Once again, the UN proves what a bunch of

pains in the ass they are. Got this in an e-mail a couple of days ago:

SKS’S ARE SOON TO BE A THING OF THE PAST BASED ON TREATRIES BEING SIGNED BY YUGO AND THE UNITED NATIONS GET THEM NOW THIS LOT MAY BE THE LAST

Oh, joy.

Because, of course, it's MUCH better for the rifles to be sold on the black market and the money pocketed by politicians and UN officials the rifles to be destroyed, than that they be imported to these here United States and actually used by us.

Bastards.

The White Truck of Happiness came today

and left me something good.













Which when opened proved to hold smaller cans of happiness













Yeah, that'll last a while.

And unless the bad guys fit the 'proper' template,

horrendous crimes just don't seem to make the major media 'requirements' for broadcast.

Senator Harry Reid(Surrender-NV)

is a sorry, worthless, chickenshit, waste of oxygen. And if he actually had any ethics- GOOD ones, that is- would be so ashamed of himself he'd leave the Senate.

Fat chance, the sorry little scrote.

The Brady 'Let Us Ban Guns' Group lies

This has been noted before, but it's worth repeating, since they keep doing it. On their 'all the kids killed by guns' BS, check here.

Oh, and AP is pushing a 'the NRA is anti-semitic' BS. And(of course) some of the other major media picked it up.

I don't go by Riverdog's place often enough

Tonight I found this:What calibers/brands/bullet weights of ammo are lying on your desk at your blog station right now?

My computer desk is next to the worktable and on the opposite wall from the desk where the loading press is. Looking around, not digging,
Five rounds Federal .38 Special HydraShok, in pistol
Most of a box of Gold Dot 185-grain HP, .45acp
Couple of .30 Carbine, 110gr. ball
three Blazer 9mm ball Cancel that, just noticed about 100 rounds of Winchester, Monarch and Blazer ball in boxes.
Half a box of S&B .45acp ball
About 75 rounds of .30 Carbine handloads, some 110gr. hollow-point, some ball
About 300 rounds .45acp handloads, 230gr. cast ball
About 35 rounds 12-guage 00 buck handloads
Some Aguila SSS .22, about two boxes
Box of .455 Webley, 230gr. handloads
Box of 50 .30-06 handloads, 150gr. cast
Box of 7.5 Swiss handloads, 150gr. cast
Box of .380/200 handloads, 200gr. cast
Box of .45 AutoRim, 230gr. cast
Half a box of .357 Mag, 158gr. semi-wadcutter handloads
A couple of odd .303 Brit, a 12guage slug, some .303 plastic-bullet training rounds,and a couple of shotgun shells I can't decide on from this angle.

Damn, I've got a lot of crap I need to put away...

Hmmm, then he says For extra credit, list the knives or edged weapons lying on the blogstation (or within arm's reach)
Oh, Lord, I am a knifemaker, and sort-of collector. On the desk or table or the filing cabinet right here,
M4 bayonet
Swede Mauser bayonet
Six CRKT folders(hey, a guy had them on sale! Cheap!)
One CRKT neck knife(see above)
Small belt knife(2" blade)
and in the box on the end of the table, a dirk, a big sax-style chopper, about a dozen fixed-blades of different designs and about two dozen finished blades that need hilts.

I think that's it.

'Course, around the corner in the other room is the small fighting axe, the big axe and two swords...

Thoughts on people who fear other honest people

more than they fear the bad guys

I've been thinking about some of the noise being thrown off the last couple of days. My sympathies being where they are, most of what's irritated- in some cases enraged- me has been the 'ban the guns, you people who own them are evil,', etc. Compound that by the absolutely infuriating verbal sour manure vomited out by that brass hat at the university both belittling the student who wished he'd had his sidearm and working hard to cover his sorry ass.

Two things about it. One is the usual 'take the argument to the ridiculous extreme to discredit it' garbage. You say that someone who has a carry permit should be allowed to carry on campus, that becomes "You want to hand out guns to everybody!" Mr. Wiles says he did not like the feeling of having his safety entirely in the hands of others and wished for his sidearm, that becomes "You people would get killed by the police because you'd be running around shooting at anyone you thought suspicious! And before you were shot, you'd kill innocent people!" And, in the case of Asshat Hincker, "You seem not to trust the police, you think you need a gun to protect you from them!"(which, I repeat was either one of the stupidest things to come out of his mouth, or a coldly calculated effort to make Mr. Wiles look like a nutcase; in the first, Asshat Hincker is a fool, in the second he's a sorry excuse for a man). Heartily sick of this garbage and the dishonesty- in some cases flat stupidity- of it.

Second, I'm sure you've noticed the constant "People would be running around shooting at everything" marfi*. The 'I hate guns, just wait for the police' people just cannot seem to wrap their brain around the idea that an honest citizen with a gun just might act in a responsible manner. In this case, you've got three possibilities:
1. If the classroom is one with no window or other exit, teacher/student(hereafter 'T/S') gets everyone to move away from the door, blocks it if there's time, then takes cover behind what's available and guards the door. If bad guy comes in: Bang.
2. If there's a way to get people out, the T/S provides cover- covering fire if needed- while others escape. If bad guy doesn't show, they all get out; if bad guy shows: Bang.
3. T/S is heading for class and comes up against the bad guy. Outcome uncertain, depending on readiness/accuracy/etc. Worst case, T/S is wounded or killed without stopping bad guy. Middle/best case, T/S may be wounded or killed but bad guy is stopped.

I think part of the reason for the 'You people can't be trusted!' may well be that these people cannot or will not consider that someone would knowingly place themselves between death and someone else. They wouldn't do it, or have it firmly fixed in their mind that they're incapable so they shouldn't even try; so when someone says "If I have my sidearm, I can protect myself. And in such a case, protect others", they don't believe it. In fact they either flat hate it or- and in some I know this is it- they fear it. Whether because they've been trained to or don't think that they could do it(or know they wouldn't), they fear someone who would. So in their mind, you wanting the means to stop a bad guy makes you a bad guy. As Kevin puts it, they don't understand, or will not make, the differentiation between aggressive violence and protective violence; the difference between the rabid wolf and the sheepdog. So they fear the sheepdog as much, maybe in some cases more, than they do the rabid wolf, and want to castrate the sheepdogs and make them yappy little lapdogs.

Which, now that I think about it, means a lot of them think of the police as their partially-castrated wolves; they don't trust them, they wait for the chance to punish them if they do anything wrong/possibly wrong, but want them around on a leash to bite the rabid wolves when they show up. After which they'll be (sometimes metaphorically, sometimes not) locked up to decide if they are still usable wolves, or out of control types who should be gotten rid of.

If you carry, you know what I'm talking about when I speak of the "What would/could I do?" scenarios that go through your mind. You sit in a restaurant and look at what you could do if a robbery occurs, or someone pulls a weapon to attempt murder. You walk through a store and take note of places from which you could, from cover/concealment, fire on a terrorist or spree killer, or gang-banger careless about who he's trying to kill, who opens up on people. You know the responsibility of that weight you carry, and you prepare for it, both by trips to the range and by running these things through your mind. Which may be one of the things that scares some people so much; that we actively prepare for what may come.

The big factor, I think, is the Decision: that it makes some people very nervous, sometimes flat terrified, to be in the presence of someone who has decided that, if absolutely necessary, they will kill. As James put it:

Everybody who shoots knows what I'm talking about. You see it in their eyes, their expression. All of a sudden you're not a person but a dangerous beast that might suddenly lash out and kill everyone around you. A Deathbeast.

If you carry for self-defense or have a weapon in the home for the purpose, you’d damned well better have decided this; when you’re facing someone with a knife or club or gun, or just hands and a homicidal impulse is NOT the time to decide if you can/will do it. There’s a paper called ‘Survival Stress in Law Enforcement’ that says this:

Commitment To Deadly Force:

If an officer hasn’t already, he must take a serious look at the issue of having to take someone’s life. That thought alone will cause great levels of stress throughout a career, but if an officer is not convinced or has questions as to what he/she would do in a deadly force situation, they are endangering themselves as well as the lives of others. With all things considered, faith, religion, and murder vs. killing, must be weighed, but in this career a total commitment to deadly force must be adopted when this situation presents itself.

Exactly. And to those who are terrified of that decision, often refusing to even consider it no matter what, having made the Decision makes you something non-human, something to fear. They don't care that your fondest wish is that all the preparation will never be needed for real, they don't care that having to pull the trigger on someone is a nightmare you deal with: they sense the teeth, and see no difference between wolf and sheepdog, so they want to remove the teeth- and preferably the balls- of the sheepdog. Instead, they put their trust in the magical thinking of "If we pass another law, and this time we really, really mean it, this time, we'll be safe!"


I’d suggest reading the paper mentioned above, link found at Winds of Change.

*Marfi: Capstick described it as ‘what comes out of the south end of a northbound hyena'

Additional: just found this at Chris' place on the 'you're paranoid/leave it to the pros/etc.' viewpoint.

If you're thinking about compact flourescent bulbs,

Check this out.

Found thanks to Rodger

A bit of a roundup on the mass murder

All kinds of them out there, just a few pieces here I think good to see.
Mark Steyn on some of the attitude problems out there. He includes this, which I'd never read before about a school shooting in Canada:
Every December 6th, my own unmanned Dominion lowers its flags to half-mast and tries to saddle Canadian manhood in general with the blame for the “Montreal massacre,” the 14 female students of the Ecole Polytechnique murdered by Marc Lepine (born Gamil Gharbi, the son of an Algerian Muslim wife-beater, though you’d never know that from the press coverage). As I wrote up north a few years ago:

Yet the defining image of contemporary Canadian maleness is not M Lepine/Gharbi but the professors and the men in that classroom, who, ordered to leave by the lone gunman, meekly did so, and abandoned their female classmates to their fate — an act of abdication that would have been unthinkable in almost any other culture throughout human history. The “men” stood outside in the corridor and, even as they heard the first shots, they did nothing. And, when it was over and Gharbi walked out of the room and past them, they still did nothing. Whatever its other defects, Canadian manhood does not suffer from an excess of testosterone.

Junkyard Blog has a number of thoughts and links.

The Emperor links to two good pieces here. I'd like to call your attention to something from the second. It covers, among other things, a letter to the editor by Larry Hincker. You might remember him, he's the idiot mentioned here. Well, it seems a student who has a carry permit, but- obedient to the rules Hincker is so approving of- wasn't carrying, had the temerity to note that he did not like the feeling of being unarmed in the face of a spree killer running around(full letter in the post). I strongly urge you go read the full letter that Larry Hincker wrote; partly to get the full "I am an Elite, and therefore know better than you" attitude, and partly to witness the full level of stupidity and ass-covering in his words. In particular:
Wiles tells us that he didn’t feel safe with the hundreds of highly trained officers armed with high powered rifles encircling the building and protecting him. He even implies that he needed his sidearm to protect himself against the officers.

No, Mr. “I can’t believe he really wants to say that.” Larry Hincker, he does NOT 'imply' he needed to protect himself from the cops. And if you think he actually said that, then you're even more stupid and condescending than I thought. Since you're either too busy covering your ass to own up to it, or(quite possibly) too stupid and arrogant to see it, he's pointing out that the police got there after everyone was dead. They were not able to do anything except, at the very end, secure the crime scene and begin first-aid. Because, unfortunately, that's what usually happens, because the police are called either while the crime is being committed, or after it's over. So them showing up with rifles and shotguns and the bloody kitchen sink after it's over doesn't do much to protect you, now does it?

Two more bits:
The writer would have us believe that a university campus, with tens of thousands of young people, is safer with everyone packing heat. Imagine the continual fear of students in that scenario. We’ve seen that fear here, and we don’t want to see it again.

No, you haven't 'seen that fear here'; you had your little politically-correct pants-wetting at the thought of someone ready and willing to use force in self-defense. NOW you have fear there, and it's not because of honest citizens with firearms. And no, you brainless jackass, he didn't say 'everyone packing heat'(and don't you just love the way he phrases that? must have made him feel all street-wise). He pointed out that disarming people who have received the training and the carry permit, just because they set foot onto the Holy Campus, is stupid. There would be no 'continual fear' unless some neuter like you worked to stir it up, because they would not know; there's a reason for the saying 'concealed means concealed'.
and
Who among us thinks the writer of the commentary would not have been directly in harm’s way if he showed himself to those tactical squads while displaying a deadly weapon? Would he even be here today to tell us the story? Contrary to his position, the writer’s commentary actually gives credence to the university policy preventing weapons in classrooms.

And it doesn't mean they'd go chasing around after the bad guy. It means guarding the door so the murderer can't get in; if he tries, he goes down. It could mean giving cover to other students so they can escape. And when the cops make it in, you set your sidearm down.

I can't cover any more of this crap, the "I am the All-Knowing One" attitude is enough to make you break things. And since Mr. Hincker isn't handy, that wouldn't be productive. Just go to Gonzo's, he says it nicely.

Once again, honest people denied means of defense

because a bunch of jerks think criminals with murder in mind will obey the law.

HB 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died in subcommittee.

A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly.

House Bill 1572 didn't get through the House Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety. It died Monday in the subcommittee stage, the first of several hurdles bills must overcome before becoming laws.

The bill was proposed by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, on behalf of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. Gilbert was unavailable Monday and spokesman Gary Frink would not comment on the bill's defeat other than to say the issue was dead for this General Assembly session.

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

Note the 'feel safe' part. Not BE safe, but 'feel' safe. Because honest people who carry are disarmed.

This was a horrible crime, committed by someone who knew there would be no armed opposition on the campus. Would it have stopped him if he had known that the moment he began shooting someone must might pull a sidearm and stop him? We don't know. We do know that he'd have been facing a fight instead of a school full of victims.

And the usual suspects are screaming to ban this and ban that and ban everything. Of course.

Dammit.

Smith & Wesson Model 57

I was thinking the other day about "Is there any firearm I particularly want?" Not just 'that would be nice to have', but "I want it!" And this came to mind

It's built on the large 'N' frame, and chambered for the .41 Magnum. I've wanted one of these since the day I first fired a Model 58; same gun with a 4" barrel and fixed sights. At about ten yards or so the five shots made one big, ragged hole and the recoil didn't bother me at all. Pretty much the same experience every time I've fired one.

So I've lusted after one of these for years. First, I couldn't afford one. Then I couldn't afford or find one. Now, I might be able to afford one, but I can't find one. You see, S&W stopped making this model some time ago. They still make a couple of .41 Mag revolvers, but one's the Scandium frame and the other's stainless, and I want a blued-steel Model 57.

Ammo for these tends to be expensive, but dies are available for handloading, so that's not a big problem. It's a powerful, accurate pistol with that old Smith quality. Maybe one of these days...

I'm not sure if this goes under 'separate but equal'

or 'some animals are more equal than others'. Because if a christian or jewish group went to a university and demanded separate dorms, separate gym hours, separate washing facilities and so on because being around kuffars unbelievers evil jews people of different beliefs "distracts them from their desire to become better Muslimsbelievers, and even draw[s] weaker Muslimsbelievers away from Islamtheir beliefs.", the university would lecture them about the need to 'experience other people and their ways' and so forth.

But for muslims? Hey, lets build separate but equal facilities and set things up to appease please them, because we want to be nice to them.

Arrant bullshit. At the least.

What's NOT getting taken care of

while Pelosi(Vile Harridan-CA) is running around kissing up to murdering dictators includes the funding for the military.

Remember that? The "It runs out on April 15"? The funding bill that the Democrats(Pelosi and Reid-Sorry Bastards) kept loading up with crap, and loading with 'we will get out by' bullshit?

Over at Q&O, back on April 1st, McQ posted this:
As acknowledged by the CRS report, money for the Army begins to run out exactly on the date noted. The report acknowledges that fact by pointing out that the only way the Army can continue to fight the war is to take money already obligated to other areas of Army operations, defund them and shift that money t
and
Oh, and all that blather about making sure units are fully mission capable before deploying? Well, unfortunately, to fund the war, we'll have to cut depot level maintenance on equipment necessary for the effort and that equipment won't be available to those deploying units. They certainly won't be able to "overhaul" equipment, increasing both their reliability and servicability. And putting the latest upgrades on the equipment, such as, perhaps, additional armor for troop protection, or the latest technological gadget which might help them locate and defeat IEDs? No go. Additionally, such transfers of money might, as the memo states, "slow down training".

Any more pissed than you already were? Well, on April 3 he noted this:
Said the commenter: "The troops will be "suffering"? Please. No one is going to notice any difference."

Don't you just love that sentiment? Real support from someone who obviously doesn't have a clue. Let me lay some things out here for you. As you recall (and if you don't, go to the link above) the Congressional Research Service said that if the Army began shifting funds from other areas to the Operations and Maintenance budget (i.e. the warfighting budget), it could continue its warfighting until the middle of July before it ran completely out of money. That was supposed to justify Democratic dallying with finalizing the supplemental to send to the President.
followed by some detailed information on what's being screwed up:
One of the many areas (facilities repair and upkeep, training, etc) that the CRS said would be effected is "depot maintenance". Now for those who don't know what that entails, that doesn't mean a whole bunch. So what is depot maintenence?

Well here's a short answer:

Army Depot Maintenance provides the Army with the industrial capability to repair, overhaul, and upgrade weapon systems and equipment; store and distribute ammunition, war reserve material, and other selected items; and provide tenant support to Army and other DoD Activities. Depot Maintenance Activities both compete and partner with private industry to deliver goods and services efficiently and effectively.

followed by more information on the support systems that money is being taken from.

The other day he noted this:
Those funding shifts being requested include:

* Defense Secretary Gates will soon ask lawmakers to approve the transfer of $1.6 billion from Air Force and Navy personnel accounts to cover the costs of Army operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

* The Army already has had to reduce quality of life improvements, including upgrades to barracks and other facilities, Gates wrote.

* Officials also have reduced repair and maintenance used for deployment training and cut back on training exercises for non-deployed Guard and Reserve units.

If funding isn't approved by mid-May, look for this to happen:

* ... the Army will reduce the pace of equipment overhaul work at Army depots.

* ... curtail training rotations for some brigades scheduled for overseas deployment, and.

* ... delay transforming Army brigades into more modular units.

So while these slimy dictator-kissing little bastards are playing games, the troops and their families suffer. And it'll get worse unless they stop playing these damned games and push through a bill that funds the military and the war.

And if they don't? Then we need a bunch of pitchforks, torches, rails and tar and some pillows. Or some nooses; as the Emperor says, "Lamppost, rope, politician: some assembly required".

Bag Day

comes but once a year. I have to admit I picked this up a bit early; I was at Brigadoon Surplus and found this, and I knew this was one of those "If you don't get it now, you won't get it at all" deals. So, thanks to tax refund(and some help from the change jar) I present the Sistema Model 1927













Yes, it looks like a 1911A1; that's because it is(full rundown here). Short version, Argentina contracted with Colt to make 1911A1 pistols(in 1927) and then, in 1945, began producing them in Argentina. With small differences, they're identical to the GI model, and all parts interchange.

At some time in the past a set of wraparound grips were installed(no markings, so not a clue who made them); otherwise, it's as-issued. The crest visible in front of the slide serrations indicates it was a government issue pistol, not one made for the commercial or export market. The finish is best described as 'gone', some very light pitting below the slide on the sides. The bore showed worn rifling and some fine pitting, not unusual for these from what I've heard. They let me field-strip it, and close exam showed no cracks, rust or other 'forget it' findings on the inside. And the price was right, so...

Once home I detail-stripped it, and was very pleased to find no rust, pitting or other trouble on any of the internal parts(lots of old oil/grease/dust), and all were actually in very good condition. Cleaned and lubed, the action works smoothly and the trigger is actually pretty good, breaking clean at about 5 pounds.

Took it to the range a couple of days later and tried it with some S&B ball and handloads, and it functioned perfectly with all. Accuracy wasn't wonderful, part of it may well be the barrel but some of it is the !*)+##% sights being not the easiest things for my eyes to work with.

So, let's see, get a oversize firing pin stop and fit it, probably stick with these grips for now, maybe a new barrel to fit. I'm not sure about the arched mainspring housing, being used to a flat one, but a flat is easy to find if I decide to change it. And, maybe, some new sights; this would be a good carry piece, but for that I'd have to change them to something easier to pick up fast.

So here's my BAG Day acquisition. Hope you found something, too.


Addition: from what I've been reading, the last shipment of these came in about a month or two ago, and I do mean last; as in no more from Argentina.

In the news from Britain,

found at the Englishman's domicile, we have three pieces tonight.

First, we have this on the loss of freedom of speech:
the government’s exclusion zone that has banned spontaneous protest for a radius of one kilometre outside the seat of our democracy, the Houses of Parliament.

Next, the reaction to the national ID card scheme isn't exactly warm and fuzzy:
The government is predicting that some 15m people will revolt against Tony Blair’s controversial ID card scheme by refusing to produce the new cards or provide personal data on demand.
"What the Home Office is accepting in private, but refuses to accept in public, is that a massive number of ordinary law-abiding citizens simply will not go along with their scheme.”

Let's see, protests- even by one or two people- banned unless you get prior approval... millions of people saying 'screw you', more or less politely, to being told the police will have even more power to say "Papers, please; or else"... What could be the capper to this stuff?

Why, give the bailiffs who write parking tickets the power to invade your home!
More than a million motorists a year face having bailiffs force their way into their homes to collect unpaid parking fines under legislation before MPs.

Action could be taken even when the motorist is unaware that a ticket has been issued or that the debt has been pursued through the civil courts.

Now, I'm tempted to say that, in a way, this last piece of socialist bullshitgovernmental overreach is the real demonstration of how little of the old expected freedoms are left. When the government is thinking of letting a frikkin' meter maid force their way into your house over parking tickets...

Their current authority? Currently, their powers are limited to seizing a car or confiscating goods from the debtor's home - having gained entry by consent.

Confiscating goods from the debtor's home... over a God-cursed PARKING TICKET.

But there are safeguards, of course: Alan Clark, a bailiff and a member of the British Parking Association, played down the threat to motorists.

"These powers would be used very rarely. We would not seek to use them unless it was necessary.

Oh, of course it would be rare, only to be used when 'necessary'. Because minions of the government would NEVER abuse their authority.

Now would they?

Heroes

Kim has this post up on the subject, why we need them and why the major media & buttmonkeys seem absolutely determined to destroy anyone who qualifies.

Now, I'm going to post the citation for the award of the Victoria Cross to Private Johnson Beharry:
"Private Beharry carried out two individual acts of great heroism by which he saved the lives of his comrades. Both were in direct face of the enemy, under intense fire, at great personal risk to himself (one leading to him sustaining very serious injuries). His valour is worthy of the highest recognition.

"In the early hours of the 1st May 2004 Beharry’s company was ordered to replenish an isolated Coalition Forces outpost located in the centre of the troubled city of Al Amarah. He was the driver of a platoon commander’s Warrior armoured fighting vehicle. His platoon was the company’s reserve force and was placed on immediate notice to move. As the main elements of his company were moving into the city to carry out the replenishment, they were re-tasked to fight through a series of enemy ambushes in order to extract a foot patrol that had become pinned down under sustained small arms and heavy machine gun fire and improvised explosive device and rocket-propelled grenade attack.

"Beharry’s platoon was tasked over the radio to come to the assistance of the remainder of the company, who were attempting to extract the isolated foot patrol. As his platoon passed a roundabout, en route to the pinned-down patrol, they became aware that the road to the front was empty of all civilians and traffic – an indicator of a potential ambush ahead. The platoon commander ordered the vehicle to halt, so that he could assess the situation. The vehicle was then immediately hit by multiple rocket-propelled grenades. Eyewitnesses report that the vehicle was engulfed in a number of violent explosions, which physically rocked the 30-tonne Warrior.

"As a result of this ferocious initial volley of fire, both the platoon commander and the vehicle’s gunner were incapacitated by concussion and other wounds, and a number of the soldiers in the rear of the vehicle were also wounded. Due to damage sustained in the blast to the vehicle’s radio systems, Beharry had no means of communication with either his turret crew or any of the other Warrior vehicles deployed around him. He did not know if his commander or crewmen were still alive, or how serious their injuries may be. In this confusing and dangerous situation, on his own initiative, he closed his driver’s hatch and moved forward through the ambush position to try to establish some form of communications, halting just short of a barricade placed across the road.

"The vehicle was hit again by sustained rocket-propelled grenade attack from insurgent fighters in the alleyways and on rooftops around his vehicle. Further damage to the Warrior from these explosions caused it to catch fire and fill rapidly with thick, noxious smoke. Beharry opened up his armoured hatch cover to clear his view and orientate himself to the situation. He still had no radio communications and was now acting on his own initiative, as the lead vehicle of a six Warrior convoy in an enemy-controlled area of the city at night. He assessed that his best course of action to save the lives of his crew was to push through, out of the ambush. He drove his Warrior directly through the barricade, not knowing if there were mines or improvised explosive devices placed there to destroy his vehicle. By doing this he was able to lead the remaining five Warriors behind him towards safety.

"As the smoke in his driver’s tunnel cleared, he was just able to make out the shape of another rocket- propelled grenade in flight heading directly towards him. He pulled the heavy armoured hatch down with one hand, whilst still controlling his vehicle with the other. However, the overpressure from the explosion of the rocket wrenched the hatch out of his grip, and the flames and force of the blast passed directly over him, down the driver’s tunnel, further wounding the semi-conscious gunner in the turret. The impact of this rocket destroyed Beharry’s armoured periscope, so he was forced to drive the vehicle through the remainder of the ambushed route, some 1500 metres long, with his hatch opened up and his head exposed to enemy fire, all the time with no communications with any other vehicle. During this long surge through the ambushes the vehicle was again struck by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. While his head remained out of the hatch, to enable him to see the route ahead, he was directly exposed to much of this fire, and was himself hit by a 7.62mm bullet, which penetrated his helmet and remained lodged on its inner surface.

"Despite this harrowing weight of incoming fire Beharry continued to push through the extended ambush, still leading his platoon until he broke clean. He then visually identified another Warrior from his company and followed it through the streets of Al Amarah to the outside of the Cimic House outpost, which was receiving small arms fire from the surrounding area. Once he had brought his vehicle to a halt outside, without thought for his own personal safety, he climbed onto the turret of the still-burning vehicle and, seemingly oblivious to the incoming enemy small arms fire, manhandled his wounded platoon commander out of the turret, off the vehicle and to the safety of a nearby Warrior. He then returned once again to his vehicle and again mounted the exposed turret to lift out the vehicle’s gunner and move him to a position of safety. Exposing himself yet again to enemy fire he returned to the rear of the burning vehicle to lead the disorientated and shocked dismounts and casualties to safety. Remounting his burning vehicle for the third time, he drove it through a complex chicane and into the security of the defended perimeter of the outpost, thus denying it to the enemy. Only at this stage did Beharry pull the fire extinguisher handles, immobilising the engine of the vehicle, dismounted and then moved himself into the relative safety of the back of another Warrior. Once inside Beharry collapsed from the sheer physical and mental exhaustion of his efforts and was subsequently himself evacuated.

"Having returned to duty following medical treatment, on the 11th June 2004 Beharry’s Warrior was part of a quick reaction force tasked to attempt to cut off a mortar team that had attacked a Coalition Force base in Al Amarah. As the lead vehicle of the platoon he was moving rapidly through the dark city streets towards the suspected firing point, when his vehicle was ambushed by the enemy from a series of rooftop positions. During this initial heavy weight of enemy fire, a rocket-propelled grenade detonated on the vehicle’s frontal armour, just six inches from Beharry’s head, resulting in a serious head injury. Other rockets struck the turret and sides of the vehicle, incapacitating his commander and injuring several of the crew.

"With the blood from his head injury obscuring his vision, Beharry managed to continue to control his vehicle, and forcefully reversed the Warrior out of the ambush area. The vehicle continued to move until it struck the wall of a nearby building and came to rest. Beharry then lost consciousness as a result of his wounds. By moving the vehicle out of the enemy’s chosen killing area he enabled other Warrior crews to be able to extract his crew from his vehicle, with a greatly reduced risk from incoming fire. Despite receiving a serious head injury, which later saw him being listed as very seriously injured and in a coma for some time, his level-headed actions in the face of heavy and accurate enemy fire at short range again almost certainly saved the lives of his crew and provided the conditions for their safe evacuation to medical treatment.

"Beharry displayed repeated extreme gallantry and unquestioned valour, despite intense direct attacks, personal injury and damage to his vehicle in the face of relentless enemy action."

I would think that anyone, in favor of or opposed to the war, would think that courage and determination like this should be noted. Except in England at the God-cursed chickenshit BBC:

For the BBC, however, his story is "too positive" about the conflict.

The corporation has cancelled the commission for a 90-minute drama about Britain's youngest surviving Victoria Cross hero because it feared it would alienate members of the audience opposed to the war in Iraq.

But what would they show? The Ministry of Defence recently expressed concern about Channel 4's The Mark of Cain which showed British troops brutalising Iraqi detainees. That programme was temporarily pulled from the schedules after Iran detained 15 British troops.

Like Instapundit once said, it's not a question of their patriotism; they're actually on the other side. So heroes are to be either ignored or, if possible, destroyed. And an awful lot of our media is following suit.

This is what murding jihadi fornicators of camels

really find after they die

My only comments about the Imus mess

First, "Imus? Who?" Never heard his show, remembered he's some radio show host in NYFC.

Second, nobody with a brain and/or balls would even consider offering an apology for 'racial insensitivity' to the 'reverends' Sharpton and Jackson. For more on Sharpton's lying, race-baiting career, see here. And Jessie 'hymietown' Jackson? The 'reverend' who was screwing women on the side, fathering a child by one and using company money to pay her off? These RWPP assholes demand apologies and ring-kissing? Bleah.

Third, the dumbass should have apologized to the team for making a stupid comment; I have to agree with Howard Stern who(I heard) said that Imus should have said "It was a joke. Screw you" to the above noted RWPPs, and never apologized to them. I think Imus is a standard shock-jock type from what I've heard; shock-jock said something offensive, this is a surprise?

Big friggin' mess(with media help, of course) that the above noted RWPP assholes are using to gain power and money. It's enough to make you start drinking.

I don't read Bill Whittle often enough,

especially since(in this case speaking of Rosie O'Donnell and other conspiracy idiots) he writes things like this:
"This is the first time in history that fire has ever melted steel," she said. This is a statement of such pristine and perfect idiocy that it surely must be emblazoned in stone across the entrance to the Physics Imbecile wing of the Moron Museum of Natural History. But mastery of physics and engineering requires some intelligence, some perseverance and some discipline: none of which are in evidence in this buffoon. Everything is a conspiracy to a mind this far gone. The 15 British sailors kidnapped at sea? All a plan by our evil (but incompetent!) government to get the next war it so desperately needs. “Gulf of Tonkin! Google It, people!” she said on national TV.

And I will, Rosie. I promise. As soon as I finish googling MAD COW DISEASE.

Hehehehehe.

I remember first hearing about this"A fire from an airplane couldn't melt the steel in the building!" crap from people who, for the most part, never tried working hot steel, let along melting(or burning, but that was an accident) it. Ignoring that tens of thousands of gallons of jet fuel, burning in a smashed up building that's now acting as a chimney to an extent, probably could flat melt it, the fact is it doesn't have to. Which is what I explained to someone at the time.

Take a steel rod that you can't bend. Light a torch and heat part of the center to a low red heat and then try to bend it; chances are you can, more easily than you might think. Heat-treated steel, whether structural or in a blade or spring, starts losing strength as soon as the temperature is high enough to affect that heat treatment. Get a spring up to 500 to 600 degrees(depending on alloy and use) and it's lost its ability to be a spring; that heat is enough to remove the internal stresses that make it springy.

So if you have steel beams supporting a huge weight, both of building and wind load and etc., and get those beams hot, they don't have to melt; they get hot enough and they lose so much strength that they can't support everything anymore. Add that to the damage of having a freaking jetliner crash into the building...

Part of all this mess, as Mr. Whittle so well points out, is one simple, glaring fact: you cannot keep something that big a secret. Remember that old saying that "Three people can keep a secret, if two of them are dead"? But, according to these monster-level idiots like O'Donnell, hundreds- maybe even thousands- of people can keep anyone from finding any 'proof' that the gummint did it(let's not forget that among people like that, you'd damn sure find some who'd sell the story for enough money).

Oh, hell, just go read it; he covers it all very well.

I wrote a while back of the hostage situation

with the Brit Marines and sailors, and mentioned an old saying I'd heard: "Lions, being led by mice". Ran across this today from Michael Yon. Go read it. You really should.

Back? Here's what you usually have seen over the years from British military forces; competence and courage. Despite their government all too often screwing them over. Here, no air cover to both spot bad guys and suppress enemy fire from the rooftops. In the hostage incident, orders not to fire if attacked and, from the looks of it, insufficient training. The British Navy is about to have half of its ships trashed. In the past... remember early in the invasion when Brit troops had to borrow ammo, because they didn't have enough for a basic load?

Early on in this war there was an editorial in a British paper basically asking "Why is it that, despite the roadblocks put in his way, the squaddie delivers? We've sunk billions into education and the National Health System and we're getting trash back; the troops aren't paid enough and all too often don't have what they need and are looked down on by too many in the government, but they generally get the job done anyway." And they have, with a few exceptions.

And I don't doubt they'll continue. Unless the bastards like Blair & Co. finally screw them over so badly they either cannot fight, or they all stand up and say "Enough".