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H&I* Fires, 4 APR 2007

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.

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

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If Novosti isn't the Russian equivalent of the Onion - then this is Good Reason #44 to own a MANPAD (Man portable air defense missile - i.e., Stinger). H/t, Dusty.

Chuck, over at From My Position, expresses his frustration (okay, it goes beyond that) with a proposed gun registration scheme introduced into the Pennsylvania Legislature (by some people who apparently are unable to look north at the fiasco that is the Canadian attempt to do the same thing). Good thing he stuck the disclaimer in at the end.

Captain Ed points out that the UN is at least an accomplice-after-the-fact in the Nork counterfeiting scheme. It's time for the UN to go the way of the League of Nations - and try to build a better mousetrap. Just as the UN incorporated changes from lessons learned regarding the League, so to a replacement organization could benefit from some changes. Not that it's ever going to happen, any more than the UN will ever reform itself from within.

Don Surber points out a Compassionate Conservative (and a little irony, too). H/t these three, Fuzzybear, who had an early day today. -the Armorer

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Austin Bay on Marc Danziger (Armed Liberal at Winds of Change) on Iraq:

"As most of you know, I'm a liberal Democrat (pro-gay marriage, pro-choice, pro-progressive taxation, pro-equal rights, pro-environmental regulation, pro-public schools) who supported and supports the war in Iraq. As I tell my liberal friends, "Did I miss the part where it was progressive not to fight medieval religious fascists?"

I think that is going to make it into the notable quotes on the sidebar. Read the rest here at Strategy Page.

The Castle is targeted by Dangerous Kiwis. -the Armorer

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Boo-ya! Gimme summa dis!

WASECA, Minn. -- A family's plan to open an obstacle course for tanks and other armored vehicles on the outskirts of Waseca has some neighbors concerned.

Tony Borglum and his family want to let customers drive tanks, scout cars and armored personnel carriers through an obstacle course that would likely feature small hills and varying terrain, according to their application for a permit from Waseca County.

Borglum said he got the idea after visiting a similar course in England last summer.

"Driving them around was a lot of fun and there was a lot of people doing it," he said. "Businessmen, bankers and kids were all doing it and having a good time."

H/t, Toluca Nole -the Armorer

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Putting together the "Wednesday Heroes" post, I came across a little blurb over at the the central dump that "Killer Chick" was being awarded the distinguished flying cross (four years after the fact - wheels of the military do grind very, very slow. In light of the post below, small complaint regarding why our heroes don't get much media time. By time you give them the medal, the whole story is sort of moot; might want to speed that up just a little - info war and all that). More on "Killer Chick"

Lots of chatter about changing ROE for British after the kidnappings. I disagree. Most likely change will come to the SOP. Like treating all boardings as "routine" and sending the over sight flight away? Gone.

The Brits are being released per Iran. A gift. In exchange for? Probably won't be known for awhile. Crazy AJ says it's on account of Mohammed's Birthday and the "passing of Christ" this week. More like the passing of the buck (like economic guarantees) though what exactly occured in the "direct talks" is unknown. Press notes "oil prices drop" after release. For a few days anyway.

Why are there so few MIA and POW in this war? Are we that good? Or, are they that bad?

Latest round of Economic Warfare about to commence. Chavez will be nationalizing his oil shortly and the Ayatollah sent "Mohammed's Birthday" message to the people in which he uses the words "economic warfare" at least four times. Guess he gets it. Round up of links and story here

Finally, if you miss being shot at by the enemy, here's some video to chill your jones (h/t Instapundit)

-Kat

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I've simply *got* to check my AKO mail earlier in the day.

Do you remember the flap last year when the U of Washington denied (with some idiotic libtard language) a request to build a memorial to Pappy Boyington? Well, they decided instead to build a memorial to all 7 Husky Medal of Honor winners. And they need $100,000 to make it happen.

Go here to donate. For today (4 Apr) only, if you put "KVI" (local talk radio station, if it matters) in the comments box, your donation will be matched, up to $25,000 in total donations matched.

Thanks for the help.

The Heartless Libertarian

Act as you see fit. The Castle made a donation of 3 digits to the left of the decimal. -the Armorer

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A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires.

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".

14 Comments

Gentlemen, I need a SME to refute a troll over at Lex's who insists that we( USA ) sold arms to Nazi Germany prior to our involvement in WWII. The thread is " Maybe it is time for the Brits to go home". I have spent a couple of hours flailing about the interTubes with no luck. thanks in advance, Unka
 
Why are there so few MIA and POW in this war? For one thing, our guys have a *real* good idea of the consequences of being captured.
 
Thanks john
 
The Castle is targeted by Dangerous Kiwis.
That gives me a dangerous idea, build an outdoor grill in the shape of the castle--call it Castle Bargghhbecue.
 
Hmmm. NDS - that sounds like fun!
 
That's what I said, Bill in the article, among other things. I think, though, there are other reasons that, together, bring it down to a few unfortunate events. Like SOP, QRFs, No soldier left behind, stand off tactics of insurgents and lack of space to safely operate, I guess taking and holding POWs is not a good idea. I wonder how this compares to other insurgencies?
 
Dangerous Kiwis are targeting the Castle?? Why not just sit back and watch their little green bodies go squish against the walls? Oh yeah, SWWBO will make you clean them off with a pressure hose.
 
I standing right here.
 
Got a chance to watch the video, Kat. Pretty good stuff from my limited experience. Noise, yelling, moving around, ducking, settling in, getting it done. No signs of panic, just some concern now and then. People keeping their heads, communicating, staying in the game. I could fight with those guys. Except the wheezing fat man would give away the position...
 
Heh. I think my screams and high pitched curses would have given the position away. LOL Speaking of which, I suppose I should have given a language alert. I'll remember that next time. :)
 
Belgium local authorities deny barbequing tax reports
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070404/63077075.html Just another April Fools joke gone bad. That's good, I'd hate to think what that would do to my plans to build Castle Barrgghhhbecue.
 
Kat - Example from RVN: Nick Rowe was the only POW to make it out alive from the Delta, and that was mostly due to 1. a real ballsy move on his part and 2. an unbelievable amount of luck. Disease, starvation, lack of basic medical attention to wounds or summary execution did for the remainder, and down there, we all knew what the consequences of capture were. Historically, the results of being captured during insurgencies wasn't too much different from being captured during a "normal" war. If you weren't wounded too badly in the fight, if your captors didn't execute you immediately after capture, if your captors had access to a secure base camp, if the trip to the base camp didn't kill you and you followed their orders without becoming a nuisance or tripping on one of their idiosyncracies, you stood a halfway decent chance of living through the day...
 
Good thing I put in that Onion caveat!
 
Good helk. I hate jokes that suck me in. However, that is how the insanity starts. They would pry my grill from my cold dead hands. Considering AlGore's carbon credits... pfff.
 
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