constantinope, the Hagia Sophia was first desecrated then converted to a mosque. To this day, within the interior of the Hagia Sophia hangs Allah Akbar signage. The desire of local Muslims to build a mosque at the site of the 9-11 attacks follows in this tradition.

Letter Re: Storing Cash at Home

Hugh,

Caution. My dad stored several mason jars around the property stuffed with $100 bills rolled tightly. When he moved from the old homestead, we helped him dig them up and found mold had invaded the jars so the outer eighth inch of $100 bills turned to dust. The bills were in so tight we had to break the glass to get them out. We will never know how much was lost, but if i were doing the same thing today I think I might look at vacuum packing to insure survival. – M.

News From The American Redoubt:

More Syrian Muslim “refugees” in Boise, Idaho than NYC and LA combined – B.B.

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Don’t bring me no bad (redoubt) news. Liberal edition – T.Z.

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Murder Rates Rose in a Quarter of the Nation’s 100 Largest Cities – Notice the area where murder is NOT increasing – M.P.

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To shoot or not? A reporter finds it’s not always an easy call – Good thing she has a boyfriend to protect her – J.P.

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Alberta Independence and the American Redoubt – N.L.

Economics and Investing:

Wells Fargo scandal is just the beginning… here’s what else they’re hiding–

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US Dollar Will Strengthen As Fed Funds Rate Rises

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The Death Of The Bakken Field Has Begun: Means Big Trouble For The U.S. – K.T.

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Bad News For The Bakken As Obama Administration Blocks Pipeline

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

I just noticed this very unusual and quite reasonably priced rural Kentucky property, over at our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off site: 87 Acres with Natural Gas Well.

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Cops using artificial intelligence to stop crimes BEFORE they happen, researchers warn – DSV

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Tent Cities Full Of Homeless People Are Booming In Cities All Over America As Poverty Spikes – DMS

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New Tricks Make ISIS, Once Easily Tracked, a Sophisticated Opponent

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For those who participate in water activities: ‘Drowning machines’: Low-head dams an unexpected killer

Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Kershaw Knives Emerson Launch 5

When I think back to my childhood in Chicago, IL, I can’t help but smile about how good we had it back then. We had a tiny black and white TV, which had maybe half a dozen channels to choose from. My grandparents, who raised me, even had a coal stove for heat for many years. Remember, this was Chicago! My grandparents never even had a key for the front door to their apartment. Kids growing up in the 1950s really had it good with no computers, no video games, no MTV, nor any of that stuff that kids today believe they can’t live without.

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During the summer months, all the kids on the block would go out early in the day and didn’t come home until the street lights came on. It was kind of an unwritten law that all the parents had. None of us were kidnapped or molested back then either. Some of us had toy guns and some simply had “finger” guns. Guess what? None of us ever shot each other, or anyone else.

Every guy I knew had a pocket knife of some sort, bar none! We would play mumbly peg for hours on end. Kids today don’t even know what that game was and how much fun we had, and, once again, none of us cut or stabbed each other with our pocket knives. Additionally, we all carried our pocket knives to school, where no one got expelled for it, either. There was even a time when I took a .22 LR rifle to school for show ‘n tell, and the police weren’t called and no one was shot. Do they still have show ‘n tell in schools any more?

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Many kids, well most of us, either had a “Jack Knife” or a simple one-blade folding knife, and we could spend half a day whittling on a piece of wood, just shaving off thin strips of wood. It was fun. I remember spending hours on the front stoop with my grandfather just whittling on a piece of wood. It was grand fun.

If you were “connected” back in the day, you could lay your hands on a “switch blade” knife. Unfortunately, automatic-opening knives are still called “switch blade” knives for some reason. Even those clerks behind the counter in a gun or knife shop will call an automatic-opening knife a “switch blade”. “Yes”, back in those days I did manage to lay my hands on an automatic-opening folding knife. It was a lot of fun to sit there and press the button and watch that blade fly open. I did it for hours and hours.

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Sadly, many states and locales today have outlawed the ownership of automatic-opening knives for some reason. I still believe we have Hollywood to “thank” for this. They demonized automatic-opening knives in movies back in the 1950s, making the viewer believe that a “switch blade” knife was some how more deadly than a manually opening knife. Such is not the case, not then and not now! I’m glad I live in an enlightened state, where automatic-opening knives are legal to own, and many are made in Oregon!

One of the newest automatic-opening knives from Kershaw Knives is the new Launch 5, which is a joint collaboration between Kershaw Knives and Ernest Emerson, who many consider to be the father of “tactical knives”. I’m not about to dispute this claim. I’ve interviewed Emerson several times in the past for some articles I was doing on his custom and factory-made knives, and we spent many hours on the phone. We had a lot in common, one being the martial arts and of course our love for knives. Emerson is the real deal!

The Launch 5 is an automatic-opening folder, and it may be the best one from Emerson yet. If you ever look at the Emerson Knives website, one thing becomes clear– his knives are in demand, because he is always out-of-stock on many knives. So, Kershaw came to the rescue and is producing knives that Emerson designed. To be sure, I have found no difference between an Emerson factory knife and a Kershaw knife. They are that good!

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The Launch 5 has a blade made out of CPM154– a powered metal steel that is hard to explain but easy to appreciate. This powdered steel takes and holds an edge a very long time, plus it is a stainless steel. Just keep in mind that stainless steel can still rust. It just fights off the elements better than carbon steel does. I like the stonewashed finish on the blade, because it helps hide any scratches you might get on the blade.

The handles and backspacer are made out of aluminum, to help reduce the weight of the knife to just a mere 4.1 oz, so carrying it around in your pocket all day long, isn’t a problem at all. You forget the knife is clipped in your pocket, and the pocket clip is reversible from one side of the handle to the other. The blade is carried tip-up. The machined texturing on the handle scales makes for a sure hold on the folder in any weather conditions, too. There is a lanyard “tie off” in the butt of the blade, not your usual lanyard hole.

The button used to open the blade is slightly recessed, and I like this. I’ve had many automatic-opening folders accidentally open in my pocket in the past, which is a painful and quite often bloody experience. However, even though the button is recessed, it is still easy to find and press to open the blade. There’s no thought involved. When the knife is in your hand, the button is easy to find and press, and the blade opens with authority, too.

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The aluminum handle is anodized black, for a subdued and tactical look. The blade is 3.4 inches long, but it looks longer and is a drop point style, which is very useful for all kinds of cutting tasks. The button you use to open the blade is the same button you push to close the blade. Simply press the button and push the blade closed. However, when it is locked open, it is rock solid. There is no play at all in the blade and handle; that’s nice! There is a choil in the handle, at the front, for placing your index finger, and it is nicely protected from sliding up on the blade.

One of the tests I perform on automatic-opening knives is to repeatedly open and close the blade to see how stout it is all put together. In more than a thousand openings and closings, the blade remains solid with no play at all. The pocket clip is extremely durable and keeps the knife tight inside the pocket. And lastly, the knife is made in the USA!

I like to carry a knife for a couple weeks during my testing period, and knives get used for all sorts of chores on my small homestead that require cutting. As always, the very present blackberry vines are tough, but the Emerson easily sliced through them with one swipe. The blade is super sharp from the factory, and it did not require a touch up of any kind during the testing. Cardboard is tough stuff on a knife’s blade; it will really dull a knife in short order but not so with the Emerson. Cutting poly rope and cotton rope was no problem at all.

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Now, my testing period ended, but I’m still carrying this Emerson in my right front pocket. It grew on me in short order. It fits my hand nicely and just feels good, so I’m still packing it, but I’ll have to retire it soon. I have more pocket knives that need testing.

If you can legally own an automatic-opening folder, then check out the newest from Kershaw and Emerson. Its full retail is $169.99, and it is a great deal. You have the Kershaw name and lifetime warranty and the Emerson name as the designer. What’s not to like here?

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio