You're advertising here, we should get an ad at your place...

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Uh-oh. Emperor Misha is on a warpath of civil disobedience. Should we start collecting bail money?
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Uncle J. I typically like his South Park influenced punkings of people and current events. I don't always agree with them, but they're typically pretty good. This one though? Not so good. If you're intent is to stop kids who nut as a result of internal demons or being mocked then mocking them seems a lot like giving a kid who's suffering from the runs a laxative to me.

Sure, some of the pictures will be funny. I may even laugh at a few myself. But is it in tune with his stated goal of deterrence of these kids? Sorry Uncle J, but this lowly Denizen thinks you're working anti-parallel to your goal of discouraging kids from nutting here dude. You're cementing something that may be driving them into madness in the first place: their fear that you'll never accept them and that you hate them. Might just be the best play is to simply leave the whole thing alone, 'ya know?

Oh, and if UJ shows up here with Chuck D and the SW-1s? Then ry is the big fellow who wears glasses and has a salt and pepper beard.
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Since Grim's permalinks are still busted I can't link back to it [FbL sez: the link I've added will work], but he's got a pretty interesting discussion/headsheding about Virginia Tech. He's calling it Wargaming VA Tech.
--ry

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Liviu Librescu was laid to rest in Israel today. He had survived more than the concentration camp. - FbL

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How about some fun stuff - there's a new DH-9 bomber resurrected from the dustheap. H/t, CAPT H.

CAPT H also sent me a link to a video of some Geography professors being silly, but having an undergrad degree in that subject, well, um, d-uh. Far more interesting were these videos!

Cannon Firing 101. This is *not* how Castle crews will man guns, when the day comes that we have the land to open the cannon range. This looks like Infantrymen playing to me. I'm sure I'll hear from Murray on this one.

Cannon Firing in Old Fort Jackson. This is the level of crew drill Castle Gunners will maintain - but... we're not going to fire blanks at the windows. Nope. Nor projectiles, to stave off *that* snark.

Sadly, I *know* these guys. And at the Castle we will not do anything so foolish as this. We might well do things like this - but we will have much better production values, and, frankly, better gun drill. BTW - only $5500, and that cannon can be yours. Plus shipping. Yes, I'm tempted. Fortunately, I'm pretty sure SWWBO will exert some restraint. -the Armorer

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Argghhh! As if life doesn't suck enough, Felp's Whelps will be at VT funerals. "Preaching." Heh. They don't read the same book I did. They keep skipping the whole second half. Heh, for Phred and crowd, I cannot but hope they get a "Joe Johnston at Sherman's Funeral" experience. Uncharitable of me, I know. -the Armorer

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Hey! I just realized Ry punk'd me and is setting me up for Jimbo's minions! No worries. I'm ready. -the Armorer

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Soldiers' Angels in Texas sends us this story: Funny Car Racer "Wild Child" Kebin Kinsley supports our troops

Did anyone notice that a certain event on Monday pushed AQI and Iraq off the front pages for a few days? And then they came back with a vengence on Wednesday. I don't think they liked losing the battlespace to a lone gunman.

Hollywood at war: John Voigt meets with wounded at Walter Reed. (h/t Michelle Malkin)

Unfortunately, the bad guys get their say, too: Al Qaeda says Iraq is "University of Terror" Still, an interesting part of this message is al Baghdadi trying to lay some reconciliation on the ground after declaring all those who do not swear allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and al Baghdadi as traitors and kicking off the current fight between previous allies in al Anbar. What's more interesting is that this is the major flaw in their campaign. Zarqawi had the problem and now Baghdadi has the problem. Zawahiri wrote to Zarqawi about it. In short, they have a tendency to try and inflict their ideology on the locals and the locals are none to fond of that or their methods. Thus, everytime they try to whip their allies in line to organize more distinctly they end up peeling some more off.

Mao wrote in his treatise about guerilla war, that, in order for a guerilla army to go from "criminals" and "bandits" (we could throw in "terrorist") in the mind of the people, eventually it would have to coalesce into a regular army with regular standards and recognizable leadership. Otherwise, it would never be legitimate in the eyes of the people. That is another reason why AQI and the ISI tried to announce ministers. A chief complaint among the groups that are angry at AQI is their lack of known, recognizable leadership who are demanding the people swear allegiance to it. For all the caterwauling fom capitol hill about "losing the war", it seems that AQI and ISI, along with the other conglomerate of insurgents, are having a difficult time becoming legitimate in Iraq.

-Kat

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Argghhh! again.

Oh, my yes, this is going to work wonders to reduce violence in the world! Yale Dean of Students Betty Trachtenberg just *had* to do *something!* I mean, it's what all the beautiful people do, right? Make gestures? Preferably meaningless ones, but ones which, nonetheless, regardless of the impact on others, makes us feel, "right." And, in fact, it's even better if I have a little power and that my gesture infantilizes and inconveniences some others, *especially* if I can do it by fiat, so no one might talk me out of it... because then, I get the added frisson of doing "The right thing, even if it is the hard thing." Because, of course, it *feels* right.

Actually, sometimes doing something because it feels right is the right thing to do. Sometimes it isn't. Figuring that out is, well, the essence of adulthood. Sometimes though, stupid is as stupid does.

Such as banning the use of "realistic" weapon props in stage plays at Yale. Thwock! Thwock! goes the styrofoam sword (well, she *will* allow wood. Heh. She will until someone points out the wooden swords of Melanesia, or, *shudder* the Roman "Rudius" or wooden training sword of the Legions, if nothing else a *symbol* of the discipline of the Legionary soldier. Not to mention (oops! I did!) a sign of manumission for gladiator slaves. If you have concerns, Dean Trachtenberg, then treat your students as adults - and simply require adequate storage controls and accountability for property. Just sayin'. After all, that's what *we* do with the 18-22 year olds in my business. Oh, I forgot - most of them aren't college students and apparently can be trusted. Leastways that's the message I'm getting from you... -the Armorer

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Snerk! Here's an odd referral for the Castle. Scroll to the bottom of the page. -the Armorer

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Okay, let's try again, to make those first two comments have some relevance... (*Someone* blew away one of my entries while making theirs...)

One of the perks of being a mildly successful blogger is that by assiduously cultivating people, you get invited to things like the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics "Dole Leadership Prize" presentation to former Senator Howard Baker, this Sunday over at the Lied Center at KU. That in itself is nice, but the perk is that SWWBO and I were invited to the pre-ceremony reception at the Institute, meaning that yours truly will get to meet and chat with Senator Baker, in person (however briefly, to be sure, as I am a tiny presence on the radar).

I have my email chats with Professer David Perlmutter of KU to thank for this, and for the previous invitation to the "Blog to the Chief" event that I live-blogged. I'm hoping that if I behave well enough this Sunday evening, I'll get invited to the next major event, as well - the 2007 Dole Lecture, to be given this year by regional native and K-State grad, not to overlook his being the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Richard Myers. Being a middlin' blogger in a rectangular state has its advantages. BTW - if you're in the region, you can get tickets to the events for free just by asking - the only perk I get is the pre-event event. -the Armorer

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Snerk! The bloom is off. We now have our own niche magazine. Blogging is officially yesterday. -the Armorer

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Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute.

*Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is*

The UAVs (oops, can't call 'em UAVs anymore - they're now Unmanned Aerial Systems... some Colonel got his Legion of Merit for that change...), er, um UAS's we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now.

I call the post that because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to. It's also an open trackback, so if (Don Surber uses it this way a lot) someone has a post they're proud of, but it really isn't either Castle kind of stuff, or topical to a particular post, I've basically given blanket permission to use that post for that purpose. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".