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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A peek into an alternate reality, from the a San Diego theatre critic:

Nothing has changed for the better in nearly six years. The American people, New York Times columnist Frank Rich wrote recently, are in clinical depression. The constitution and the ideals that once set the nation apart have been traded for fear of Muslims and immigrants, for CIA torture chambers, widening economic inequality, and a Congress still short on backbone.

Job interviews of the presidential primary candidates. A sample:

Interview No. 5:

Us: "Can we try to stick to the point, Mr. Kucinich?"

DK: "... and then I saw a flying saucer while I was trying to impeach the president ..."

Us: "Hello, security?"

What happens when the NY Times hires ultra-conservative Bill Kristol to write a weekly op-ed? Heads explode.

Strange headline of the day: Taliban Dismisses Top Leader Mansoor Dadullah. Isn't that a bit like being "dismissed" from the mob?

No one can be everywhere at once in order to see important events for him or her self, so we must rely on reporters. So, this one really depresses me: Did Reporters Get Born Yesterday? Sigh... - FbL

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My Buddeeze, alla time lookin' out for me!

With all that snow up thetaways, was wondering how paid work in Sandy Eggo might appeal to you. Especially if it's a labor of love, like.

Cheers, Lex

PS - tongue firmly in cheek

-----Original Message-----

Subject: NAVNET OPPORTUNITIES FOR 20 DEC

Here's batch of opportunities from the NAVNET in basket all from Patriot International. POC for all of them is ...David Solis, Vice President, Office: 888.663.7241 ext 01, solis@patriotintl.com

2. Patriot International Opportunity, San Diego, CA, ATG BILLET- U.S. ORGANIC AND FOREIGN WEAPONS SME

Duties: Assist in lesson plan maintenance and update improvements. Provide training on Marine Corps individual and crew-served infantry weapons including the M16A2/4, the M4, 9 MM PISTOL, M240G, Shotgun, MK-19, M2 .50 CAL MACHINE GUN, AT4, as well as associated vision devices such as the ACOG and NVDs and other weapons that may enter the
inventory. Training will include combat shooting skills to tactical individual marksmanship, transition shooting skills, firing of weapons from tripod and mobile, vehicle-mounted and static/tactical locations/positions. Familiarization training/firing on foreign weapons expected in the OIF/OEF theater (e.g., AK 47 and variants, SVD/PSL, PKM, RPG-7) will also be required as will assembly, disassembly, immediate and remedial actions. Also, first echelon field maintenance procedures for all listed weapons. Training will be provided and will include
conduct of day and night Familiarization Firing on all U.S. and foreign weapons. Instructors will also support POI and lesson plan, student guides and other training material development and maintenance to include participation and support of periodic content reviews. The position may require up to 35% travel and providing training under field conditions.

Civilian Education: REQUIRED: High School diploma; DESIRED: Bachelor's degree

Military Education. N/A.

Military/Government Experience: REQUIRED: Minimum three years experience in military training and education; minimum five years operational experience in infantry, recon, SPECOPS, or related areas; minimum three years documented knowledge and experience in USMC weapons; experience and knowledge of foreign weapons; combat experience within the last four years; working knowledge of US Marine Corps individual and crew served weapons.

DESIRED: Currency with TTPs and Lessons learned from recent real world operations; military instructor experiences; experience in curriculum development; experience as an Advisor.

Clearance: REQUIRED: Secret Clearance.

Other: This position may require travel to alternate training venues. Performance of duties will be in a combination of classroom and field conditions.

-I've got that job knocked, except the combat experience in the last four years part, and I could prolly get around that infantry thing. Mebbe not. But I'm guessing it doesn't pay what I make now, and I don't think I'm gonna find 80 acres in the San Diego area that I can afford. But if that was out at Fort Riley...-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 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."