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.
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Kaplan on a subject we've already discussed here, but worth reviewing again: Finally, the Army is Promoting the Right Officers
A Bet With Francis Fukayama
Moveon.org: Push Back Against Republican gimmicks on energy
If it was ready to do so, wouldn't it have taken a more significant role already? I know, it's a big conspiracy by oil to corner the market. All I've got to say is that, today, they have the market pretty much cornered. It is times like these, with high energy prices, that alternative energy should or would come to the fore, capable of breaking any such conspiratorial hold on our energy market by sheer marketability. It simply does not exist. - Kat
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Sunday at Castle Argghhh! Canuckistanian Wendy of Girl On The Right and the Armorer bust some caps. Sadly, the crank (on the Browning, not me) needs some tuning. No Bibles were bitterly clung to, as shooting is a two-handed event, but they were nearby, in case we felt a need to clutch. Now, to hope the Immigration Canada will let Wendy back in after contaminating herself with firearms...
-the Armorer
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It didn't take long for DC to find itself back in court.
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Funny headlines over at Stop The ACLU. Really, Jay - I wouldn't drill Speaker Pelosi with your bit, much less mine. -the Armorer
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If you aren't reading The War on Big Tobacco, you should be.
Catch the rest here. -the Armorer
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The Armorer advises - don't go TDY when you have a gout attack. Life sux. That is all. -the Armorer
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The Heartless Libertarian sends along a story about Duty. I concur with his accompanying note: Though the way the Seattle Pravda-Izvestia puts duty in quotes does piss me off.
Indeed. -the Armorer
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Oh, my! This could be the funniest commentary on the presidential campaign I've seen yet--race, politics, Obama, McCain, the media... all get smacked. But frankly, the media/punditry are a smoldering hole in the ground by the time it's over. NSFW in sensitive environments, but terrifically funny.
- FbL
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Kaplan on a subject we've already discussed here, but worth reviewing again: Finally, the Army is Promoting the Right Officers
When I was reporting a story last summer about growing tensions between the Army's junior and senior officer corps, more than a dozen lieutenants and captains complained bitterly (with no prompting from me) about McMaster's rejection, seeing it as a sign that the top brass had no interest in rewarding excellent performance. The more creative captains took it as a cue to contemplate leaving the Army.
A Bet With Francis Fukayama
Moveon.org: Push Back Against Republican gimmicks on energy
The group plans to point to the ties between the GOP and Big Oil.Well, folks like me aren't going to be bought off with some silly, gimmicky "alternative energy" garbage that is nowhere near the development stage to start manufacturing (much less, significantly come online) in the next two to three decades to "solve" our energy crisis. Frankly, the American population isn't going to be fooled, either. We've seen and heard all about solar power, wind power and bio-fuels for at least two decades. Not one of them has been able to produce enough energy efficiently enough or cost-effective enough to make any significant impact on our use of oil, natural gas or coal.
"We've invited the media, and having a good crowd is critical to show them that voters don't want oil industry gimmicks--they want real solutions like alternative energy to solve our energy crisis," the e-mail said.
If it was ready to do so, wouldn't it have taken a more significant role already? I know, it's a big conspiracy by oil to corner the market. All I've got to say is that, today, they have the market pretty much cornered. It is times like these, with high energy prices, that alternative energy should or would come to the fore, capable of breaking any such conspiratorial hold on our energy market by sheer marketability. It simply does not exist. - Kat
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Sunday at Castle Argghhh! Canuckistanian Wendy of Girl On The Right and the Armorer bust some caps. Sadly, the crank (on the Browning, not me) needs some tuning. No Bibles were bitterly clung to, as shooting is a two-handed event, but they were nearby, in case we felt a need to clutch. Now, to hope the Immigration Canada will let Wendy back in after contaminating herself with firearms...
-the Armorer
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It didn't take long for DC to find itself back in court.
Friday, August 01, 2008Again proposing regulations that will do zip-nada-zilch to prevent or reduce criminal use of handguns. It's almost as if the DC government is in cahoots with the bad guys to make it easier for them. Heh. There's even a bi-partisan agreement in Congress that DC just doesn't get it. -the Armorer
Shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the District of Columbia's gun ban, the District, Mayor and City Council are being sued again over the District's thinly veiled attempt to continue its restrictions on firearm ownership. D.C. residents Dick Anthony Heller and Absalom F. Jordan, Jr., in conjunction with lawyers for the NRA, filed a complaint against the District of Columbia and Mayor Adrian Fenty challenging D.C.'s Firearms Control Emergency Amendment Act of 2008.
"The District of Columbia's so-called 'emergency regulations' prohibit law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves and their loved ones in their own homes," said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. "The Mayor and City Council have proposed a list of regulations that violate the Supreme Court's decision."
On June 26, 2008, the U. S. Supreme Court held in District of Columbia v. Heller, that "the District's ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense." The Supreme Court explicitly articulated that handguns are constitutionally-protected, yet the District's Firearms Control Emergency Amendment Act of 2008 bans all semi-automatic handguns and requires any firearm in the home to be disassembled, unloaded and secured by locking devices unless there is an "immediate" threat of violence, even for innocuous purposes such as cleaning.
"The D.C. Council and Mayor are demonstrating their arrogant disregard for the Supreme Court's decision and the safety and liberty of their own law-abiding constituents," concluded Cox. "These elitist politicians who live under secured protection are continuing to prevent their residents from keeping a functional firearm in the home for self-defense. NRA will continue to work to restore the rights of D.C. residents."
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Funny headlines over at Stop The ACLU. Really, Jay - I wouldn't drill Speaker Pelosi with your bit, much less mine. -the Armorer
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If you aren't reading The War on Big Tobacco, you should be.
Every platoon has one. He is that private or specialist who always has that one sarcastic sidebar comment. He is the kid who agrees to do a detail and then complains about why he was picked afterwards. He is the one who could be such a good soldier if only he would keep his mouth shut.
Catch the rest here. -the Armorer
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The Armorer advises - don't go TDY when you have a gout attack. Life sux. That is all. -the Armorer
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The Heartless Libertarian sends along a story about Duty. I concur with his accompanying note: Though the way the Seattle Pravda-Izvestia puts duty in quotes does piss me off.
Indeed. -the Armorer
**********************************
Oh, my! This could be the funniest commentary on the presidential campaign I've seen yet--race, politics, Obama, McCain, the media... all get smacked. But frankly, the media/punditry are a smoldering hole in the ground by the time it's over. NSFW in sensitive environments, but terrifically funny.
- FbL
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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. Of course, now I have to call them UAS's, because someone got a Legion of Merit for the name change.Anyway, I call the post H&I Fires 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.
*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. Of course, now I have to call them UAS's, because someone got a Legion of Merit for the name change.Anyway, I call the post H&I Fires 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.
Interesting. When I was working with RESET in 2006, 81BCT was offloading from its first deployment and was turning in its vehicles to get brand-new -- Strykers...
Ummmm -- think we ought to tell 'em that Barry tossed "No Drilling" under the bus?
Nah...
John - The Armorer advises - don't go TDY when you have a gout attack. Life sux. That is all. -the Armorer
Actually, the Armorer's wife, SWWBO, is very pleased when the Armorer goes TDY whilst having a gout attack. That way, she does not have to deal with it.
Hope you feel better, sweetie!
8^ )
Poor Jay... I have to agree with John on drilling Piglosi.
And FBL's right- that Daily Show clip is DAMN FUNNY!!!!
2. I know every platoon I was in had one of those soldiers Big Tobacco was talking about- I'm not sayin' it was me, just that we had one...
3. I have GOT to wrangle an invite to the Castle. Trade you a week on the lovely shores of the Pacific?
That Daily Show clip was hilarious! I was watching it the other night and about fell off the couch laughing.
And chickens to be herded, fed, etc.
Horses to be curried, fed, washed, etc.
Mebbe some target berm building...
And I'll go take a look at the moderated comment...
So did Ry and Jess. And Kat and her nephew. And Greta.
It's a working farm, man. Just be glad the hay is already put up!
Dad
Dang, bucking hay was about the only farm task I was good at. Target berm prep is up my alley. I guess I could learn to feed chickens and such, but if I wanted to fiddle around with horses, I woulda been a cavalryman, not a grunt.
Makes sense, though, especially since I was shooting on a hot day!
And if MacGyver ever has to set his Chinook down in your north pasture...that's not good!
If you get a moment, feel free to check out both the forums and the blog. Feedback is always welcome too! Right now I have a post up about the new(ish) blog, Armed and Curious. Hope you like it!
Not because he *had* to...
It is always nice to see justice done, isn't it.
Give me a heads up when these folks are coming. I'll drop by and add to the fun sans any child units, though I have been pestered of late by said original child unit and child unit the younger to go back to the farm. Work has been killing lately.
I'd have thought *she'd* have some questions, too...