[ABCNEWS.GO] For most of his half-century in Northern Ireland politics, Ian Paisley was synonymous with two words: "No" and "Never."
The Protestant minister who became the province's most divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... politician used the slogan "Ulster Says No!" to oppose Anglo-Irish negotiations over the future of Northern Ireland. His most famous response to that peace initiative -- "Never! Never! Never! Never!" -- expressed the starkest possible rejection of any compromise with Catholics and the Irish government.
Paisley died Friday at age 88, his wife said in a statement.
From the 1960s through the 1990s, often backed by menacing Protestant mobs, Paisley used street protests to thwart compromise with the province's Catholic minority and to topple moderate Protestant leaders from the rival Ulster Unionist Party. Some 3,700 people died in those four decades of strife called "the troubles."
But Paisley's final years demonstrated that, in politics, "never" doesn't last forever.
In 2007 Paisley stunned the world by agreeing to lead a coalition government in Northern Ireland alongside senior Irish Republican Army veterans, long his arch-enemies. Paisley struck such a strong rapport with his co-leader, the former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, that the press pack dubbed them the "Chuckle Brothers."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
menacing Protestant mobs,
And don't you forget it.
#3
There was always a deep element of the process to garner the economic benefits government extended, both directly and indirectly, to married people. Eliminate those subsidizes and a lot of wind would have gone out of the push for same sex marriage.
#4
The "marriage subsidy" has some historic, real & practical benefits, which best serve the future generations. If you doubt that, go talk to the classical Spartans about their fates.
I love this bit from the article "McIntosh said the wedding was not mocking the institution of marriage." Not mocking the institution of marriage any more than gay marriage does.
#5
The historic subsidies tended to focus on procreation, ie future taxpayers. Somewhere along the route, that key aspect was wrapped up in hearth and home (material acquisition for hierarchical social positioning) vs offsprings.
#6
The desire of human beings for material gain and social position is almost as fundamental as that for procreation. But without a future generation, the other desires won't matter at all in 100+- years.
[ARABNEWS] The main city in Indian-administered Kashmire has "drowned completely" under floodwaters, a bigwig said Friday, with the deadly inundation now affecting about two million people in neighboring Pakistain and threatening its all-important cotton industry.
The floods began in Kashmire after heavy monsoon rains and are now progressing downstream through Pakistain, inundating thousands of villages and large areas of important farmland in the country's breadbasket.
More than 450 people have been killed and Pakistain's Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said just shy of two million people have been affected by the floodwaters -- a figure that includes both those stranded at home and those who fled after the floods hit.
More than 140,000 people have been evacuated from towns and villages around Punjab, Pakistain's richest and most populous province.
Authorities have made plans to blast holes in strategic dykes to divert the turbid brown floodwaters away from Multan, a city of two million inhabitants and the nerve center of Pakistain's cotton and textiles industry, a vital export earner.
This year's floods in Indian Kashmire are the deadliest in the territory in 50 years and up to 100,000 people are still cut off in the mountainous terrain.
The waters are beginning to recede, revealing the extent of the devastation in Srinagar, the capital of Indian Kashmire.
"Srinagar has drowned completely, it's unrecognizable. Almost everything is in ruins, it is just unimaginable," Mehraj-Ud-Din Shah, State Disaster Response Force chief of Kashmire region, told AFP by phone.
He said work was "in full swing" to rescue people.
"But even now, around one lakh (100,000) people are believed to be stranded in different places," he said.
Srinagar has also been hit by looting, leading some householders to risk their lives and stay with their homes to protect their property.
Jamal Ahmed Dar, who lives close to Srinagar's Dal Lake, said that his neighbors had already caught two looters red-handed.
"We came across and then caught up with two young men on a boat who we didn't recognize," he said.
"When we searched them, we found they had cash and other belongings that they couldn't account for. We gave them a bit of a slap, took the stuff back off them and then handed it over to the rescue coordinators."
Very lucky for them that they were miscreants in India instead of Bangladesh, where they would have been a reddish smear upon the waters after the local merchants with iron bars got through with them.
An AFP correspondent witnessed two men on a raft made out of a plastic water tank trying to break into a house in the upmarket Jawara Nagar neighborhood before they were chased away by locals who pursued them on a flimsy wooden boat.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
two men on a raft made out of a plastic water tank chased away by locals who pursued them on a flimsy wooden boat.
I hope the Benny Hill theme was playing in the background
[CBC.CA] On its official website, the Canadian government informs its citizens that "there is no limit to the amount of money that you may legally take into or out of the United States." Nonetheless, it adds, banking in the U.S. can be difficult for non-residents, so Canadians shouldn't carry large amounts of cash.
That last bit is excellent advice, but for an entirely different reason than the one Ottawa cites.
There's a shakedown going on in the U.S., and the perps are in uniform.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2014 00:54 ||
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#1
For any law-abiding Canadian thinking about an American road trip, here's the best advice. Stay home.
#3
pass a new law, give the cops 30 days to make the legal justification of the seizure. If they fail to do so, the officer is charged with extortion, and the dept pays the legal fees for the person they seized from and 10x the amount seized in damages. Oh and the police chief or captain gets tazed in the crotch. Twice.
#4
In Chicago, there was a cop who would pull somebody over and say, "You were going ___ over the limit. I've got pencils here; a $10 pencil, a $20 pencil, and a $30 pencil. I think you need to buy a $20 pencil." Long, long history of The Take.
Rare good news in Missouri where the legislature overrode leftist Governor Jay Nixon's veto of a pro gun measure. The law does a number of things, among them forbidding physical restraint or disarmament by police, forbidding health care professionals from entering data about firearms ownership into databases, and making open carry law uniform throughout the state.
Missouri recently passed a constitution amendment which makes ownership of a gun an inalienable right, and directs courts to use strict scrutiny in deciding state gun laws.
Two weeks ago news from the southern border in Texas where a Border Patrol agent fired on a man the agent thought was an illegal alien who was carrying a rifle. It turns out the intended victim was a member of the Patriots who are patrolling the border trying to stop the invasion from the south.
Later on, the Houston Chronicle reported breathlessly that the intended target was a CONVICTED FELON, who was carrying a rifle.
I read about the episode on one of my newsfeeds on Facebook, and a young woman dutifully chimed in her shock and dismay of CRIMINALS CARRYING GUNS.
It turned out that the victim in the shooting was a convicted burglar. Felony or not, there is not much there, so I would refer the commenter to the concept of "Available Forces". If she doesn't like the quality of individuals patrolling the southern borders with guns, she is welcomed to grab the trusty, rusty AR or AK and head south.
Prices for pistol and rifle ammunition were unchanged. Prices for used rifles and used pistols were mixed.
Pistol Ammo
.45 Caliber, 230 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged
Cheapest, 50 rounds (2 Box Limit): Cheaper Than Dirt, Tulammo, steel cased, .29 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Bulk Ammo, Tulammo, steel cased, .29 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged)
.40 Caliber Smith & Wesson, 180 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds: I.Q. Metals, HSM, FMJ, Factory Seconds, .24 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: I.Q. Metals, Store Brand, reloaded, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (2 Weeks))
9mm Parabellum, 115 grain From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds (2 Box Limit) : O.D. Green Supply, Fiocchi, Brass Cased, FMJ, .19 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: I.Q. Metals, HSM, Reloaded, FMJ, .19 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged)
.357 Magnum, 158 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged
Cheapest, 50 rounds: Goose Island Sales, GECO, FMJ, .38 per round
Cheapest Bulk: 250: LAX Ammunition, Store Brand, Reloaded, .34 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (8 Weeks))
Rifle Ammunition
.223 Caliber/5.56mm 55 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (6 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt, Tulammo, steel cased, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: SG Ammo, Wolf WPA, steel cased, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged)
.308 NATO 145 grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Selway Armory, Brown Bear, steel cased, .45 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: SG Ammo, Silver Bear, steel cased, .45 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (13 Weeks)(!))
7.62x39 AK 123 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (6 Weeks)
Cheapest, 20 rounds: Ammunition Depot, Wolf, steel case, .22 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Cheaper Than Dirt, Brown Bear, steel case, .23 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (6 Weeks))
.22 LR 40 Grain, From Last Week: Unchanged (3 Weeks)
Cheapest, 50 rounds (2 box limit): O.D. Green Supply, CCI Blazer, Brass, .07 per round
Cheapest Bulk, 500 rounds: Munire USA, Armacor Precision, .10 per round (From Last Week: Unchanged (6 weeks))
Guns for Private Sale
Rifles
.223/5.56mm (AR Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $591 Last Week Avg: $545 (+)
California (214, 230): Palmetto State Armory : $600
Texas (327, 322): DPMS: $595 (!)
Pennsylvania (163, 1658): Mixed Build: $600
Virgina (214, 219): Anderson Arms: $610 (Same Gun)
Florida (373, 401): Bushmaster Carbon 15: $550 (Same Gun)
.308 NATO (AR-10 Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $943 Last Week Avg: $945 (-)
California (54, 50): DPMS LR308: $875 (!) (Same Gun)
Texas (43, 45): DPMS LAR308: $1,100
Pennsylvania (27, 30): Bushmaster ORC: $990
Virginia (60, 53): DPMS LR308: $900 (!) (Same Gun)
Florida (85, 87): Bushmaster ORC: $850 (!) (Same Gun)
7.62x39mm (AK Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $544 Last Week Avg: $595 (-)
California (57, 51): Saiga: $595
Texas (68, 75): CAI: $650
Pennsylvania (49, 50): CAI 10/63 $450 (!) (Same Gun)
Virginia (86, 96): Czech VZ58: $525 (!) (Same Gun)
Florida (119, 121): CAI VZ2008 : $500 (!)
7.62x54mm (Dragunov Pattern Semiautomatic) Average Price: $1,067 Last Week Avg: $1,075 (-)
California (0): None Available
Texas (3, 3): Romak PSL: $900
Pennsylvania (1, 1): Romak PSL: $1,650
Virginia (2, 4): Romak PSL: $650 (!)
Florida (0, 0): None Available
Pistols
.45 caliber ACP (M1911 Pattern Semiautomatic Pistol) Average Price: $426 Last Week Avg: $405 (+)
California (183, 182): Rock Island Armory: $380 (Same Gun)
Texas (228, 215): Rock Island Armory: $450
Pennsylvania (143, 163): Rock Island Armory: $400 (Same Gun)
Virginia (180, 180): Para USA: $500 (Same Gun)
Florida (369, 372): Ballester Molina: $400
9mm (Beretta 92FS or other Semiautomatic) Average Price: $381 Last Week Avg: $370 (+)
California (167, 164): Smith & Wesson SD9VE: $350
Texas (296, 294): Ruger P95: $350 (Same Gun)
Pennsylvania (217, 209): Glock 19: $350 (Same Gun)
Virginia (263, 257): Glock 17: $425
Florida (461, 460): Glock 26: $430
.40 caliber S&W (Glock and other semiautomatic) Average Price: $362 Last Week Avg: $339 (+)
California (95, 100): Glock 27: $380 (Same Gun)
Texas (156, 153): Glock 22: $380 (!)
Pennsylvania (130, 131): Glock 22: $350 (!) (Same Gun)
Virginia (134, 153): Smith & Wesson M&P Shield: $350 (Same Gun)
Florida (239, 237): Smith & Wesson SW9: $350
[Tolo News] n northern Takhar province, unknown gunnies killed a newlywed groom and robbed the bride of her wedding jewelry, ripping her earrings from her ears, officials said on Thursday.
Local police say the incident happened west of Takhar's capital in Qabare Qazi. Five individuals have been tossed in the slammer Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in connection to the crime.
"The unknown gunnies barged into our house and sat beside me and ripped one of my earrings out," Jamila, the 18 year old, bride now widowed hesitantly said. "Before they could rip my other ear, I gave them the earring myself. I ask the government to punish these men and if they do not I will commit suicide."
The victim's family asserted that if the gunnies are not punished they will set themselves on fire in public.
"The girl [referring to her daughter-in-law] has seen their face, they were wearing snow masks," Fatima, mother of the groom, angrily said. "When the men were heading toward his wife, my son told them not to go near her and in an attempt to stop them he snatched their mask off. When the gunnies realized they have been identified they killed my son. If they are not executed, I will pour gasoline and light myself on fire in Taloqan square," she asserted.
Police have asked the victims to cooperate with officials in identifying these gunnies.
Takhar provincial Police Chief Abdul Hanan Qataghani says that the five men in police custody have confessed to their crimes in the presence of the victim's family. The motive behind the incident is still unclear.
"The five accused are residents of the same village," Qataghani cited. "The men have been identified by the owner of the house as well as the victim's family. There were no complaints regarding rape from both sides."
The Takhar incident comes a week after 18-year-old female student was stabbed to death by unknown men as she was on her way to school. No one has been arrested in connection to the murder.
Murder, rape and domestic violence against women is said to be on the rise in Takhar province, according to the provincial women's department.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] The draft of a law intended to choke off the high rate of child marriages in Bangladesh will be placed before cabinet on Monday, the top bureaucrat at the women and children affairs ministry said.
The Child Marriage Restraint Act 2014, drawn up by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, comes after a Unicef report found that 74% of Bangladeshi girls under 18 years and an alarming 39% of girls under 15 years had been married off.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Government and rebel forces early Friday exchanged dozens of prisoners captured during fighting in Ukraine, as part of a cease-fire agreement sealed earlier this month.
The transfer took place in the dark outside the main rebel stronghold of Donetsk under the watch of international observers.
For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map if you open it separately.
Both sides in the southeastern Ukraina civil war prepare for further attack, and each side is firing on the other using tube and rocket artillery. According to a news item posted on the website of Voice of Sevastopol, several parts of Donetsk city and sectors near the city have come under repeated artillery fire from Ukrainian forces.
According to the news item, artillery fire was heard overnight coming from the airport, where Ukrainian forces are said to have artillery deployed. Further north of the city, a militia checkpoint came under small arms and heavy machine gun fire from light armored vehicles near the village of Yenakievo. According to a separate news item, no one from either side was reported hurt in the incident.
Exchange of gunfire and artillery fire was reported near the town of Avdiyivka and the village of Peski.
Closer to southwest Donetsk, pro Russian militias report a brief tank gun fire incident aimed at residential buildings. On the morning of September 12th, pro Russian militia reported that Ukrainian mortar fire hit Spartak, setting fire to some buildings.
A militia checkpoint near Yelenovka came under small arms and mortar fire overnight.
Pro Ukrainian press reports from Ukrainian blogger Roman Burko said that pro Russian militia are firing artillery at Ukrainian targets at the airport and at Krasnogorovka on the western approach to the city.
The report also said that militias are trying to form a defensive line along the southwestern sectors of the city, which could explain the attack near Yelenovka as a spoiling attack.
In the northern zone, Ukrainian press said that pro Russian militias are building up forces at Dzerzhynsk, Kirove, Mayorsk and Artemove. It is being speculated that militia forces are preparing an assault on Debaltsevo, and that militia artillery fire is preparing the ground for the attack.
Ukrainian press also reports that the zone between southern Donetsk and areas held by militia near Mariupol are very weak at the moment because militia forces are committed to operations to reduce pockets of Ukrainian forces near several towns southeast of Donetsk, especially Ilovaisk, which has been a disaster for Ukrainian forces.
The fighting and the liquidation of Ukrainian forces in that region has been generally unreported by all but local press.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
As importantly, it's a thumb in the eye of one Mr. V. Putin...
[TheHill] The Department of Energy Wednesday granted approval for two facilities in Louisiana and Florida to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to nearly any country.
Sempra Energy's existing Cameron LNG project in southwestern Louisiana will be allowed to export 1.7 billion cubic feet of gas per day once the company installs the necessary equipment.
The Carib Energy plant in Martin County, Fla., has been granted a license to export 40 million cubic feet a day.
The DOE is legally obligated to review every application to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have a free-trade agreement, to determine whether the exports would be in the public interest.
The Louisiana and Florida facilities were evaluated under a new process implemented in August in an attempt to streamline approvals.
Under intense pressure from Congress to expedite the application process, the DOE is now only looking at facilities that have already completed environmental reviews, instead of conducting the public interest determination first.
The $10 billion Cameron facility is planned as an upgrade to an existing plant designed to import gas. Carib is already exporting LNG in shipping containers to Caribbean and Central American countries with which the United States has free trade agreements.
The facilities announced Wednesday are only the second and third to obtain all the necessary approvals to export gas. Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass plant, also in southwest Louisiana, was the first.
#2
ISO LNG containers are cool things. They are Dewar type tanks with a vacuum pulled between the inner and outer tanks. The come in 20 ft long or 40 ft long lengths for smaller markets that do not justify LNG tankers.
It is interesting that events have forced O's hand in allowing oil and gas exports where before he was against any expansion of oil and gas industry.
I also noticed that the enviro extremists never have gone after the way golf courses have been operated with huge amounts of water and fertilizer. Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
Saturday morning musings
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/13/2014 13:32 Comments ||
Top||
[Iran Press TV] Scandal-plagued Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has ended his re-election bid after he was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor.
Ford withdrew from the mayoral election on Friday, after being admitted into hospital on Wednesday for the treatment of abdominal pains.
Following the announcement of the termination of his campaign, Ford surprised the press by announcing that his brother, Doug Ford, would run in his place and that he would run for a seat on the City Council.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2014 00:00 ||
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To promote the development of a commercial asteroid re-
sources industry for outer space in the United States
and to increase the exploration and utilization of asteroid
resources in outer space.
IN GENERAL.-- Subtitle V of title 51, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new chapter:
CHAPTER 513 -- ASTEROID RESOURCE EXPLORATION AND UTILIZATION
..shall --
(1) facilitate the commercial exploration and utilization of asteroid resources to meet national needs;
(2) discourage government barriers to the development of economically viable, safe, and stable industries for the exploration and utilization of asteroid resources in outer space in manners consistent with the existing international obligations of the United States;
(3) promote the right of United States commercial entities to explore and utilize resources from asteroids in outer space, in accordance with the existing international obligations of the United States, free from harmful interference, and to transfer or sell such resources;
and
(4) develop the frameworks necessary to meet the international obligations of the United States.
Legal framework
(a) PROPERTY RIGHTS. Any resources obtained in outer space from an asteroid are the property of the entity that obtained such resources, which shall be entitled to all property rights thereto, consistent with applicable provisions of Federal law.
(b) FREEDOM FROM HARMFUL INTERFERENCE.
As between any entities over which the United States can exercise jurisdiction, any assertion of superior right to execute specific commercial asteroid resource utilization activities in outer space shall prevail if it is found to be first in time, derived upon a reasonable basis, and in accordance with all existing international obligations of the United States.
(c) SAFETY OF OPERATIONS. A United States commercial asteroid resource utilization entity shall avoid harmful interference to other spacecraft.
(d) RELIEF FROM HARMFUL INTERFERENCE. A United States commercial asteroid resource utilization entity may bring an action for appropriate legal or equitable relief, or both, under this chapter for any action, by another private entity, compromising the right to conduct its operations free of harmful interference.
(e) EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION. The district courts of the United States shall have exclusive jurisdiction of an action under this chapter without regard to the amount in controversy.
#3
Isn't any asteroid that hits a politician solid gold?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
09/13/2014 15:27 Comments ||
Top||
#4
It clearly states that gold would belong to the company whose asteroid hit the Joint Session.
I'm glad we cleared that up. Dibs on the wreckage.
Given that a substantial portion of an asteroid ablates on entering the atmosphere, I wonder how large a body you need to start with to end up with enough mass to destroy a large building? Purely a question of scientific curiosity.
#5
Ev = M * V **2.
figure out the E you need for eliminating the building, chose an appropriate V for your approaching asteroid and solve for M with some loss factor.
#6
The mass loss was the part I was wondering about. You probably don't need a lot at the end given what I understand to be a V on the order of miles/second
#8
#6 The mass loss was the part I was wondering about. You probably don't need a lot at the end given what I understand to be a V on the order of miles/second
That's why it would be better to use a comet, and increase the speed substantially. A plasma "bubble" will form around the comet, greatly reducing the ablation. Of course, any comet large enough to make it through the atmosphere would have an impact measured in very large multiples of megatonnage, and cause just about everything from Langley to Baltimore to be destroyed. Kinda like nuclear hand grenades.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/13/2014 20:37 Comments ||
Top||
#9
and cause just about everything from Langley to Baltimore to be destroyed.
[WASHINGTONTIMES] U.S. Army sociologists are worried that a lack of black officers leading its combat troops will have detrimental effect on minorities and lead to fewer black officers in top leadership posts. Everybody knows the important thing isn't getting the job done, it's what color the doers are.
"The issue exists. The leadership is aware of it," Brig. Gen. Ronald Lewis told USA Today on Thursday. "The leadership does have an action plan in place. And it's complicated."
The Army reports that only 10 percent of its active-duty officers are black, which has contributed to its dearth of black officers leading soldiers with occupational specialties in infantry, armor and artillery.
"It certainly is a problem for several reasons," Col. Irving Smith, director of sociology at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, told USA Today. "First we are a public institution. And as a public institution we certainly have more of a responsibility to our nation than a private company to reflect it. In order to maintain their trust and confidence, the people of America need to know that the Army is not only effective but representative of them."
USA Today's research found that 25 relevant brigades it looked at did not have a single black commander in 2014. For 2015, the paper reported that there will be two black commanders of combat brigades.
Capt. Grancis Santana, 33, spoke to the paper and asserted that it wasn't discrimination that was causing a lack of minority officers in key posts -- the supply of desired soldiers in his military occupational specialty simply wasn't there.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/13/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
"The leadership does have an action plan in place. And it's complicated."
Secret Army promotion board guidance, commissioning and assignment directives simply are not working. American penal systems are disproportionately subscribed. Should the hunt for more brigade commanders start there? More simply must be done.
#3
I fear southern rustics are likely over-represented, they have ever been stupid that way.
There is a need for funding my program, Say No! Not Yo! we can share offices and funding with my other program DWAG dawgs without a gun which explores the plight of the three dawgs in the south who aren't batshit crazy for running around in the swamp finding smelly things,
#4
Only about 7% of Americans are black males. Probably like only 3 or 4% of them are of military age. Yet the military is bitching that only 10% are active duty officers???
Sounds like we need more Hispanics or Asian officer candidates, rather than more blacks.
Besides, blacks (as a race) generally have trouble with tests, and advancement abilities.
I'm sure this remains true for the military, when trying to find qualified officer candidates.
Tests and performance rankings are in place for a reason.
We should not think about "dumbing" them down to accommodate political correctness.
That's surely a recipe for disaster on the battlefield.
#5
Well, I spent a few hours researching the demographics numbers behind this listing of all West Point grads considered to have been killed in the Global War on Terrorism:
Not counting the three that were in civilian status at the time of their deaths, there are 98 names listed. Two out of the 98 grads killed were black - one Armor officer, and one female Medical Service Corps officer.
So 2% of the total fatality count was black.
Other figures:
Branches of those killed: (out of 98)
Infantry/Special Forces 46
Armor 15
Aviation 13
Field Artillery 10
Engineers 8
Military Intelligence 1
Medical Corps 1
Medical Service Corps 1
Ordnance Corp 1
Signal Corps 1
Military Police Corps 1
Cause of death:
IED's 51
Aircraft crashes 13
Small arms/RPG/grenades 17
Non-combat (non aviation) 7
Blue on Green 3
Friendly Fire 1
Fragging 1
Suicide 1
From the numbers, it would appears that black officers may not be as willing to face the risks of dying that come along with a Combat Arms branch, as are their white counterparts.
I am USMA graduate, I served 10 years on active duty as an Infantry officer (during peacetime). I served under two black company commanders, one black brigade commander, and one black division commander. As a training company commander, my First Sergeant, my Executive Officer, my Supply Sergeant, and my Senior Drill Sergeant were all black. I was very proud to serve with, and had great respect for all of these men.
From my personal experience, in the combat arms, the soldiers and NCO's want leaders who will train them well, and - if the have to go into battle - will bring them back alive. Other than that, they could care less what color their leaders are.
#7
Infantry and Special Forces units are predominately white. Non-Combat arms, Combat Service and Support elements, and units that seldom leave the FOB..... not so much. Been that way since the end of the draft, possibly before.
The geography of CONUS assignments might also be an interesting study. I blame climate warming.
#8
“You know, education, if you make the most of it, if you study hard and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, uh, you, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” Attributed to John Fn Kerry.
Kerry most likely ate those words. It seems that the military is made up of the well-educated and not the poor.
African-Americans make up about 12-13% of the population. 10% blacks in leadership seems about right. The Army sociologists are getting very P.C. I would think that troops would follow a good white or black officer. We don't want the issue of racial biases in the military or the government. What we have now is the result--no justice in the DOJ. A Prez who injects himself in every incident that involves race much like Al Sharpton.
#9
Yes, the FOBBITS have cognisantly chosen safety over the fruits at the top. Same crap with removing the prohibition of women in combat. The goal is to appoint a female to the Chief of the services and the Chairman position. Can't get those unless you've been a combat leader as the whole institution is about 'closing with and destroying the enemy'. By self selection of careers within the service, many have voluntarily chosen to exclude that possibility. That's human free will which is something the socialists in their re-engineering of society refuse to recognize.
#11
What these numbnuts forget is that at the small unit level the LEADERS are the NCOs.
My experience was having three of my four platoon sergeants as black, my first sergeant and 9 of my 12 squad leaders were black.
The problem is not the NUMBERS of blacks in the military, it is blacks with college degrees willing to go into ROTC programs and receive a commission. AND I don't think the US military needs officers with degrees in ethnic studies or black history leading men in combat.
The numbers speak. If 7% of your male population is black, why are you surprised that less than 10% of your officers are black???
This is another one of the nowhere man administration programs that focuses on race rather than reality.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
09/13/2014 10:37 Comments ||
Top||
#12
This is yet another agenda that is irrelevant, unrealistic, harmful &/or useless.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[ABCNEWS.GO] For most of his half-century in Northern Ireland politics, Ian Paisley was synonymous with two words: "No" and "Never."
[ARABNEWS] The main city in Indian-administered 
[CBC.CA] On its official website, the Canadian government informs its citizens that "there is no limit to the amount of money that you may legally take into or out of the United States." Nonetheless, it adds, banking in the U.S. can be difficult for non-residents, so Canadians shouldn't carry large amounts of cash.
[Tolo News] n northern Takhar province, unknown 
[Dhaka Tribune] The draft of a law intended to choke off the high rate of child marriages in Bangladesh will be placed before cabinet on Monday, the top bureaucrat at the women and children affairs ministry said.
[Iran Press TV] Scandal-plagued Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has ended his re-election bid after he was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor.
[WASHINGTONTIMES] U.S. Army sociologists are worried that a lack of black officers leading its combat troops will have detrimental effect on minorities and lead to fewer black officers in top leadership posts.
