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H&I* Fires, 03 JUN 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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News from MNF-I:

U.S., Iraqi forces engage al-Qaeda in Ameriyah

Operation cuts down insurgent activity

Iraqi, Coalition forces open municipal center in Ramadi

From the Associated Press, Mahdi militia hit by U.S., Iraqi troops:

BAGHDAD - As U.S. jets roared overhead, Mahdi Army militiamen on Sunday battled with Iraqi troops and local police searching for two militia leaders in the southern city of Diwaniyah. At least three people were killed and 24 wounded, official Iraqi sources reported.

The southern clashes came just hours after American helicopter gunships attacked targets in Mahdi Army-dominated Shiite east Baghdad, killing four suspected militants, the U.S. military reported, as the radical Shiite militia faced growing pressure to bow to central government authority.

For some reason, I'm vaguely pleased at the wording of the last line.

Hey! Mebbe some of you can explain what these birds are up to? -the Armorer

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Message for Sudan - I'll give up Coke. Iced tea is better for me anyway.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Washington, Sudan's ambassador the United States denied government-funded militias were killing civilians in Darfur, and threatened to cut off exports of gum arabica, a key component in soft drinks, if the Bush administration imposed economic sanctions.

"See how many people are dying in Darfur -- none," said Ambassador John Ukec Lueth, who then went on to say that economic sanctions would hurt all the people of Sudan but none more so than those suffering in Darfur.

Heh. I wouldn't have to give up Coke, either. Hosers. Snerk.

"As a matter of policy, we don't disclose where we source our ingredients," said Kari Bjorhus, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola. "But we don't buy gum arabic from Sudan." Pepsi, the world's second-largest soda producer, however, refused to comment for this story.

You Pepsi drinkers, however... Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! -the Armorer

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In Chicago, a Catholic Priest neglects to turn the other cheek - and advocates "snuffing out" a Chicago gun-shop owner and the politicians who won't vote for banning guns. MSM silent. I can imagine what would happen were someone to publicly advocate the same treatment for the Brady Bunch. -the Armorer

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Perhaps someone should add Wilfrid Owen to their reading list? Oh, wait - dead white european male poet. Never mind. H/t Kevin for the last three. -the Armorer

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Most.Important.News.Of.The.Day. Heidi's Home! Welcome back to the land of the Big PX Heidi! -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 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".

10 Comments

Those two birds look like two of the several B-36s that were caught at Fort Worth (Carswell AFB, I think) by a tornado in the '50s. It pretty much damaged or destroyed every bomber on the base.
 
Roger - good call. When I used that description for google, well, guess what the first picture was? *That* was an expensive day! I figured it had to be something like that - I couldn't come up with anyway for that to be a taxi accident - if for no other reason than there was no damage attributable to turning propellors.
 
The first thing that I thought when I saw the pic was that Were Kitten was parking the Sugarbuttons Brigade tactical bomber fleet. I see that I was wrong though.
 
You mean that's not how Mommy and Daddy planes made baby planes? "Mating rituals of the B-36, next on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom."
 
Jon, I'm crushed. CRUSHED, I tell ya. When I'm behind the stick of a SugarButtons Bomber, I make a different kind of impact. Could be due to my G-string-Suit. Dunno.
 
I saw the name Gen. Tibbetts and wondered if he could have related to the famous Pual Tibbetts who piloted the plane which dropped the first atomic bomb. I don’t really see any relationship other than Kingston Eric Tibbetts and Pual Tibbetts went to college in Ohio. If I am wrong let me know. “Paul Tibbets was born Feb. 23, 1915, son of Enola Gay and Paul Warfield Tibbets in Quincy, Illinois…. He enrolled in the University of Florida at Gainesville in 1933, more or less to follow his family's plan for him to pursue a medical career. With this goal still in mind, he transferred to University of Cincinnati after his sophomore year…” See: Pual Tibbets See: MAJOR GENERAL KINGSTON ERIC TIBBETTS
 
I thought PDsA were frowned on? I don't drink fizzy stuff. Hurts my throat.
 
Cricket, are you insulting BCR? She's a bubbling pimple, er, uh, Fizzy Cyst. (Dang, I just know I'm gonna get my neural implant reset for that! Owhell) .
 
When I first saw the photo, I thought it might have been a preparatory cuddle prior to engaging in making little planes (just like Heartless). But then I remembered the product of mating B-36s, the XF-85 Goblin and shuddered at how ugly it was! Luckily, only two of them were ever born so they must have been able to keep the Peacemakers apart most of the time.
 
I was referring to cola drinks. And I am sure all the scribes at the SCA are screeching bloody murder because they can't get gum arabic to make their inks to do their scrolls. NO BLOOD FOR GUM ARABIC!