Time to add a new caveat, because from email it's not clear to some folks (mind you, if you don't read this it won't matter...) Being an open post, people (collectively, the Denizens) other than I post in the H&I. They sign their work (most of the time) - keep that in mind when you want to flame someone in email please - if it doesn't say "The Armorer" or "John" then I didn't write it! And honestly - if you don't like something said or posted... leave a comment, and hash it out (within the context of The Rulez which are clearly posted on the comment form, I would add).

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Jim B posted this rant in the comments of the H&I yesterday. I was planning on putting it on the front page today - but since I'm still gathering data, I'll let him stand in and start the discussion:

Newer carbines outperform M4 in dust test

By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Dec 18, 2007 17:41:35 EST

The M4 carbine, the weapon soldiers depend on in combat, finished last in a recent “extreme dust test” to demonstrate the M4’s reliability compared to three newer carbines.

They go on to say:

...the results of the test were “a wake-up call,” but Army officials continue to stand by the current carbine, said Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, commander of Program Executive Office Soldier, the command that is responsible for equipping soldiers.

“We take the results of this test with a great deal of interest and seriousness,” Brown said, expressing his determination to outfit soldiers with the best equipment possible.

The test results did not sway the Army’s faith in the M4, he said.

“Everybody in the Army has high confidence in this weapon,” Brown said.

Lighter and more compact than the M16 rifle, the M4 is more effective for the close confines of urban combat. The Army began fielding the M4 in the mid-1990s.

Brig Gen Mark Brown is a moron. I hope Senator Coburn has his stars for breakfast. I hope this maggot is looking for a job by tomorrow.

I have never seen more criminal behavour than to knowingly send US Soldiers out with an inferior weapon.

I need to stop now before I blow out the rest of the rules.

If you don't know, Jim is a Blue Star Father, hence his passion on the subject. I'm making some inquiries among the services "gun guys" - we'll see if anything postable pops up. In the meantime, feel free to jump in on this one.

Jim also brought up this bit:

An open letter from Sergeant Andrew Robinson USMC to Nancy's Boyda and Pelosi ... as seen in the Topeka Crapitol-Urinal

It's not been a good week for General's Pelosi and Reid. They had to surrender on surrendering.

Lastly for the moment - Klaus Larsen would like you to Adopt the 82nd. -the Armorer

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Not quite, Armorer. Sadly, Reid hasn't quite given up on giving up. Had to throw out a sop to the nutroots, I suppose. An aside: am I older and wiser, or is politics uglier and more conviction/integrity-free than ever? - FbL

[Fuzzy - what, I'm a piece of furniture now? -the Armorer] [What the heck are you talking about, sir?] [Cheater - you aren't supposed to edit faux pas' you've been called on! The text originally read "Not quite, Armoirer" -the Armorer] [I saw it BEFORE you pointed it out, but by the time I got into edit mode you'd already snarked me on it. Not fair! *flounce* - FbL] [Snerk! There's two kinds of bloggers 'round here, Fuzzy - the Quick and the Snarked! - the Armorer]

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Heh - for all you old guys out there... let's hope this:

WASHINGTON -- The Army plans to develop a new corps of multifunctional logisticians with creation of the new logistics branch.

Today, captains from transportation, quartermaster and ordnance branches must complete the Combined Logistics Captains Career Course or the Reserve-Component Captains Career Course. Beginning Jan. 1, all officers completing that coursework will gain a new primary military operational specialty, 90A, that indicates their competence in all three logistics areas, said Maj. Gen. Mitchell H. Stevenson, commanding general of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command.

...means that the spirit of the Transporters, "Hey! I gotta truck, let's go somewhere!" starts overwhelming the Quartermaster "Mine! All mine! Can't have it! My warehouse! My stuff!" attitude. Yeah, it's a calumny, but not one entirely without basis... read more here. -the Armorer

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Past or present? It all just cycles back on itself, it seems... - FbL

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."