H&I Fires 2 MARCH 2008

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...

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).

**************************

Ahhh - 'Tis the Week-end and some Castle Denizens are up in the wide blue once again; But Neff - You HAFTA take THIS approach. Talk about a low buzz.

BOQ

**************************

Spare the Rod? And they want to know why crime has gone up among Juveniles. -Kat

Hezbollah raises a fuss over US warships off of Lebanon (1982 agains?). Of course, Hezbollah has threatened another war with Israel after the take down of such notables as Mugniyah that would further destabilize Lebanon. The US is understandably concerned that a major terrorist, responsible for hundreds of American deaths, considered potentially involved in 9/11 and in ferrying men and money to Iraq to attack US soldiers was claimed by Hezbollah in Lebanon as hero responsible for masterminding the 2006 war. That pushes Hezbollah ahead in the "enemies of the United States" category. -Kat

********************************

I understand why performing artists, when asked do do the National Anthem for a public event, oft times "make it their own."

Oft times, their version doesn't make it for me. Jimi Hendrix comes to mind. Roseanne Barr, too. But, I guess I'm a little bit country. Because to my admittedly unsophisticated musical taste, and quality-challenged hearing - the Cactus Cuties singing the National Anthem before a Texas Tech basketball game works for me very well.

Ladies and Gents, the Cactus Cuties sing the National Anthem.

Andi Kitten - 11
Baylee Barrett - 13
Madeline Powell - 8
Tatum Lowe - 11
Blaire Elbert - 10
Directed by Cami Caldwell

You can read about the Cactus Cuties, the Cactus Kids, and other programs based in Lubbock, Texas by clicking here.

H/t, Lobo, via Jay over at Stop The ACLU. -the Armorer

*********************************

The game of whack-a-mole continues. This time Al-Qaeda-in-Iraq star Abu Yasir al-Saudi has gotten his raisins courtesy a Candygram-for-Mongo delivered by US Army attack aviators. -the Armorer.

*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."