I just ordered a United Defense Adjustable Self Defense Cane...

[Captain O]

From BudK in Georgia. At $39.99 it seems as if it will be a reasonably useful "walking stick" and it isn't viewed as an "impact weapon". No LEO will even look twice at a man of my age carrying a cane. (Granted, the crook horn is rather sharp). A man with a bald spot on top of his head that's graying at the temples, wearing either a dress or Panama hat won't attract much attention.

When I was working as an Armed Security Officer years ago, I had some Modern Arnis (Fillipino Stick Fighting) instruction. (I could use a "refresher" course). I think this will work as a perfect "traveling companion". This is really what I need to carry as I travel into Tijuana.

Agreed?

[kootenay joe]

Captain, please, we need a picture !
kj

[Captain O]

I'm sorry, I can't post a picture (don't have the capability). If you go to BudK and check out "walking sticks" you can see it. There's also a video of how it impacts melons, how well the pointed crook penetrates them and a liquid-filled boat fender. Trust me, it is an excellent value for the money, and nearly indestructible. (I did my "homework").

Go to BudK and see for yourself.

[kootenay joe]

Thanks, will do.
I use a cane, have a few, my main one is old: iron rod covered by stacked leather washers same as a knife handle. It has enough weight to knock somebody out. But i'm going to take a look at your super-duper self defense stick.
kj

[jerryd6818]

Is this what you're talking about?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3UiMfnoitQ[/youtube]

[Captain O]

No, that isn't it. Go to, www,budk.com/United-Defense-Premium-Adjustable-Walking-Cane-3902 There you will find it. It has a crook with a point. I'm going to wind up cutting off at least eight inches off the shaft to get it to fit me. The upside is that it is nearly indestructible. It isn't a "quaint" as the "pseudo-Blackthorn" but it is less conspicuous. The point is blending into the background until it is needed. I just want to be viewed as a mature man with nothing to hide. The cane's polymer construction will withstand extreme temperatures and won't set off metal detectors. I can walk onto Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses without drawing any attention at all.

No one will care... this is the general objective.

[deo-pa]

Captain's link has an error; this one will take you there: http://www.budk.com/United-Defense-Prem ... Cane-32902.

For most of us it might not be very useful as a defensive weapon (other than to just clobber someone) without some training. Here is a cane fighting primer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3qX_BeTNUk.

Dennis

[jerryd6818]

Well, what the hey? I remember typing out a post on that one, link, picture and everything. Did I get sidetracked and accidently delete it before I hit submit? It sucks to get old.

[Captain O]

I hooked into the "free shipping" and was glad of it. It cost me $39.99 and I'll have the cane within a week. This is a great accouterment. It is sturdy and well worth the price of admission. This cane can, in the words of the late John Cameron Swayze "Take a lickin' and keep on tickin'." The solid polypropylene construction allows me to beat the belaboring daylights out of someone/something and walk away passively as if nothing had happened. A few dents and scratches may appear on the unit, but I can live with that. At $39.99 it is always replaceable.

You have to admit, it isn't a bad idea. An impact weapon you can carry anytime, anywhere without arousing suspicion. (That, my friends, is always a positive attribute). I can waltz into a courtroom, onto an Amtrak train, onto a Greyhound bus, and probably onto an airliner, without anyone raising an eyebrow.

Convenient, isn't it?

[montemojo]

Captain, I think you made a good choice.

Monte

[FRJ]

The solid polypropylene construction allows me to beat the belaboring daylights out of someone/something and walk away passively as if nothing had happened.

Hey Cap ... Hey Captain ...
If I were you ... I'd get some dancin' lessons first ...

Yeah, else you gonna wear that thing, son.

[Captain O]

The solid polypropylene construction allows me to beat the belaboring daylights out of someone/something and walk away passively as if nothing had happened.

Hey Cap ... Hey Captain ...
If I were you ... I'd get some dancin' lessons first ...

Yeah, else you gonna wear that thing, son.

Did you read my first post, or have you been taking braying lessons from the Democrat Party symbol? I have had Modern Arnis training. I simply could use a refresher course. (There is a martial arts school about 6/10 of a mile from me). This is not beyond the realm of reality.

I think I'm probably a little old for you to be calling 'son".

Perhaps you should look into having your ears trimmed... your heritage is showing.

[FRJ]

6/10 of a mile! You don't say.

Well, carry on then, Captain. Seems like you have everything in order.

[Captain O]

I walk everywhere I go, as I have no car. My ankles begin to swell after a couple of miles. Other than that, I'm in decent physical condition. I have also been studying a few online videos illustrating cane use by both able-bodied and elderly persons. This is just a beginning approach for a "workout regimen" so that I can get out of a sticky situation.

Frankly, I feel in much greater jeopardy in Chicago or Los Angeles than I do in the Tijuana Tourist districts as well the Plaza de Toros Monumental. In Tijuana, they have the "Tourist Police". (They are real police officers that have been trained in San Diego). These began in 2008 as a response to the perceived threat to the tourist trade from the drug cartels. Believe me, half of the city's lifeblood is tourism, and they don't want that cash cow threatened. They've had enough trouble as it is. There are signs in many shop windows advising against harassing or otherwise annoying the tourists. The city police have been advised that if they see any badgering of tourists, to clamp down on it. The Tourist Police already do. This is why I won't hesitate to go to my favorite "haunts" in Tijuana. It has changed for the better.

P.S. The old "La Ocho" (Tijuana Jail) (the old jail that lived in ignominy thanks to the song performed by the Kingston Trio) no longer exists. It had been built in the 1950's and was both closed and torn down in 2002. The filthy, deteriorating cells and rats the size of cats are now little more than a nightmarish memory. The new city jail is in the eastern Tijuana suburb of Otay Mesa. The "Old Tijuana" of filthy, unsanitary streets exists primarily in the slums. Don't get me wrong, Mexico is still a "third world" country (thanks to their Socialist Government) but it isn't anywhere near the rathole it once was.

Time marches on.

[Captain O]

I just finished reading an article dated 3/12/17 about the Tijuana City Police... They are now donning body cameras. This points out how the Police Cheif is trying to clamp down on those attempting to bribe their officers. "La Mordida" (the bite) is beginning to cost citizens, as well as tourists, more in fines, and dismissals (for the officers) that engage in taking them. "The times, they are a changin'".

[Mossdancer]

Capn O:
Congrats to the attention you pay to self defense. Has the appearance of being able to handle the job. I find the older I get the more I am aware of the same. I would strongly urge you though to not attempt to take such a device across a sovereign border or onto a commercial aircraft. I have found the safest way to travel is by auto ( it has nothing to do with statistics ). Even new jails are tough to get accustomed to. I prefer a snub nosed .38 for my travels which are limited to the 34 states I am licensed in. No orneriness' intended. Just hoping to prevent a bad experience. Should anyone find this objectionable please have a monitor delete it. To add a bit of humor and I do know how you meant your statement. I just think an officer would eye a little old partly bald man wearing a dress
moss

[Captain O]

Had you read the sentence contextually, you may have understood. I am not entering Mexico without some sort of protection (and I'm not referring to a condom). I know where to go and the places to avoid. I have no business in the Zona Norte (red-light district) even though police presence is high (24/7). I know where to go and what to avoid, after numerous visits to the city since 2007 and 2010. The police have been "clamping down" on criminal activity. I don't drink, don't go to nightclubs (that's for the young and foolish set, not me). I go to restaurants, museums, sporting events (the bullfights) and amusement parks.

By the way, anyone that molests the tourists is flirting with a long prison sentence. They cannot afford to lose the revenue. I saw it with my own two eyes in 2010 while waiting to go through customs. The Tourist Police (that is their name) had caught two thieves and had them in the backseat of their new cruiser there were two older, visibly shaken women (in their late 60's), being interviewed by one officer and another reached in a slapped the snot out of one of their suspects. (They aren't taking any krap and are not tolerating the impact that people like this are having upon the tourist trade).

In Old Mexico the wise approach is not to go anywhere you wouldn't take your mother or grandmother. It is the safe way to enjoy the highlights city.

Are you volunteering to buy me a car? We can talk. Frankly, I enjoy taking the train. I can travel to the border in as little as 33 hours (including the 50-minute transfer to Amtrak's Surfliner at Los Angeles' Union Station).

Taxis in Tijuana are relatively cheap and the best seats at the Plaza de Toros Monumental are $50.00 each and a $2 seat cushion you buy at the Plaza makes the 2 1/2 hour 6-bout show more comfortable. (It beats sitting out the entire show on concrete).

[Quick Steel]

Though it has been a long while since I've been on a train, I have fond memories of trains being the most civilized form of transportation. Far superior to air travel. Not in speed obviously, but in every other way. I'm just indulging in a bit of nostalgia. I do hope you have an enjoyable trip Captain.

[Captain O]

Though it has been a long while since I've been on a train, I have fond memories of trains being the most civilized form of transportation. Far superior to air travel. Not in speed obviously, but in every other way. I'm just indulging in a bit of nostalgia. I do hope you have an enjoyable trip Captain.

Thank you, Quick Steel. Every person with whom I have spoken refer to Tijuana in the "days of yore". These are the old marines and sailors that were older than I. These men were rowdy drinkers and fighters on Revolution Avenue. (The tourism strip). They frequently would drink, get taken for a lot of money, get thoroughly "trashed" and wind up being thrown into the notorious "La Ocho". The Military would bail them out and dock their pay and fine them heavily. I never violated the "off-limits" Navy rules. I knew better than to get drunk in a foreign nation. (That's trouble just begging to happen). Now I'm a big boy that wants to have a real good time. Clean, enjoyable fun. Buying desirable trinkets (.999 silver rings) at a far lower cost than in the US. (I know because I have done it).

An inexpensive vacation without courting danger or disaster. (What a concept).

[Captain O]

I bobbed off five inches of the cane and slipped on a properly-fitted 7/8" cane tip. (It is a softer rubber and grips the pavement better). My primary doctor at the VA is going to give me a prescription for the cane. When this has been done I can take my cane on any public transportation because it is, technically, a "walking aid". They can't deny my carrying it anywhere because I need it.

I have already received unsolicited compliments on the cane and that was on the first day of carrying it in public. This is a great accouterment and personal accessory. I'm enjoying it and am also working on exercises for strikes and blocks. I heartily recommend this to everyone. Go to BudK and buy either this or the man-made Polymer Blackthorn as a "walking stick". This cane will be my constant companion for the next 20 years.

At $39.99 + shipping, either one is a great investment.

[kootenay joe]

From the link to Captain's cane on the Budk site, i clicked on the ad for "Cold Steel Heavy Duty Sword Cane" $94.99. The video chopping up a hog carcass with this short sword is impressive !
Problem for me is that i don't need any self defense aids where i live and i don't travel. I can't see myself ever in a situation where i would need a sword cane so it's hard to rationalize buying one. ("rationalize" = lying to oneself)
kj

[gsmith7158]

From the link to Captain's cane on the Budk site, i clicked on the ad for "Cold Steel Heavy Duty Sword Cane" $94.99. The video chopping up a hog carcass with this short sword is impressive !
Problem for me is that i don't need any self defense aids where i live and i don't travel. I can't see myself ever in a situation where i would need a sword cane so it's hard to rationalize buying one. ("rationalize" = lying to oneself)
kj

Why is it that When someone rationalizes a situation it's bad but when you rationalize a fraction it's good?

[kootenay joe]

Greg, is that a riddle ? What does "rationalize a fraction" mean ? "fraction" as in math ?
kj

[gsmith7158]

Greg, is that a riddle ? What does "rationalize a fraction" mean ? "fraction" as in math ?
kj

Just a silly observation on my part Kj. When one is working with fractions in math it's always advantageous to "rationalize" them to a common denominator..

[kootenay joe]

Ahh, Got it. Back in the day of inkwell & nibs the term was "reduce" to common denominator if i am recalling 5th grade correctly. Now i learn one must be rational in the reduction. Hmm.
kj