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).
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Regarding my post yesterday about General Casey's message outlining how we're going to change the system to make sure that the guys doing the work relevant to the current style of warfare get rewarded and protected for doing that work - Chapomatic notes that the Navy just doesn't get it. I wonder if the Salamander will weigh in? Neptunus Lex already has. Nor have we heard from the Air Force...
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The desultory website redesign is looking like it will go live this weekend, with a temporary shutdown to let the web-gnomes in to do their thing. The developmental version is up - click here and tell us what you think. The intent was to get a new look, clean up the clutter, make the archives both easier to use and less a drag on bandwidth. Talk to us about colors, ease of use, or problems you see. Some photos in some posts may not display, that's an artifact of "leeching" protections. -the Armorer
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Meet Cameron Sands. Thug. Idiot. Darwin Award Nominee. H/t, Kevin. -the Armorer
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An interesting take on the presidential race from Canadian columnist John Ibbitson:
The biggest concern over the possibility of Barack Obama becoming president has been his complete lack of executive experience.History tells us, however, that this may not matter. What matters is whether Mr. Obama or John McCain has the capacity to grow.
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A pattern emerges. A new president arrives clearly unequipped to meet the demands of the office. He makes mistake after mistake, his popularity wanes and the pundits prepare his political obituary.
But the president has the capacity to analyze each failure with a clear head. He discovers which advisers he can trust, which policies he should jettison or embrace. He figures out the Congress. The successes of the second half of his first term vindicate the learning curve of the first.
Other presidents obstinately determine to stay the course, and we get what we have now.
Ibbitson goes through presidential records from Lincoln, to Truman, to Kennedy, to Clinton in order to make his point. I'm not sure his analysis is spot on, but it's an interesting starting point for a discussion of how much experience matters versus temperament. - Damian
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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 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 that particular topic. Another term of art that might be appropriate is "Free Fire Zone".
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