I seem to remember, a few years back, a bunch of the Usual Suspects

asking "Why do we need to waste all this money on tanks and rockets and stuff? Why don't we just make a lot more of these 'special forces' teams do play army? Then we could use the savings on (fill in the blank-effing)social programs!"

They didn't like the answers as to just how much it costs and how long it takes to train these operators; and they REALLY don't like having it pointed out just how few people, no matter how willing, are capable of working at those levels(it conflicts with those "We are ALL special!!" beliefs they're stuck in). Then you add in that the average span one of these guys in- for instance- one of the SEAL teams can stay operational isn't that long, so even without battle injuries people have to be replaced at fairly regular intervals; that kind of stress, not just on operations but in training, simply wears bodies out.

We lost a bunch of these people the other day; SEALS and some Afghans who must've been pretty damn good(I'd think) or they wouldn't have been there, the flight crew, even the dog; every one specially trained and equipped and hard to replace. Thank God there are those who'll step up for it.


I got started on this train of thought by this post on those lovely idiots in our major media; I wonder if those microcephalic hairspray-headed cretin whose entire world outside of Manhattan cocktail parties consisted of nothing but an endless globe-spanning daisy chain of identical luxury hotel rooms joined by a pressurized tube of first-class airliner cabins and the back seats of Cadillacs types- excuse me, 'professional journalists'- have any idea?

Back from the gun show

No new boomsticks, alas, but a couple of things I can use. And some ammo, always useful(I can't afford gold, I can copper and tin and lead). So, since it's still damn hot outside, I'm looking at the news and find
Norwegian newspapers apparently follow the same 'fake but accurate' bullshit methods as a lot of US journalists.
By the way, to the commenter who wrote this:
One of the milder letters asserted that I was completely wrong because Hamas is not a terrorist organization and that an attack on an Israeli or American summer camp could be justified because those countries use violence.
Fuck you, you miserable little enabler of terrorists. With an unsanded dowel.


So the Postal Service has used our money to put out ads that are flat lies; anybody surprised?


Why do people think bad things about lawyers? In some cases, because of the shit that comes from law schools:
The continuing saga of Lawrence Connell, who "was vindicated on a wide range of charges," but found to have violated a policy against "retaliation" for the way he responded to the accusations that had been made against him — for defending himself. The remedy sought by Widener Law School Dean Linda Ammons?

Professor Connell will undergo a psychological evaluation by a psychiatrist or psychologist of his choice selected from a list of four individuals provided to him by the University.

"You can choose your shrink, but only from OUR list." and that's just the start. I wonder if Dean AssholeAmmons has any understanding of the concept of 'Getting your ass sued off'? Or, for that matter, 'You're making this school look like crap'?


The left and 'civil discourse'. Kind of related to Reasoned Discourse^tm


I guess this is part of the Change!!
This story began four months ago, when then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates told troops in Iraq that the US would keep a troop presence there if requested to do so by the Iraqi government — which contradicted an avalanche of campaign pledges from Barack Obama. Over the last few months, it became clear that the US wasn’t just open to considering a request, but actively trying to get the Iraqis to make one. Yesterday, the Obama administration got its wish — by applying lots of pressure to get that request:

Under intense U.S. pressure, Iraqi leaders announced early Wednesday they had agreed to start negotiations on keeping some American soldiers in the country after the current Dec. 31 deadline for all U.S. troops to have left Iraq.

The polar bear is NOT your fuzzy friend.


Well, well, well,

Reporting from Washington—

The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration has acknowledged to congressional investigators that her agency provided a supporting role in the ill-fated Operation Fast and Furious run by the group's counterparts at the ATF.
Looks kind of like they're saying "Yes, we were involved, but not a whole lot, so please don't come after us full-tilt, please?"


Want a shirt other than a Gunwalker that'll annoy the right people? Here's some.


And that's it for now.

Hey, Rep. Joe Armstrong(Jackass-Knoxville), here's a free-market way

to say "Bite me, you bastard."

So by being a heavy-handed jerk, you've given those cans a boost in sales they'd never have reached otherwise.

Idiot.

If you're the praying sort,

give one for the families of these guys.

Just because

Hey, Wisconsin: when your Mayor says thugs will be arrested

and prosecuted and feels the need to say there would be no tolerance for violence at festivals and that perpetrators will be prosecuted -- regardless of race, that tells me you damn well know where the problem is coming from; it also tells me that for some idiot(pc) reason you've been playing games around that, which helped it get this bad.

Barrett didn't indicate if he believed the events were racially charged.
Oh, of course not; telling the truth would be insensitive and non-pc and actually pointing out the problem; can't have that, can we?

First fights are said to have been a bunch of dumbasses fighting each other, then
Officials could not say what started what witnesses said was a series of racially charged incidents that apparently began as early as 7 p.m. in the midway. The midway is located just east of the Pettit National Ice Center and adjacent to the Hank Aaron State Trail.

Milwaukee police confirmed there were assaults outside the fair as the fair was closing down. The fair closes at 11 p.m.

A State Fair official said most of those arrested were cited for disorderly conduct.
Disorderly effing conduct... oh, that's really going to scare them, isn't it?
And, of course, we have some of the usual suspects:
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn scheduled a news conference later Friday afternoon to discuss the incidents and his department's involvement. He is expected to be joined by officials of the NAACP and the Historic Third Ward Association, which is sponsoring Saturday's Historic Third Ward Jazz Festival.
The discussion of the departments involvement should be little more than "Anybody starts this again, their ass is going to jail. Period. End of discussion." But it won't be.

One somewhat bright spot:
Alds. Bob Donovan and Joe Dudzik issued a joint statement in reaction to the violence: "Let's face it, it also has much to do with a deteriorating African American culture in our city. Are large groups of Hispanics or Hmong going out in large mobs and viciously attacking whites? No."
I wonder if the NAACP & Co. have started calling them racists or Uncle Toms or such yet?

Oh yeah, Holder & Co. knew NOTHINK! until a couple of weeks

before the hearing, sure...
By Feb. 27, 2010, Lanny Breuer, the head of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., was allegedly told that the ATF had successfully helped sell 1,026 weapons worth more than $650,000 to members of the Sinaloa cartel. The briefing included all top ATF officials, including the agents in charge in Los Angeles and Houston, as well as a half dozen top Justice Department attorneys.
C'mon, Holder, tell us that you knew nothing, and do it under oath; you'll be either committing perjury or admitting you're so incompetent you never had any business holding that position.

And I suppose Sen. Kerry(Tax-Dodging Hypocrite-MA) has some ideas who

will decide what counts as 'legitimate' ideas that the media should report.
My personal thought is this bastard is one of the politicians who should be thrown out of office for violation of his oath.


I tend to think Texas will inform the EPA that it can kiss the collective redneck ass; this is just effing idiotic.


A S&W revolver does not 'accidentally go off' without a trigger being pulled; I think the officer screwed up bigtime.


I think a few of the disenchanted youths getting blown away by someone they're trying to drag out of a car would slow this crap down considerably.


In (formerly Great)Britain, the numbers required for 'arsenal' aren't very high, are they?
Remember when they collectively crapped their pants over someone finding a .22 cartridge?
And remember: this is on a freaking ISLAND, and they can't keep guns from being smuggled in by wholesale lots.


I guess Assad, unlike his father, wants Hama somewhat less damaged while he kills the opposition.


God damn these morons at TSA. Sooner or later someone is going to wind up crippled or dead because of them, and all they'll have to say is "We were following procedures" followed by “We are sensitive to the concerns of passengers". Which will, I'm sure, be very comforting to the family of the deceased.


Another fine example of a prosecutor and a judge who both need to find new employment. As soon as they can be thrown the hell out of their offices.
For some freakin' CARTOONS? Really? Shawn Arthur and James Cayce, you should be ashamed of yourselves.



At least he's not as smart as Sheldon; if he were, he'd have made it work. Really, guy, a reactor in your kitchen?


Not only did He design it, he did it REALLY well:
Bonner said this is the first major change to the M2 weapon system since the machine gun was fielded in the 1930s.
Son used this arm a lot his first time in Iraq; he loved it. He obviously has good taste in weapons.


Teachers Unions: Screw your kids, we want money and power.
American Federation of Teachers officials have disavowed an internal report after it was posted on the union's website following its annual conference, embedded on each of its 19 pages with the union's logo and signed by a union official.

The report, titled "How Connecticut Defused the Parent Trigger," was replaced on AFT's website with a note saying "we have received complaints about these materials and have removed them because they do not represent AFT's position."

"What? You're actually asking QUESTIONS? Don't you know your place, journalist?"


You know what it's like riding a motorcycle at, oh, 102 to 106? It kind of sucks.

No, the coverup isn't worse than Gunwalker:

nobody's died(yet, anyway) in the coverup, but a lot of people are dead in Gunwalker.

But, having spent so much time trying to ignore Gunwalker entirely, and then trying to excuse ATF & Co. due to 'lack of funds' and 'not enough laws', I guess this is the next step in the 'Protect Obama!' march.

More to the point, Operation Fast and Furious would not have been possible without the direct cooperation and informed consent of the DOJ, ICE, FBI, CIA, DEA, DHS, State Department and White House. That cannot be forgotten: ATF was in the front of this, but all those other agencies were involved, too. And can't be allowed to slide on this.

It seems there's a dance group called Fatally Unique

which has serious case of "We're artists, you can't hold us to rules!" attitude.

That's ok; lots of people have a "We're sick of dancing monkeys who forget what they're there for" attitude. And who have a "We're ARTISTS!!" attitude.

First, if this story isn't true,

it should be.


There are several problems with this campaign. For starters, the American Lung Association suffers from a huge conflict of interest. The point of the ad is to protect the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate under the Clean Air Act. Left unmentioned by the narrator is the fact that the EPA is a major funder of the ALA, having delivered more than $20 million over the last ten years. As my colleague Myron Ebell noted, “So the EPA pays the American Lung Association, which in turn lobbies against a bill that would rein in EPA.” Many Americans labor under the misapprehension that the ALA is staffed by disinterested MDs in white coats; in fact, it employs partisan shills.


So someone was still being issued #4Mk1 rifles? And the big reason stated for changing was parts availability? Wow.



Shouldn't the dog wait for a command, or a threat, before attacking? Even if the coveralls look familiar?



Maggie Daley charity got $6.5-mil. city contract 4 days before Mayor Daley left office


And if DoD had done a project to make the thing, they'd cost $5 million each.
Chris Fessenden said he had loaned the truck to a group of fellow soldiers, who used it to check the road ahead of them on a patrol. It got tangled in a trip wire connected to what Fessenden guesses could have been 500 lbs. of explosives. The bomb went off. The six soldiers controlling the truck from their Humvee were unhurt.


So while one group of feds was helping smuggle guns to the cartels, another was helping a cartel smuggle cocaine into the US... Can we just (at the least) fire all these bastards?


"We have a good department full of good individuals," he said. "We've made more than half-a-million law enforcement contacts over the past 4.5 years ... This is the only instance of this kind that's happened."
Got news for you, Goodrich: this one is too damn many. They beat a guy to death, and this is your response? You see, Goodrich, the thing that goes through peoples' minds is "If this case was witnessed and caught on video, how many haven't been? Because something like this is never really a 'one-off' thing.


Hey, Algore: George Soros. I'm sick to death of bastards like you throwing out 'right-wing billionaire' crap while you studiously ignore Soros and his ill throwing money into your groups.


Maloney and Schumer & Co., one and all: fuck you.


On a less upsetting note, remember the AK vs. AR vs. MN list? Here's some MAS and Arisaka additions.

Dear Obama Administration and FDA:

Ref the comment period on your proposed 'voluntary'/required restrictions on cereal and such, the only proper response to your proposals is "Piss off, and leave our food alone, you nanny-state bastards."
Put forward by an interagency working group, the guidelines will establish nutritional standards that most cereals flunk—and not just those of the “Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs” variety. Corn Flakes will not be advertisable to children, along with Raisin Bran, Special K, Rice Krispies, and Wheaties. Plain Cheerios squeak by the proposed 2016 rules but fall foul of the “ultimate goal” for sodium effective in 2021. While cereals are the most obvious targets of the guidelines, all foods marketed to children will have to meet the proposed nutritional standards. Many don’t. Peanut butter (both smooth and crunchy) has too much saturated fat. Jelly has too much sugar. Forget about apple-cinnamon instant oatmeal and Mott’s apple sauce.
There's a quote over on the sidebar from C.S. Lewis, it applies very well.

Next, Mr. Damon, go fuck yourself. I have yet to hear of one of you self-righteous "I know what's good!" celebrity assholes actually start writing checks to the government to increase what YOU'RE paying; oh no, you won't do that.
Oh, and damn right we're intransigent; we have to be with morons like you on the other side.


From Oleg Volk: one picture, two captions


Once again, a bunch of asshole bureaucrats want to use the Commerce Clause as their way to force people to get licenses and permits and anything else the bastards can dream up.
Regulators are suggesting that all wheat shipments be considered interstate, even when farmers making short hauls to local grain elevators aren't crossing state lines. The change would make commercial driver's licenses — and all the log books and medical requirements that go with them — a necessity for farmers. Some might not qualify.


Mark Steyn on the media ignoring Libya, and other people taking lessons from it. Lessons that are not good for us, or a lot of other people either.

Plant ID Fail

Daughter just sent me this:
Ant B is an artist on Etsy who is also a member of April’s Army. This is a story she posted in the Regretsy forums a few days ago.

I was heading out to the backyard this morning, when I saw the neighbor that lives in the house behind ours in my yard. He was putting leaves from one of my plants in a shopping bag. I yelled, “Hey!” and he grabbed another plant and stripped it up, taking all the leaves off. By the time I got outside, he had done two more plants and shoved all the leaves into his bag. By the time I got halfway to him, he ran off, carrying the bag.

I inspected the damage. He had stripped or broken off all my okra plants. They hadn’t started producing yet.

I think he thought they were ….not okra.

UPDATE 1:

An undercover cop just stopped by. He took my report. He was going to tell the neighbor to stay off my property but no one answered the door. He said that there was no proof he took the leaves, and that there was no value to them so there was no way to charge him. But we both had a good laugh over it, and he took photos and said he was sure his fellow officers would laugh too.

UPDATE 2:

Just got a knock on the door. A police office stopped by to let me know that my neighbor was arrested trying to trade a baggie of chopped green leaves for a case of beer at a liquor store a few blocks away. According to the store owner, the guy told him the leaves are high-quality home grown marijuana, and when he was arrested, he claimed he stole them from my garden, where I had them hidden in a flower bed.

The police officer that came by was a different one than from earlier, but had already heard the story about the okra thief. He went out with a flashlight, looked at the okra, took more pictures, laughed a lot.

He asked if he could have some okra leaves to take with him, and a tomato from the garden for his dinner. I complied with the police officer’s request.

In which I tell Fender to kiss my ass

About 11 years ago, I bought a guitar: a Tacoma six-string cutaway. Loved it, still do; wonderful sound, nice action. I couldn’t play it for quite a while due to some hand/elbow trouble, so I slacked off the strings and cased it for a while.

Recently took it out to see if could start playing again, and discovered the finish is coming off the body, bubbles and strips lifting off. Now, one reason I bought this was the lifetime warranty(yeah, you see where this is going), so I took it to a Tacoma rep nearby, where the conversation went like this:
“Did you buy it new?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have the receipt?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent, you’re covered!”
So, I thought all was well. Especially since he told me this was not an uncommon problem(so they ought to be ready to deal with such, right?) Until.

He called the other day to inform me he finally got hold of Fender(who handles this) and they informed him “Oh, we don’t fix that anymore.” They offered to
Exchange it for another guitar(brand & model I don’t remember, guitar guy said he did NOT recommend this) or
They’d buy it from me. As he said “It’s just the finish that’s a problem so if you like it, personally I wouldn’t do that either.”

So, since the ‘lifetime warranty’ doesn’t mean squat anymore, I’m going to have to either find someone locally or get some careful advice on how to refinish it myself.

And Fender Guitars? You can kiss my ass.

Put a lot of western(but particularly American) troops in a place,

and if there are dogs around...
The dogs were beaten and malnourished. One of them was pregnant and the Marines named her Sandy; the other dog was small and frail, and the Marines fittingly named him Scraggles. The company adopted the two dogs, who accepted the Marines as family. Sandy soon had her litter of puppies, one of which would be named Willy Pete. All the puppies went to local residents to protect their farms and herd livestock, but Willy had a different opportunity – he went to the Marines of Company D for companionship.
...
The veteran dog usually takes the lead when the Marines go on patrol now. He stays in front until the Marines pass through the bazaar outside the combat outpost. Local residents often look up in recognition of the dog, who seems to fancy himself a Marine. Willy relocates to a new position once he establishes a clear path for the Marines and begins moving from one side of the patrol to the other, warning Marines of anyone’s approach with a quick bark or a low growl.

To borrow something from Lawdog, Oh sweet Vishnu

on a pogo stick...
The second indicator that this was noy your standard range was the fact that we had every weapon in our arms room on the same firing line. Normally we break up weapons systems into different ranges here in the U.S. The M16 has it’s own range, the M9 has a smaller one, and the M-60 has a longer one. Not in Korea. Realistic training is the name of the game there because hey…in combat would you split up your weapons into different zones? Hell no. So we had everything rocking at the same time, which was perfectly legal at this point. Major Good Ideafairy’s guidance was clearly being met – “Don’t come home with a single round of ammo.”

In hindsight, he was an idiot to tell me this because inexperienced Lieutenants don’t know how to interpret orders, just follow them. So I did exactly what he said to do. There was no way I was bringing a round home.

A fine illustration of both how stupidly complicated gun laws are,

and how much a mistake it is to let an agency change the law by changing its mind.

You know how weird the weather is?

A: Oklahoma had the hottest July on record, by a full degree.
B: Son's going to the National Training Center for a while. You know, basically next door to Death Valley? It's ten degrees cooler there than it is in Oklahoma.

Since Dust Bowl is already taken, got a friend who's referring to this as the Fire Bowl; everything's so dry you wouldn't need a dropped cigarette, we've had fires started from sparks from a dragging chain and such.

Now that's a security system

Speaking of problems with law enforcement,

if the information in the document Codrea links to is correct, there's at least five deputies in that agency who need their ass handed to them.