Archive for February, 2009
A public school teacher in Wisconsin has been suspended because she had a photo of herself pointing a gun at the camera on her personal Facebook page. Is that really suspension-worthy? And when will the ACLU leap to her aid?
Meanwhile, a newsrooms Assistant Editor blogs about why this is a legit story. (Hint: It’s apparently because he doesn’t like guns.)
UPDATE: Whoa! Less than 20 minutes after posting this link to GunPundit (that post was written last night) I see that the ACLU is indeed leaping to her aid.
Gotta say that I’m pleasantly surprised.
I’ve posted about the M-32 40mm grenade launcher, the MGL-140 by Milkor, several times over the past few years.
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. James C. Sanchez aims in with the M-32 multiple-shot grenade launcher, an experimental six-barreled weapon that can deliver six 40 mm grenades in under three seconds. Marines are fielding the new rapid-fire weapon to troops to boost small-team capabilities to deliver greater indirect firepower. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Mark Oliva
Here’s the latest: Use of multishot grenade launchers to grow
Prompted by its success in defending against convoy attacks and ambushes, the Corps will vastly expand the availability of a 40mm, six-shot rotational grenade launcher first fielded in Iraq on an experimental basis in 2006.
For the first time, the launchers will be fielded “across the board,” said Patrick Cantwell, a former captain who now works as the Corps’ small arms capability integration officer. The weapons will be assigned to headquarters units and distributed upon the request of individual unit commanders, going to everyone from military police to infantry and logistics units.
The Marines are planning to purchase over 2,100 of the units, but there will be an open competition. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the M-32s already in use.
Australian fire zone declared a crime scene
Death toll rises to at least 171; angry PM describes fires as ‘mass murder’
I’d seen a few headlines about the big fires in Australia, but had no idea how serious they were or how many people had been killed.
“What we’ve seen, I think, is that people didn’t have enough time, in some cases,” Victoria Police Commissioner Christine Nixon told a news conference. “We’re finding (bodies) on the side of roads, in cars that crashed.”
The toll is 171 and expected to rise. That is just amazing and tragic.
U.S. Army Spc. Justin Dreyer learns how to fire a rocket-propelled grenade launcher from a Romanian soldier during a cross-training event at the Bardia Firing Range near Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, Jan. 21, 2009. Dreyer is assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Terence Ewings
I don’t speak Romanian, but I think he’s saying “keep it pointed that way…”
Saving The Space Shuttle, Piece By Piece
With fewer than a dozen missions remaining before the scheduled retirement of the space shuttle next year, NASA has turned its attention to what should become of the orbiters, as well as the millions of shuttle spare parts that will be left over when the program ends. For the first time in nearly 40 years since the last transition from Apollo to shuttle, the agency is faced with deciding what should be saved as artifacts for posterity.
Apollo was not about the Moon, or even about space. It took place in space and ultimately, on the Moon. But Apollo was a battle in the Cold War. John Kennedy did not say, “Go to the Moon and press onwards to the planets.” He challenged America to show the superiority of its economic and political system by landing a man on the Moon and returning him to Earth “before this decade is out.” The key objective was not going to the Moon – it was to beat the Soviets to the Moon. This objective was attained with profound consequences, critical to our Cold War victory to a degree still not fully appreciated.
Most space program observers acknowledge this distinction, but they have only accepted it intellectually, not emotionally.
He's making some by at least going through the motions of listening to the generals. Can't imagine that's making many of his voters very happy.
Not that Murdoc’s complaining, but have we ever seen a politician who has strayed so far from campaign promises so quickly on such big issues?
Obama weighing 23-month Iraq withdrawal option
What I really, really like is that the article goes into a bit of depth explaining how Obama “must weigh a number of risks,” why withdrawal from Iraqi is “complex and tied to other concerns,” and that “pace and sequencing of a troop pullout will have implications for preserving recent gains in reducing violence in Iraq.” As if suddenly these are new concerns and wise old Obama is taking the time to consider them carefully.
This bit is delicious:
The fact that Obama did not immediately order his generals to begin withdrawing — as some might have expected, given his emphasis during the campaign on refocusing the U.S. military on Afghanistan — is evidence that he recognized, even before assuming office Jan. 20, the dangers of a precipitous withdrawal.
Well, how about all the folks who recognized those same dangers WHEN HE WAS SAYING IT?
He said it from early 2007 through November 2008. All sorts of folks (military, political, punditry) said he was completely full of it all along.
Then in December he starts pulling back from what he’s been saying for at least two years. And he’s the smart one for it.
For the record, I happen to agree with the approach he’s apparently taking. But if he’s so damn unreliable on such big things, how can he be trusted on anything at all?
Also for the record, I’m laughing at his supporters. Talk about suckered.
Happy Birthday, J!
Everyone wish Murdoc’s smarter brother a happy birthday!
Heavy Bombers Hit The Twilight Zone
No new bomber by 2018. Shocker.
Second Amendment News Roundup
Always great.
Pakistan attack halts U.S., NATO supplies
Again.
The Fairest Doctrine
OBAMA 1260 ratings in DC have “collapsed to a level that could not be measured.”
Sea Dragon’s fate still in doubt
No exact replacement for heavy-lift helo
408 Chey Tac
Sharp pointy end.
More Linkzookery below!
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Iraqi soldiers from the 8th Division Iraqi Army conduct vehicle movement training on Camp Diwaniyah, Iraq, Feb. 2. The soldiers train constantly to maintain their combat capabilities and respond to any situation that may arise. Photo by Senior Airman Eric Harris
A few years back, I wrote a bit about the dangers of putting RFID chips into US passports: Are they nuts?
This is the roughly the same as requiring you to carry around a big sign with your name, passport number, birthday, and place of birth on it whenever you carry your passport in your pocket.
Anyone can scan that chip. And you won’t know that they’ve done it.
The plan was shelved temporarily, but since August 2007, only the new chipped e-passports have been issued.
Here’s some news: Hacker war drives San Francisco cloning RFID passports
Using a $250 Motorola RFID reader and antenna connected to his laptop, Chris recently drove around San Francisco reading RFID tags from passports, driver licenses, and other identity documents. In just 20 minutes, he found and cloned the passports of two very unaware US citizens. Fortunately, Chris wears a white hat; his video demonstration is meant to raise awareness to what he calls the unsuitability of RFID for tagging people. Specifically, he’s hoping to help get the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative — a homeland security project — scrapped.
Via Phil at RNS.
A reader forwarded me some incredible pictures taken during the recovery of the US Airways Flight 1549 Airbus A320 that crash landed in the Hudson River last month. They were taken by a coworker of a friend of a friend:
See that tiny red thing in the water near the top? That's part of a passenger jet.
Starting to break the surface
More below!
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