Who arrests more protestors:
The ChiCom cops during the Olympics? Or the Denver PD during the DNC?
To make it fair, the ChiComs can only count protestors actually arrested (that means alive) at or immediately outside Olympic events; people shot or crushed by tanks elsewhere in the country do not accrue towards the total.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Further ruminating on South Ossetia...
...has led me to believe that the U.S. military has completely spoiled the media.
A whole generation of journalists and pundits has grown to maturity believing that war is a precision affair, with special safe zones like hospitals and places of worship where the enemy can yell "Not it! Olly olly oxen free!"; where bombs only hit bad guys and the exceptions to that rule are worth a circular firing squad of finger-pointing and a cashiered officer; where women and children are safe, "collateral damage" is something to worry about, and rape is a prosecutable offense; where invading armies are trailed by a thundering herd of engineers, civil affairs, and military police and JAG types, anxious to rebuild infrastructure, put up schools, and keep the troops in line.
This is not how war works. This is an aberration, a relatively recent Anglo-American twist on warfare brought to its current fine pitch only by the might of American technology and taxes that allow us to blow up a crude hand-built donkey cart carrying a couple of AK-47's with a $250,000 computerized satellite-guided bomb. And then worry about the wrath of the ASPCA for hurting the donkey.
Nowhere else, nowhen else, has war ever been fought like that. When the Russians go into South Ossetian towns, raining dumb bombs on civilian and soldier alike, that's the way war is and has been for the entire history of the human species. The French even have a special phrase for when nuns get blown up by indiscriminate rocket fire and babies are charred by napalm and the invading army rapes their way through a village: C'est la guerre.
Such is war.
Think about that the next time you rail at America's "brutal, fascist war machine".
A whole generation of journalists and pundits has grown to maturity believing that war is a precision affair, with special safe zones like hospitals and places of worship where the enemy can yell "Not it! Olly olly oxen free!"; where bombs only hit bad guys and the exceptions to that rule are worth a circular firing squad of finger-pointing and a cashiered officer; where women and children are safe, "collateral damage" is something to worry about, and rape is a prosecutable offense; where invading armies are trailed by a thundering herd of engineers, civil affairs, and military police and JAG types, anxious to rebuild infrastructure, put up schools, and keep the troops in line.
This is not how war works. This is an aberration, a relatively recent Anglo-American twist on warfare brought to its current fine pitch only by the might of American technology and taxes that allow us to blow up a crude hand-built donkey cart carrying a couple of AK-47's with a $250,000 computerized satellite-guided bomb. And then worry about the wrath of the ASPCA for hurting the donkey.
Nowhere else, nowhen else, has war ever been fought like that. When the Russians go into South Ossetian towns, raining dumb bombs on civilian and soldier alike, that's the way war is and has been for the entire history of the human species. The French even have a special phrase for when nuns get blown up by indiscriminate rocket fire and babies are charred by napalm and the invading army rapes their way through a village: C'est la guerre.
Such is war.
Think about that the next time you rail at America's "brutal, fascist war machine".
Some gun facts:
Syd thinks a .380 is "about a half step above shooting spitwads", which would probably make all the people it had killed laugh if they weren't, you know, graveyard dead. He no doubt has a quaint faith in the Mighty .45, given the title of the site on which he posts. I had to comment:
There is a Vietnam-era helicopter pilot who has a souvenir helmet with a 12.7mm hole in either side of it, which is why I don’t trust any pussy .50BMG and carry a 14.5mm DShK.The cranial vault is tougher than most people think.
Handguns are a lot less powerful than most people think. (Yes, even the “mighty” .45)
Ball ammunition is a lousy stopper and often deflects from skulls and ribs.
Pistols are a poor choice to shoot a body with. I don't have faith in any of them, not even .44 Magnums. The only reason you'd ever use a pistol for self defense is because you'd look silly wandering through the produce department at the grocery store with a slung Garand or pushing your stroller while carrying an M4 carbine.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Who writes this stuff?
Okay, so, Russian tanks have rolled into Georgia; Russki fighter bombers are swooping around, bombing the crap out of stuff. What does our intrepid journalist write?
News reports documented fierce clashes between Georgian and Russian forces -- engagements that caused deaths, property damage, and population displacement...No! Really?!? Not property damage! Quick! Call State Farm! I swear, what are they teaching at journalism school these days? This clown could have muffed D-Day:
Allied and German forces clashed along the beaches of Normandy today, snarling traffic, damaging vacation cottages, and killing some people. Also, a woman reported having her hair mussed by a 14" shell from the USS Texas.This is a military invasion, for chrissakes, not a tornado in a traffic jam.
...
So, there seems to be a problem involving a bunch of baby rapers running loose in Afghanistan.
What's the problem over there? Asinine ROE? Are we short of ammo? I mean, I've got a case or two of M855 ball sitting around gathering dust at the moment, and I'll gladly donate it to a cause like that. Is having steel in your leg still a disqualifier? 'Cause I'll go answer phones at Fort Bragg if it'll free up some young healthy dude to go shoot some baby rapers.
What's the problem over there? Asinine ROE? Are we short of ammo? I mean, I've got a case or two of M855 ball sitting around gathering dust at the moment, and I'll gladly donate it to a cause like that. Is having steel in your leg still a disqualifier? 'Cause I'll go answer phones at Fort Bragg if it'll free up some young healthy dude to go shoot some baby rapers.
Today In History: The Aluminum Overcast.
August 8th, 1946, was the date of the first test flight by Convair's B-36 "Peacemaker", the first intercontinental strategic bomber, and the largest operational bomber ever.
Final operational variants had six massive piston engines and four turbojets ("Six turnin' and four burnin',") and were the "mothership" aircraft in the fascinating FICON program.
For a good, up-close (if Hollywood-ized) look at the planes, check out Strategic Air Command, in which they co-starred alongside Jimmy Stewart.
Final operational variants had six massive piston engines and four turbojets ("Six turnin' and four burnin',") and were the "mothership" aircraft in the fascinating FICON program.
For a good, up-close (if Hollywood-ized) look at the planes, check out Strategic Air Command, in which they co-starred alongside Jimmy Stewart.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Wait... It's not actually my eyes.
I've been using Gunsmith Bob's computer for the last better part of a week. I got home and fired up the Mac and... *squint*
Wait, my eyes haven't gone bad from the drive, it's just that almost six days of a 17" monitor at 800x600 can make the old 15" LCD at 1024x768 look a little postage-stamp-y.
Wait, my eyes haven't gone bad from the drive, it's just that almost six days of a 17" monitor at 800x600 can make the old 15" LCD at 1024x768 look a little postage-stamp-y.
State of the Interstate report...
Rolled out of K-town at 1112EDT, arrived Roseholme Cottage 1640EDT. Trip odometer showed a hair shy of 378 miles. Rolling average was ~68mph, plus a muy quick petrol stop just south of Lexington. Hands and feet still feel a little disconnected when I'm sitting still. Cats ecstatic to see me; I'm assuming my roommate will be also, but she's still off tending the Warp Core at the starship.
Interstate retard recap, trip notes, and vacation thoughts to follow. Maybe even tonight. Or maybe I'll just enjoy an Oaken Barrel Gnaw Bone and deal with the keyboard demons tomorrow. Who can say?
Interstate retard recap, trip notes, and vacation thoughts to follow. Maybe even tonight. Or maybe I'll just enjoy an Oaken Barrel Gnaw Bone and deal with the keyboard demons tomorrow. Who can say?
The drive home...
Time to point the Bimmer towards Hoosierville again. If you don't see a post by me this evening, it means I'm playing Children of the Corn somewhere between Cincy and I-465.
The only downside to long trips in the Bavarian Cruise Missile is that the seat sits somewhat low to the floor when compared to a sedan or SUV. When they screwed my leg back together in Summer of '00, they apparently only had one size of sheet metal screws handy. As a result, the end of one screw pokes out the backside of my shin bone up near my knee and when my leg is held in certain positions, it can twinge painfully against the tendons abaft my knee assembly. One of those painful positions is the one my leg is in while depressing the throttle on the superslab. Lor' bless cruise control...
The only downside to long trips in the Bavarian Cruise Missile is that the seat sits somewhat low to the floor when compared to a sedan or SUV. When they screwed my leg back together in Summer of '00, they apparently only had one size of sheet metal screws handy. As a result, the end of one screw pokes out the backside of my shin bone up near my knee and when my leg is held in certain positions, it can twinge painfully against the tendons abaft my knee assembly. One of those painful positions is the one my leg is in while depressing the throttle on the superslab. Lor' bless cruise control...
Today In U.S. Military History:
On this date in...
1782: George Washington authorized the Badge of Military Merit, a cloth badge worn on the facing of the frock coat. It was purple in color, shaped like a heart, and awarded for valor. It wasn't until 1932 that the Purple Heart evolved into its current form as an enemy marksmanship medal.
1789: The bellicose-sounding U.S. Department of War was formed. It wasn't until 1949 that the name was changed to the (much less offensive to sensitive types) "Department of Defense". Hippies weren't fooled.
1942: After taking it on the chin since December of the previous year, the U.S. went on the offensive in the Pacific, landing units of the 1st Marine Division on the island of Guadalcanal.
1782: George Washington authorized the Badge of Military Merit, a cloth badge worn on the facing of the frock coat. It was purple in color, shaped like a heart, and awarded for valor. It wasn't until 1932 that the Purple Heart evolved into its current form as an enemy marksmanship medal.
1789: The bellicose-sounding U.S. Department of War was formed. It wasn't until 1949 that the name was changed to the (much less offensive to sensitive types) "Department of Defense". Hippies weren't fooled.
1942: After taking it on the chin since December of the previous year, the U.S. went on the offensive in the Pacific, landing units of the 1st Marine Division on the island of Guadalcanal.
On this week's episode of Quis Custodiet?:
A prescription narcotics sting in Florida managed to snag over fifty .gov workers among its eager victims. Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh managed to elude the dragnet.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
The law of unintended consequences.
Og on how the US EPA indirectly contributed to the crappy air at the Beijing Olympics.
Love,
The Biggest Polluter In The World
XXXOOO
Love,
The Biggest Polluter In The World
XXXOOO
What I meant was...
From my comment at Sebastian's:
Interestingly, when I made my post about seeing a poor future for our republic yesterday, nearly everyone in the comments section went on at length about gun rights. That's a problem, from where I see it.
The state I just left, Tennessee, has some of the better gun laws in the nation. Reasonable CCW, NFA weapons are okay, no special permits required to own or purchase, et cetera. In fact, its gun laws have been steadily getting better over the last ten years, with constantly loosening restrictions on CCW and other victories.
On the other hand, it's seen confiscatory increases in taxes and sales tax enforcement, draconian smoking laws, red light cameras, all on the state level, as well as all the plethora of post 9/11 fed.gov intrusiveness. Children pass through metal detectors as they carry their clear or mesh bookbags to school.
I can see an America in ten or twenty years where we have a national ID card with biometrics and an integral RFID chip, asset forfeiture is still rampant, we're still losing a never-ending War on Drugs, tobacco and trans-fats are banned, minimum wage is $10/hr, and taxes are at European levels to support a European-style public health system...
...but we have national CCW reciprocity.
We're winning on the gun front. What about the other fronts?
May I take your order?
Spent the morning hanging out with the gunsmithing crew at CCA before heading back to the casa to catch the Braves game.
Before I left, I got volunteered to make the lunch run to Arby's. Gunsmith Bob scribbled down everyone's order on a piece of paper and down the road I went.
Rather than tie up the drive-thru with a monster order, I went inside. I stepped up to the register and the cashier asked me for my order. I looked at my piece of paper and read off: "Front & rear sights. Grip safet... Wait." *flip* "Large roast beef sandwich. Large curly fries..."
When I returned to the shop with the vittles, I recounted my embarrassing blooper. Gunsmith Bob said "Y'know, if they'd had sights and a grip safety, I'd have been impressed. We'd get lunch there more often."
Before I left, I got volunteered to make the lunch run to Arby's. Gunsmith Bob scribbled down everyone's order on a piece of paper and down the road I went.
Rather than tie up the drive-thru with a monster order, I went inside. I stepped up to the register and the cashier asked me for my order. I looked at my piece of paper and read off: "Front & rear sights. Grip safet... Wait." *flip* "Large roast beef sandwich. Large curly fries..."
When I returned to the shop with the vittles, I recounted my embarrassing blooper. Gunsmith Bob said "Y'know, if they'd had sights and a grip safety, I'd have been impressed. We'd get lunch there more often."
There's the circus. Where's the bread?
Obama the charismatic Rorschach candidate; McCain the ill-tempered oligarch; Cynthia McKinney, on work release from the funny farm to be the Green Party candidate; Bob Barr, who has promised the Libertarians that he will bite the head off this live chicken if they will please just let him be their candidate... The cast of characters in this election season is shaping up like the denizens of the Island of Misfit Toys from a live Broadway production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
It says nothing good about the state of electoral affairs in our fair republic when you watch Paris Hilton's spoof of McCain and think "Well, how is she really any worse or less qualified than the current array of choices?"
It says nothing good about the state of electoral affairs in our fair republic when you watch Paris Hilton's spoof of McCain and think "Well, how is she really any worse or less qualified than the current array of choices?"
Today In History: Rising fire, setting sun.
On this day in 1945, Col. Paul Tibbetts and the crew of the Enola Gay unleashed a nuclear fireball over downtown Hiroshima, Japan.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
That was fun. And yummy.
Had lunch with Gunsmith Bob, Les Jones, and Say Uncle at Stir Fry Cafe. Gun talk, general conversation, and intarw3bz gossip with the old gang; good times! :)
Unc recommended the spicy noodles to me, and I recommend them to you.
Unc recommended the spicy noodles to me, and I recommend them to you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
