Michael E. Diamond: Traitor And Totalitarian
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 6 months ago
Via Codrea, we learn a lot about Michael Diamond from his confession.
Most Americans would be surprised, for example, at how little time military personnel in particular spend with their weapons over the course of a career. Apart from firing on highly structured firing ranges or routine maintenance, access to your weapon on base is rare. Military Police provide security, so soldiers move about the base unarmed. There’s a reason for this: In the military, anything that reduces accidents, homicides or suicides isn’t put up for a vote. It’s a requirement.
The military’s strict rules on weapon and ammunition access can apply to wartime as well, as my own experience demonstrates. In 1991, I was a military intelligence officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. My unit was mobilized and sent to Fort Bragg, N.C. Shortly before boarding a plane to Saudi Arabia I was issued my M16 along with several magazines of live ammunition.
Although I had fired countless live rounds over the years on various military weapons ranges, it’s a different feeling when you’re issued live ammunition before heading to a combat zone. This time it was real.
After a 16-hour trip — most of which I spent sitting on the hood of a truck with my back against the windshield trying to stay warm — we emerged into the intense desert heat. Because of the ear-splitting noise of departing jets we quickly inserted hearing protection, and then surrendered our ammunition.
That’s right. Once we arrived in an operational war zone, one of the first things the U.S. Army did was take our ammunition away.
Eventually, my unit moved north toward Kuwait, where we were re-issued ammunition just before the start of the ground war. Several weeks later, after successfully completing our mission in Kuwait City, we were re-routed to northern Iraq to address the Kurdish refugee crisis. On arrival, we once again surrendered our ammunition.
These military safety requirements are a stark contrast to civilian U.S. gun laws. Where the military requires background checks before a service member is allowed anywhere near a live weapon, the majority of U.S. states allow private gun sales without a background check. Where military personnel are trained to take a weapon away from a soldier who poses an extreme risk to himself or others, most states do not have laws enabling law enforcement or loved ones to do the same.
Compared to the weapons training that military and law enforcement personnel undergo, the training required of civilian gun owners is a joke — if it exists at all.
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And where military and law enforcement undergo extensive training on how to make the right shooting decision quickly while under extreme stress, civilians receive no such training, contributing to avoidable deaths arising from poor decisions and petty disputes. In this context, the National Rifle Association’s favorite slogan about good guys with guns defeating bad guys with guns is more naive myth than solution.
It’s crucial that veterans now bring our voice and experience to the national conversation about reasonable gun reform. As a group, we understand guns and appreciate that responsible gun ownership is an important part of American life — but we also understand that a safe environment is achieved through training and regulation.
There’s a whole lot he isn’t telling you. First of all, one of the main reasons crime is so low on military installations is that it is extremely hard now to get on board a federal reservation. I saw this beginning when Daniel was in the Marine Corps, and while highly difficult at first, it was nearly impossible towards the end of his time in the Corps to get on board at Camp Lejeune. They guard their borders, unlike some countries I know. Do you understand what I’m saying? They guard their borders. No one gets in who doesn’t belong there.
Second, he isn’t dumb. He’s a highly intelligent man, and what he knows and isn’t saying is that his recommended trust in the police (he says “Military Police provide security, so soldiers move about the base unarmed”) is completely misplaced. Warren v. D.C. and Castle Rock v. Gonzalez is all the evidence you need to rightly conclude that there is no legal obligation of protection by any police, whether civilian or military.
Third, we shouldn’t have to suffer the claptrap from someone like Diamond when one of the most storied gun battles ever fought by the NYPD involved discharging 84 rounds at a single shooter, and missing with 83 of them. Folks, I don’t know any cops named Doug Koenig. Like all collectivists, Diamond turns LEOs into superhuman heroes.
Fourth, we shouldn’t have to listen to the know-it-all attitude from Diamond anyway. I sent this article to my former Marine, Daniel, and he responded rather harshly. “He’s openly admitting that he’s a POG and has absolutely no experience in weapons handling or shooting, much less actual combat. He’s a dipshit. He has it all wrong about who and what is dysfunctional [he could point the finger of blame at homes being wrecked by government agencies that contribute to the breakdown of home life, but doesn’t]. Furthermore, the guy is a coward.”
I thought about that some, and concluded that my son is right. Diamond is a coward. He’s recommending that I rely less on weapons for personal security, but refusing to provide that personal security by standing as armed guard in my home. Also recall what I’ve said about men who write cantankerous prose without giving you a chance to weigh in with comments and email directly back to them.
Whatever you think of me and my writing, you can always send me nasty emails. I won’t ignore them. Sometimes I’ll even highlight them and publish them on the web site. You can also disagree with my remarks in your own comments. You won’t hurt my feelings. Diamond gives you no such option, and doesn’t relinquish his email address.
What we do learn about him, other than being a coward, is that he is a traitor. He took an oath to uphold the constitution, and now refuses to do just that. He never believed in his oath to begin with. He is of the same class as Stanley McChrystal and David Petraeus, both gun controllers. Nothing he says can be trusted, nothing he does can be relied upon.
Avoid being around such men. Turn your back on them. Excommunicate them from your fellowship, not just because you have a disagreement with them, but because they are liars, one and all.
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On May 23, 2018 at 12:00 am, Georgiaboy61 said:
Re: “Second, he isn’t dumb. He’s a highly intelligent man, and what he knows and isn’t saying is that his recommended trust in the police (he says “Military Police provide security, so soldiers move about the base unarmed”) is completely misplaced.”
Michael Diamond is the worst sort of hypocrite. He misrepresents the facts in service of the anti-gun narrative, conveniently omitting several key points.
The U.S. military is so screwed up that it doesn’t even trust its own “trained” personnel to carry weapons and ammunition, whether in garrison or in the field, once those same personnel have been trained.
The toxin of Cultural Marxism is now so ingrained in the U.S. military that the brass won’t even allow personnel to go about armed in high-threat areas or when on alert for terrorist and other attacks.
When unhinged U.S. Army psychiatrist Major Nadal Hassan went on a shooting spree at Fort Hood in November, 2009, he was able to fatally shoot thirteen people and wound thirty-two more, despite being a medical officer with no training in a combat MOS. Why? Because Ft. Hood personnel were not permitted to bear arms, even side-arms, while on the base.
Hassan, a jihadist whose Army business cards bore the logo “SoA,” meaning “Soldier of Allah,” had previously exchanged e-mails with imam (Muslim cleric) Anwar al-Awlaki, a man with known terrorist ties, but Army CID investigators had dismissed concerns over his flirtations with known jihadist-terror groups as “alarmist,” and had done nothing to restrict his movements or activities.
On the day of his rampage, Hassan was finally brought down by Department of the Army Civilian Police Sergeants Kimberly Munley and Mark Todd, both of whom were civilian LE officers hired to protect the base, since the Dept. of the Army didn’t trust their own personnel enough to do the job, at least not enough to arm them and issue them ammunition.
In other words, more than three dozen casualties were sustained because the Army didn’t trust its own people to carry arms while in garrison. Not even its own Military Policemen (MPs)!
Traditionally, arms are stored in the arms room or arms locker when on duty under routine conditions. Typically, the duty officer or senior NCO-in-charge – or both – have keys and therefore access to the arms and ammunition for them. However, and this is the key point – officers in command are typically-allowed discretion in deciding whether to issue arms and ammunition for personnel, depending on conditions, the threat environment, and other factors.
In other words, despite years of “green-on-blue” attacks by jihadists upon U.S. military personnel abroad and at home, the higher-ups were still so worried about bad publicity that they’d rather leave their people unarmed and defenseless in the face of jihadists like Hassan. That’s simply contemptible. I hope the Marine Corps isn’t so foolish as to buy into this ridiculous and irresponsible line of thought.
If the brass – the flag officers, the admirals and generals – don’t trust our troops with arms, then maybe though ought to examine their training practices and SOPs. Or maybe they ought to booted out and replaced with people who actually value the lives of the members of their commands.
Getting back to Michael Diamond, he is being dishonest on another level, i.e., by pretending that expertise in firearms is exclusively the domain of members of the armed forces. This is utter rubbish, as any good “gun guy” knows.
Apart from services who take traditional old-school riflemanship and individual weapons training seriously, such as the Marine Corps, and select units such as the Army Marksmanship Unit, most of the military does a lousy job training their people to use their individually-issued weapons and preparing them for action. The services often confuse weapons familiarity – which can be attained relatively quickly even for beginners – with genuine mastery, which takes much more time and effort to attain.
I visited an Army National Guard unit in the late 1990s and again in the early 2000s, as I knew and trained in martial arts with a member of this particular unit, an infantry unit which later deployed to the Gulf for the Iraq invasion of 2003.
The training and ammunition budgets were in such sad shape that individual members of the unit has been reduced to using a simulator in the basement of the armory in place of actual live-fire training with their issue weapons, or seeking outside supplementary training on their own dime, i.e., from civilian-side sources patriotic-enough to train personnel before deployment.
Civilian innovation, creativity and productivity have always driven small-arms development. Absent capable scientists, engineers, technicians and craftsmen to design and manufacture their weapons and ammunition, even the bravest military personnel would be reduced to throwing rocks at the enemy. Idiots like Diamond ought to get their heads screwed on straight.
On May 23, 2018 at 10:30 am, Gryphon said:
Also, U.S. Military Personnel in the presence of the “Commander in Chief” are routinely Disarmed, and Weapons used in Parade/Ceremonial situations have the Bolts Removed.
Now, contrast this with Syria- a Nation under Invasion by multiple Hostile Forces, but Mr. Assad, the President, routinely runs around with His Troops and Militia Fighters who are all Armed to the Teeth, Driving His own Car or Riding in Military Soft-Skin Vehicles. Sure doesn’t look like He’s the “Evil Dictator of an Unpopular Regime”, does He?
On May 23, 2018 at 12:04 pm, NOG said:
“the higher-ups were still so worried about bad publicity”. This is only a part of the attitude. A LOT of higher ups are where they are because they have the “correct” attitudes. They are just politicians with rank. They are liberal or progressive or socialist or whatever name they choose. The one thing I would bring up is this. The Military is all about control. In every day activities down to even how and what you eat, when you sleep, when you get up, what you are going to do in every job assigned. Control. Can’t have weak control in a combat unit. But all units military are about control. Guns are a threat to chain of command. The word “fragging” comes to mind. I can see both sides of the argument, but Ft. Hood should have been a wake up to the higher chain of command.
On May 23, 2018 at 12:47 pm, Bram said:
Diamond isn’t far off with the fist half of his essay. I was in the Marines, Marine Reserves, then the Army National Guard. Marines spend a lot of time with their weapons (without ammo). Even in the Reserves, I drew my rifle right after first formation just about every drill.
The Army on the other hand, does not like soldiers with guns. In the National Guard, our weapons would arrive AT THE RANGE in a separate locked truck. After shooting, they went back in the truck and we would clean them later at the armory.
I too showed up in Saudi Arabia with an empty rifle in ’90 and drew ammo when we got to base camp.
As soon as he starts talking about civilian versus military training, it became obvious he’s full of crap. The only cops (or soldiers) I know who are really proficient shooters are the ones who put in a lot of off-duty time and money to make themselves that way.
On May 23, 2018 at 1:42 pm, Jack Crabb said:
POS says: “And where military and law enforcement undergo extensive training on how to make the right shooting decision quickly while under extreme stress…”
BULL SHIT
On May 23, 2018 at 4:03 pm, scott s. said:
I don’t think I’ve ever seen troops in garrison routinely carrying individual weapons. And the tactical training isn’t really aimed at the kind of thing a CCW holder is trained for, except for the MPs. Here at the 25th ID on Schofield, I do see squad-sized infantry elements with weapons from time to time (in transit) but they have M4s with BFAs installed. I think the same thing for the 3rd Marines on KBay. The MPs here do train quite a bit on force protection, but I imagine that’s partly due to the presence of the 8th MP Bde HQ relocated here as part of the Korea drawdown.
On May 23, 2018 at 4:16 pm, Jean said:
Just a few observations from a veteran of the Cold War, Desert Storm, and OEF/OIF. I am sure that the AF Load Master was happy to see an officer sitting on the hood of a truck, setting the example for his soldiers. Train the way you fight. If getting ammo in combat zone makes it real, then you have failed to prepare yourself for your chosen profession. As for surrendering his ammo, twice….we were always scrounging up additional ammo after any mission. My advice to any deployed soldier in a combat zone: carry as much you can, avoid the Fobbits that try to take your ammo or insist on “cleared weapon” with no magazine. The McChystal’s and Petraus’s of the world have lost touch with the reality of modern life, they are protected by PSDs on the battlefield and live in gated communities stateside. The later should have spent less time on ”social” issues” and more time cleaning up his PC.
On May 23, 2018 at 4:46 pm, Jean said:
Most Americans would be surprised, for example, at how little time military personnel in particular spend with their weapons over the course of a career.
Missed that part of my career. Must be nice.
On May 23, 2018 at 7:55 pm, jim said:
This kind of screwed thinking is how we lost 200-plus people in The Beirut bombing; and same with an earlier embassy bombing. We have learned nothing!!!!!
I was riding with a person who was my boss at the time down a California freeway; and we passed a convoy at stopped at the roadside. an individual exited one of the trucks with an M-16 on his shoulder, which to me was no big deal. These were National Guard troops. I was still active in the Marine Corps Reserve at the time; had about 10 years in then. My boss, who was X-Nuclear Navy and should’ve known better, exclaimed ‘why in the hell has he got a gun??!!” I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying, “what kind of dumb-ass question is that??” To me there were all kinds of security related reasons to carry in that situation. Maybe he was guarding cash; Id-cards, other weapons, or classified equipment. I couldn’t notice if he had a magazine inserted we were moving too fast. I thought it would’ve been fine if all were carrying– as we usually did when we went anywhere. At one point a few decades ago; designated people in exercises carried live ammo because there were occasions when someone would try to steal weapons from the troops.
On May 24, 2018 at 9:19 am, DWEEZIL THE WEASEL said:
As a 30-year+ Peace Officer, I would have to agree with Jack Crabb. Yes, you may find some FEDGOV and state-sponsored execution squads who train frequently in real world scenarios. That is not the case with most civilian police agencies.
When I hired on(1972) you qualified once a month. Then, about ten years later, it went to a quarterly qualification, which further eroded ability, marksmanship, muscle memory, and over-all situational awareness. It was that way when I retired in 2002. Unless one had the initiative to practice often, quarterly qualification was a crapshoot, and I saw a lot of do-overs. It went back to what my Firefighter-father told me: “Don’t be a cop, son. Cops are lazy and stupid.” I could go on, but you get my point.
On May 24, 2018 at 9:25 am, joe tentpeg said:
Heh, hafta call ‘bullshiite.’
22 years, 11 active/11 reserve. Ran qual ranges, trained hundreds if not a few thousand.
‘Weapons Training’ isn’t rocket surgery. Point, squeeze, and shoot will do in a pinch.
Maybe mikey was too sheltered to have played ‘cowboys and indians’?
On May 24, 2018 at 12:56 pm, l2a3 said:
Like in the mid80s I was an S3 and had to qualify 230 MP in a physical security company, guarding “special” conventional weapons site. (I don’t know if is still classified so I did not mention the name) After following the required ordering process for 18 months when I went to draw the required amount of .45 ACP ammo I was issued one (1) box of 50 to qualify 230 MPs. When I inquired to the WO of the ASP I was told we don’t order it anymore, because all the 45 ammo is for the shooting team. (there were no M9 issued yet everyone had M1911A1s) And he couldn’t answer why then am I to make requests for Ammo (DA Form 581s) and range date requests for over a year and not be told that the ammo was not available, allowing this physical security unit will become NON OPERATIONAL and can not perform their active security mission and because of this I am sure that the shit will hit the fan when I report this through the chain of command. Surprisingly with in 2 weeks sufficient ammo was found for the company to qualify.
On May 24, 2018 at 2:28 pm, Sean said:
In the Army, I didn’t play dopey disarmed games when the Army sent me somewhere off post or on. After I made sergeant, a .357 was always close at hand, and when we drew weapons, for any reason, I always had my midnight supply system ammo. After VN, I never trusted the Army as far as being able to defend myself. This guy IS a Coward and a Traitor, but then, the Armed Forces are full of people like that. The mission of the US Infantry is to kill people and break things. Some woosies never seem to learn that.
On May 25, 2018 at 6:07 pm, Coldsteel1983 said:
Agreed from top to bottom.
Glad to see your comment, Sean… I was beginning to think that maybe I was the only one with my own mags filled no matter what.
There’s no doubt he was a REMF. Those of us in the Infantry were very, very familiar with our weapons and handled, fired and cleaned our weapons a lot… over and over and over, which is how you really get familiar with your iron.