Why a West Palm Beach man took a 20-inch knife into Mar-a-Lago, an article published by the Palm Beach Daily News, isn’t quite what it sounds like. The man in this case, Jim Barry, is a knifemaker, and the 20-inch knife is a bowie he made and presented to President Donald Trump.

From the article:

Barry, 75, first got the idea to make a knife for the president just before Trump was elected. He texted the idea to Trump’s son, Donald Jr.

Donald Jr. replied almost instantly: “That would be awesome.”

One wonders whether Barry experienced any regret after gifting the knife. According to the article, the knife could easily fetch $50,000. As with all gifts that U.S. presidents receive, the knife will eventually find its way into a presidential library following Trump’s term in office.

The Palm Beach Daily News wrote two articles about the knife. You can read them here:

• Why a West Palm Beach man took a 20-inch knife into Mar-a-Lago
• The man behind President Trump’s $50,000 handmade knife

EEOC Sues Busse Knife Combat Company

On Jan. 19, 2018, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against Ohio-based Busse Combat Knife Company. At issue is the termination of an employee.

From the EEOC press release:

The lawsuit alleges Grant Boss was a CNC machine operator for Busse Combat Knife Company. In June 2016, he suffered an anxiety attack and left work. After learning that Boss suffered from generalized anxiety disorder, the employer asked Boss why he did not disclose this at hire and ordered him to provide a medical note clearing him to work. Even though Boss submitted such a note, the employer fired him because of his disability.

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees because of a disability. The agency seeks to recover monetary compensation for Boss in the form of back pay and compensatory damages for emotional distress, as well as punitive damages. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Busse Combat Knife Co., Case No. 3:18-cv-00144) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

Video: Making a Knife Out of Buffalo Horn

If it can hold an edge, it can be a knife. When traditional materials aren’t available, it’s time to improvise. In Cambodia, that means it’s time to turn that buffalo horn into a blade.

If you head to YouTube, you’ll notice the comments ripping on the fact a modern knife was used during part of the process. So there are actually two lessons to be learned here:

• A buffalo horn can be made into a knife
• YouTube comments will always be the worst of the Internet

It’s the craft and the ingenuity that matter. If purity tests were so important to the naysayers, they wouldn’t be commenting on YouTube videos in the first place. They’d be on their feet and in the game.

So it goes.

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