EVEN after years playing football, ACT local David Striegl had never got into a fight - until he was knocked out cold by a rogue kangaroo. Mr Striegl, 25, was running up Canberra's Mount Ainslie during his lunchbreak yesterday and did not think twice when he spotted one of the resident roos nearby. The bushland reserve in the nation's capital is popular with joggers and cyclists, and assaults by the marsupials who share the mountain are rare. Mr Striegl was knocked unconscious and remembers little about the attack.
"I turned around and before I knew it, it took a swipe at my face," he said.
A passing motorist roused the dazed and bloody victim and took him to hospital. It's been a while since I was in Canberra, but Kangaroos used to come down and graze on the green grass that grew on the irrigated median strip of main thoroughfares. Although these Roos didn't seem to have the habit of leaping out in front of passing vehicles like those I've encountered in the Bush. I once hit three Roos in the space of about 20 minutes. You can't avoid the buggers.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A hardline Saudi cleric called for demolishing the Holy Mosque in Mecca and rebuilding it in a way that would insure Sex segregation.
Sheikh Youssef al-Ahmad told the Saudi-based Bedaya satellite television channel Wednesday that the mosque should be demolished and replaced with a new one featuring "10, 20 or 30" floors.
The floors would then be divided between men and women, al-Ahmad said in video footage posted on the Internet.
The existing Holy Mosque has three floors and is the largest mosque in the world. It is built around the Kaaba, the most sacred place in Islam.
The Saudi cleric is known for his controversial religious views. He once issued a fatwa (an Islamic ruling) calling for the murder of anyone who allows unmarried men and women to mix.
Last month another prominent Saudi cleric, Shaikh Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak, issued an edict calling for those who support co-educational environments to be put to death.
The ruling was following by barrage of criticism from religious scholars in Saudi Arabia and Egypt condemning his fatwa as a call for violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#3
I accept his proposal one one condition:
That the demolition of the Holy Mosskkk of Mekkkka will be contracted out the the First Strategic Bomber Squadron of the IAF.
Posted by: Elder of Zion ||
03/19/2010 7:02 Comments ||
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#4
Hey Elder, how about we add that the reconstruction has to be carried out by the San Francisco GLBT alliance?
#7
TSaudi Arabia, in which Wahhabism is the state form of Islam, has a long history of vandalizing and demolishing historical monuments. Cultural devastation of Islamic heritage sites is not a new phenomenon. In 1801 the Saudis-Wahabbis waged a campaign against the Shia Muslim destroying and defacing the sacred tomb of the Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq. Then in early 1920 Saudi rulers Aal-e-Sa'ud bulldozed and levelled a graveyard in Medina - Cemetery of Al-Baqee -and Jannatul Moualla - in the holy city of Makkah that housed the shrines of the holy Prophet Muhammad, his family and his companions. This anniversary falls Oct 9th, (8th Shawal 1426) and is Know as Yaum-e-Ghum.
The Saudis followed their conquest of Mecca and Medina in the mid-1920s with an orgy of destruction. They levelled the "Jannat al-Baqi" or "Heavenly Orchard" at Medina that included graves of the Prophet Muhammad's son Abraham, as well as numerous of the Prophet's relatives and companions. They also looted the Prophet's Shrine in Medina and demolished the cemetery in Mecca that included the graves of Muhammad's mother and grandfather. They completely destroyed mausoleums, mosques, and other honoured sites, including Muhammad's own house. It was even said that they wished to uproot the grave of Muhammad himself and tear down the Kaaba, the stone temple at the centre of Mecca. They were prevented from this last act by pressure from Muslims around the world. Wahabism vandalism continues today, by levelling of five of seven mosques built in the city Mecca & Medina by Muhammad's daughter and four of his companions. These structures are the Mosque of Sayyida Fatima bint Rasulillah, Salman al-Farsi Mosque, Abu Bakr Mosque, Umar ibn al-Khattab Mosque, and Mosque of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Wahhabism is not about faith, but about power and nothing better illustrates the power of the state, in the mind of the Saudi rulers, than the desecration of holy places--including Islamic sites dating from the time of the Prophet Muhammad himself.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/19/2010 18:30 Comments ||
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#8
Since Al-Aska Paul is summering in Hooper Bay or some such, on his behalf, I declare a fatwa on the Wahhabis. Let the games commence!
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/19/2010 18:42 Comments ||
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With its supersonic cruise speed, the Raptor can enter a combat zone quickly. But what's next? Then it has to transfer to subsonic speed so as to be able to open the doors of the armament store and utilise the missiles which are hidden in the belly of its fuselage.
Ahh, no.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2010 8:48 Comments ||
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#3
Are we going to have enough money for national defense and security after Bambi gets done with health care, cap and trade, immigration and other such programs.
but yesterday your last oil post was an obamanation of misapplied skill....
no need to reply.
I provided you with a baseline that cannot be defeated, it can only be denied and obfuscated....but that by itself means the messenger should question the preparer of the message, asking to hisself, if working for this charade is really worth it...afterall, to have a real solution handed to ya, then ya choose the lie, as payment for continued service, you've already lost your own game.
no matter, the situation is what it is and will be resolved by the missing information stalking collective malfeasance.
Occam's razor. Oil companies and geologists are paid to find oil wherever/however it exists. No oil, no pay. Their theories on oil formation have been successful in finding new deposits. No conspiracy theories are needed.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2010 10:33 Comments ||
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#7
did Thor's hammer accidently bounce back and wack him in the noggin?
#11
Are we going to have enough money for national defense and security after Bambi gets done with health care, cap and trade, immigration and other such programs.
Was that the one with the vacuum tube avionics? IIRC, everyone was laughing at the primitive soviet tech. Vacuum tubes! Fleming valves! Then someone pointed out that tubes were much more resistant to EMP than solid state devices and their eyes got really big.
#15
I have mixed feelings about the T-50. It looks like it might have a good plane somewhere in there struggling to get out. I haven't been able to tell from the photos if they actually have any serpentine ductwork between the inlets and the engines to block the turbine discs.
I also wonder about the need for all the extra maneuvering surfaces (which compromise stealth) if it has thrust vectoring and can maneuver without it.
(A complaint I'd also like to make about the F-22 and F-35, btw.)
Conducting a national head count isn't easy or cheap. It gets even more complicated -- and expensive -- when efforts to modernize the decennial census fall short.
The idea for 2010 was that half a million census workers, for the first time, would use handheld computers to verify addresses, follow up with people who didn't return their questionnaires and perform other tasks.
"It would enable them to enter answers from the household as they stood there, and to send that information either immediately or overnight back directly to the processing center," said Louis Kincannon, former director of the U.S. Census Bureau.
But certain "delete" operations malfunctioned, causing some major glitches. And after the successful completion of the address verification phase, the devices were phased out for any further use. The total cost, meanwhile, grew from an original $600 million computer contract to up to $3 billion.
Add to that the $14.7 billion bill that taxpayers are already footing for the 10 years of census counting -- a price tag that supports 500 local offices and a peak staff of 1.4 million workers.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#3
technical difficulties? Let's remember trhat by January 31th, 2009, Obama had already taken control of the Census Bureau and subcontracted the Cebsus to Acorn. This is the "tecnical difficulty."
#9
I hear Neal Boortz, talk show guy out of Atlanta, say today that he sent his census form in and he only filled out the first two questions and question #10 regarding the number of people living at that address on April 1, 2010. Question #10 asks whether you sometimes stay somewhere else. He skipped the questions about telephone number, name, sex, whether or not you are hispanic, and race. Question #8 is interesting in that it specifically asks if you are of Hispanic origin. I assume this is a ploy to try to gain information about potential voters so they can be targeted for receiving campaign literature and promises. I thought anyone could buy this information despite the assurances of confidentiality.
Can one legally, without penalty only fill out the census form as Boortz did?
#13
"Can one legally, without penalty only fill out the census form as Boortz did?"
According to the forms/instructions there's a minimum $100 fine and possible jailtime for not answering all questions honestly. Boortz wants to be made an example of - a very loud public example. Not to mention he's a lawyer by training.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Turkish police on Thursday detained around 20 people in connection to an alleged plot to topple the Islamist-rooted government, and the detainees included retired and active military officers, state media said.
The operation was part of an investigation into the "Ergenekon" network, an alleged right-wing militant group that prosecutors say had planned to overthrow Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party government, broadcaster NTV said.
State-run news agency Anatolian said the detentions took place in eight cities and that the operation was still going on. There was no immediate word on their identities or ranks.
The plot is one of several alleged conspiracies that have strained ties between the secularist military and the ruling AK Party, unsettling investors in the European Union-candidate.
News of the detentions did not have an immediate impact on Turkish assets, which were trading weaker on Thursday after a newspaper column said a new court bid to ban the AK Party may be launched as soon as Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2010 00:00 ||
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First, the bad news: "An Argentinian artist name Caesar Saëz who lived in Quebec applied to the Canada Arts Council and to the Quebec counterpart (le Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec) to create a 300-metre long flying banana made of bamboo and a type of synthetic paper (resembling Tyvex?) in order to denounce George Bush. The banana was to fly over the state of Texas."
#1
Too funny. The Great Northern Boobfooted Loons (aka Hosers) got ****** by an imaginary 1000 foot flying yellow dildo.
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2010 8:26 Comments ||
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#2
in order to denounce George Bush. The banana was to fly over the state of Texas.
The price of bile is ever high. The national (or city!) arts council gave him funds to do this in another country, and at the farthest end of the country at that. It seems Canadians have no sense of geography.
Posted by: trailing wife on the other computer ||
03/19/2010 12:52 Comments ||
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Or no sense of civility on the part of the Quebecois when it comes to the US.
The U.S. Army has finally eliminated bayonet drills from basic training. While the bayonet, and the bayonet charge, have a firm place in military history, the reality is rather different. Bayonets are still carried, but rarely attached to the front of a rifle. Most modern bayonets are simply knives, which are handy for all sorts of things on the battlefield. Sticking them in the enemy is rarely one of them. So training new recruits in the battlefield use of the bayonet is misleading and a waste of time.
Why do infantry continue to carry a bayonet? To a certain extent, carrying a bayonet is tradition, but there are practical reasons as well. A lot of time is spent out in the field, and a knife is useful for cutting stuff. But perhaps the most effective military use is intimidation. This is nothing new, the fearsome effect of a bunch of guys advancing with bayonets on the end of their rifles has been known for centuries. It's also a morale boost for the lads using the bayonets. When you hear the order "fix bayonets" (put them on the end of your rifle) you know it's do or die time. Unfortunately, that very rarely happens anymore. I'd use the word fortunately, but that's just me.
The most common "combat" use of bayonets is for crowd control. In fact, this is about the only "bayonet training" most troops get anymore. The bayonet is used somewhat differently in these situations. For one thing, the troops don't just rush at the crowd carrying their bayonet tipped rifles. They march forward, neatly lined up, with the rifles held so that the crowd sees a line of bayonets coming at them. The troops do this while marching in step, and are trained to bring their right feet down as heavily as possible. The sight of the advancing troops, the bayonets and the rhythmic thud of boots striking the ground usually causes the crowd to scatter.
Meanwhile, the army has done some work in developing a more effective replacement for the bayonet. Sort of. Three years ago, after several years of research and field testing, the U.S. Army bought 38,000 M26 12 Gauge Modular Accessory Shotgun Systems (MASS).
The M26 weighs less than three pounds (2 pounds, 11 ounces) and has a five round magazine. This mini shotgun is mounted beneath barrel of your assault rifle. The M26 is a 16.5 inch long, 12 gauge shotgun and can be operated right or left handed. It fires solid shot for blasting open closed doors, or lower velocity, non-lethal (most of the time) rubber slugs for dealing with hostile crowds without killing people. A stand-alone version weighs 4 pounds, 3 ounces, and is 24 inches long (with the attached stock collapsed).
The first versions of this weapon weighed nine pounds and carried only three rounds. The design rapidly evolved into the current M26. Troops have been testing it in combat for about a year. There were complaints about the cocking mechanism, which uses a bolt instead of a pump action (which many troops expressed a preference for.) The final design improved the cocking mechanism, and the reliability of the magazines. Before the M26 came along, troops used a conventional (Mossberg) 12 gauge shotgun for getting locked doors open in a hurry. Many still do. The M26 proved very reliable during testing, with over 15,000 rounds being fired. Large quantities of the M26 reached troops two years ago, after the demand for them in Iraq had largely abated. There was not as much demand for such a weapon in Afghanistan. Makes for a hell of an assault rifle accessory, though. And for no reason, here's a video of a guy doing trick shots with a shotgun.
#1
There is always a desire to "fruit salad" infantry weapons, but every decision, one way or another, has both tactical opportunity cost, maintenance and resupply issues.
#2
I wasn't really in love with Bayonets when I was in the army.
First they weren't long enough, compared to that old Soviet pig sticker we were using pocket knives. I actually would prefer that if we issued bayonets to go back to the WWI model we used back in the day, that 12 inch bladed thing they gave us in the 60's and 70's was useless except for opening cans of C rats.
Posted by: James Carville ||
03/19/2010 10:46 Comments ||
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#3
If you're close enough to use a bayonet, you're too close.
#5
In the action portrayed in "We were soldiers" what carried the day was a bayonet attack.
In Stalingrad, the Russians forced once and again the Germans in fights where even SMGs were too slow so blades were the weapon of choice a kind of combat in which the Germans weren't good at and disliked.
I think in addition to the surprise effect that what was in play was the fear factor as the perspective of having a bayonet stuck in ne's guts impresses more than being fired from a distance by a guy who could miss and where you can take cover
Also this thingy carries a five round magazine. The bayonet carried an unlimited one.
#6
The bayonet worked pretty well for a foxhole hunkering Bill Faulkner in 'Flags of our Fathers.' Crawling Japanese infantryman falling into Bill's foxhole... not so much. Bill was still doing farm land survey work in the Decatur, Illinois area until a year ago when he suffered a stroke while having lunch in a local cafe. He maintains a firm handshake, enjoys watching sports and NASCAR on the teevee and smiling politely at pretty womyn. Typical Marine I'd say.
#7
If I recall, a British soldier just received an award for defending himself with his last remaining weapon - the bayonet.
I have not soldiered. I have played paintball, one vivid experience was a gun malfunction in one of those close quarter setups; my only recourse was to empty my few remaining paintballs and try to slap them on my opponent, and that is some stupid game not real life. But yes, in that stupid game I found myself too close.
Nothing says crowd control like a bunch of soldiers lined up bayonets fixed. There is something strongly symbolic about a soldier with rifle and bayonet fixed which is impossible to dismiss, no matter what culture - it translates purely into any language.
#8
I don't know about the American design but the ones in French Army could be used as one foot long (without handle) daggers from those situations where you need to kill an enemy without being heard from two miles around.
#11
During my brief stint of ROTC, we got bayonet training. Of all the things we did in ROTC, it is one of the things I remember most vividly as there was a chill at just watching a fellow cadet screaming as they dismembered a stray dummy with a bayonet on the end of an M-16A1. We also agreed that our slightly chubby black female cadet was the scariest of everyone. I don't know where that rage came from, but you didn't want to be on the receiving end of it.
Bayonets have their place and if you aren't going to issue them, then issue the troops a damn short sword. They need a weapon that doesn't use ammo, instills fear and is intended for last resort and close combat.
#12
If I recall correctly, the Black Watch used a bayonet charge in Basra to discourage the Madhi Army. So people are puting a fixed bayonet to use in the 21st century.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/19/2010 14:12 Comments ||
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#13
Bayonets have no moving parts to wear or break.
#16
Bayonets do not misfire, make loud noises, or run out of ammo, and only require a warrior spirit for use.
We run short of that, then we are in trouble in a far deeper way.
THe rarity of use is a good thing, but honestly, nothgin can replace them in the last resort. And combat has an annoying way of bringing in the last resort more often than anyone not carrying a rifle daily imagines.
#18
You're in close quarters melee in a trench/building/the dark, and you have no bayonet. You know the enemy are upon you, but you also know your pals are in there with you you. You have a shotgun, the enemy have bayonets. Who has the advantage? If you let off your shotgun in the confusion you're almost as likely to hit your own men as the enemy, so you're thiking twice. If you hesitate to make sure you've got a clean shot, you're more likely to get steel between the ribs.
And without a bayonet, you still need to carry a similar blade if you want the ability to kill silently, as others have stated above.
It's a mistake to think that a secondary firearm can replace a blade.
#19
Perhaps the "old NCOs" will continue bayonet training in the field at the squad level.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
03/19/2010 16:13 Comments ||
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First off, the Army is NOT getting rid of bayonets, it is getting rid of bayonet training. I read the original article and bayonets will still be issued, the M26 is simply another accessory for the M4. The trend away from fixing bayonets and charging is several decades old, and most bayonets are simply field knives nowadays.
Having carried the M16 while in the Army, I would be very happy with a 5 shot under barrel shotgun added on : a load of buckshot at close range to the chest will discourage someone while you change magazines on the rifle.
Also with the bayonet still being issued, if it comes to it, you can still fix bayonets and fight with it.
#21
Were I do design a 12 man infantry squad from the ground up, from most potent weapons on down are the
12) the radioman.
11) and 10) two guys with a Denel NTW-20 cannon-rifle (20mm) and ammo, with the ammo man carrying a light rifle as well.
9) and 8) M249 SAW and ammo, with the ammo man carrying a light rifle as well.
7) and 6) Carry Mossberg mil-shotguns and ammo.
5) Sniper with .303
4) through 1) Riflemen and grenadiers.
#22
1st cavalry master sargeant along side Radio Operator in Fox Hole. Middle of the night. South Pacific Island teaming with Imperial Japanese Army. Rules of engagement, any movement on the ground above the foxholes, kill it. But as shoots ring out missing the Jap making a run to the foxhole containing the radio operating Master sergeant (my father) see the sikhoute of the Jap diving into the fox hole and thrusts the bayonnet into the ammunition depleted Jap who only has a knife left on him, and because the bayonette rifle could not knife the Master Sergeant and radio operator. VERY true story.
#23
Correction-because of the bayonette rifle, the Japanese soldier could not knife the Master Sergeant and radio operato.
Bottom Line - If one of you are out of ammo (including shootgun shells) and you think you can force a knife fight with your opponent in a life or death battle situation, the bayonete wins every time.
Davey Crocket found that out the hard way at the fall of the Alamo...
#25
I wasn't saying do away with, but I guess if you're close enough too use the bayonet aim isn't all that much a priority. My guess would be it would come in real handy in house too house fighting as would the shotgun.
Posted by: chris ||
03/19/2010 18:20 Comments ||
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#26
But the point is that the Army is NOT getting rid of the bayonet itself, simply the bayonet training. The bayonet remains an issue item, but for enhancing the individual infantry, the M26 is a great add-on. Bayonet training in the US Army was designed to teach you how to fight someone else with a fixed bayonet on a rifle, bayonet against bayonet. I was run through it in the 1970s and it was worthless for infantry use since modern assault rifles have the wrong design to be a good bayonet fighting rifle. It is only of use as the last ditch "scare the enemy and scatter them" approach, if bayonets are used on a trained enemy with good fire discipline, it is just a fancy banzai charge by you.
#27
it would seem that in urban settings (as we so often seem to fight now) a shotgun would make much more sense for armament, ease of use/movement. Try blowing a door open with a bayonet. I do like the scene in "We were soldiers" when they blade up. Now I'll have to watch the DVD again
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/19/2010 19:09 Comments ||
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#28
IOW, the Obama budget is making America so broke the DOD has to cut back on individual or physical skills training in favor of technology.
#30
Iff MAHA-RUSHIAN "HISTOIRE" is any measure, the BAYONET DRILL, ETC. will be back before long.
The professional or formal education of a Male Soldier-Warrior includes LEARNING TO SURVIVE, WAGE COMBAT OR WAR WIDOUT HIS WEAPONS. No World Army-Society in antiquity has won a war ponce begun wid Warriors whose first resort is SURRENDER, ESCAPE,andor otherwise WAGING NON-COMBAT/WAR.
Lest we fergit, "MASH" TV Show > EVEN PRO-PEACE, SUPER-RATIONAL, SUPER-INTELLECTUAL, SUPER DUPER SUPER LIB/LEFTY "CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG" CAPT. HAWKEYE PIERCE QUICKLY CAVED IN TO THE DEMANDS OF US, ALLIED, OR COMMIE ENEMY SOLDIER(S) ARMED WID GUNS.
[Dawn] Two and half year old girl Maham Siddiqa went missing from Children's hospital in Lahore in early March and was found on Thursday, more than two weeks later. No word on which of her uncles she eloped with...
Maham's father, Muhammad Ikram told DawnNews that he found his daughter from the Dharampura area of Lahore.
The woman, who found her, gave an ad in the newspaper with Maham's picture. After seeing the ad Ikram rushed to the address and took custody of his daughter.
Ikram said that the woman had found Maham from Mazang area of Lahore near a bus stop, with a man. The lady said that Maham thought that she was her mother and called for her, upon which she approached Maham, the man fled the spot after handing Maham to that lady.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/19/2010 00:00 ||
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Program teaches children about different areas of Palestine, using a map that includes all of Israel but is simply labeled Palestine.'
Palestinian Authority television is broadcasting a new children's show that shows a map of Palestine' that covers the entire territory of the State of Israel, the group Palestinian Media Watch reported on Tuesday.
According to PMW, the program Chicks features a recurring segment that teaches children about different areas of Palestine, using a map that includes all of Israel but is simply labeled Palestine.'
Next to the map is written in English and Arabic Explore Your Country.'
Founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch, Itamar Marcus, said the PAW report was released as part of a campaign to highlight the reinforcement of such messages of delegitimization of Israel that are endemic to Palestinian Authority broadcasting.
Marcus said the maps used by official PA bodies are no different from those used by terror groups, saying if you look at Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, all of these terror groups use the exact same maps as the PA. The only difference is the PA map doesn't have rifles on it.'
Marcus said such depictions of Palestine absolutely' symbolize a denial of Israel's right to exist, which is reinforced by the usage of such maps across virtually all sectors of Palestinian society.
Marcus also mentioned a children's program on PA TV called The Best Home that refers to Israeli Arab children as Palestinians and tells children living in mixed-cities within Israel like Lod, Ramle, and Beersheba that they live in occupied Palestine.'
According to the PMW, the host of the show tells Israeli Arab viewers: Dear children... we will always remain in contact with you, because you have the right, and this program is certainly yours too, just as it belongs to every Palestinian child, since you are part of occupied Palestine.' Marcus said the PMW has also analyzed dozens of Palestinian school books which reinforce this message.
The release of the video on Tuesday is part of a PMW campaign to highlight denial of Israel's existence across several different categories of Palestinian society, both civil and governmental.
Also on Tuesday, the Middle East Media Research Institute released a video of a program that aired on a Hamas children's television program last week that depicted a girl named Gaza' whose house is destroyed and family killed by the Israel Defense Forces.
In the video, Gaza then rose up with all her might' and began throwing stones at an Israeli tank gunner, who promptly opens fire penerting' [sic] Gaza in the chest with machine gun fire.
Gaza falls to the ground, but in a sudden reversal of fortune, rises, clad in the colors of the Palestinian flag and hurls the bullet to the eye of that ugly soldier' who is then seen with blood gushing from his eyes.
The video then ends with the words many and many children will follow her example, and every day Gaza will be born anew' emblazoned on the screen as the little girl Gaza begins to multiply.
The Pentagon's project to build the next generation of military fighter jets cleared a major hurdle Thursday when a test version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter successfully completed a vertical landing for the first time.
Using 41,000 pounds of thrust, the Marine Corps variant of the jet, the Joint Strike Fighter F-35B STOVL (Short Take-Off Vertical Landing), landed smoothly at Naval Station Patuxent River in Maryland this afternoon. Unlike traditional landings that occur at nearly 200 miles per hour and require long landing strips, this jet was able to ease its way to the surface at a precise location. The jets can take off the same way, giving Marine pilots the advantage of being able operate from at wider variety of locations.
"Having the F-35B perform its first vertical landing underscores the reality of the Marine Corps achieving its goal of an all STOVL force," said Lieutenant General George J. Trautman III, Deputy Commandant for Aviation. "Being able to operate and land virtually anywhere, the STOVL JSF is a unique fixed wing aircraft that can deploy, co-locate, train and fight with Marine ground forces while operating from a wider range of bases ashore and afloat than any other... platform."
It's a welcomed accomplishment for the jet's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, at a time when the program has been scrutinized for significant cost overruns and production delays. In February, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired a senior manager of project and penalized Lockheed Martin by withholding bonuses.
Air Force Secretary Michael Donley announced in early March that production for the jet will likely be delayed by two years, moving the Initial Operating Capability (IOC) across the services to 2015. The Marines, however, are expecting to have their jets in operation by the end of 2012.
They're young, they're broke, and they pay for organic salmon with government subsidies. Got a problem with that?
Posted by: ed ||
03/19/2010 10:04 ||
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#1
Nothing new. I remember, over 30 years ago, being in the check-out line with my generic bread, cereal, peanut butter, and a pound of ground beef, to be paid for with meager cash, while the person in front of me paid for good steak & twinkies with food stamps.
#2
I heard on the radio recently that a new study announced that the cause of rising obesity in this country is not due to fast food joints or large portions. It is due to food stamps. More people getting more "free" food.
#5
Nothing new. I remember, over 30 years ago, being in the check-out line with my generic bread, cereal, peanut butter, and a pound of ground beef, to be paid for with meager cash, while the person in front of me paid for good steak & twinkies with food stamps
#8
Well, if he's a _real_ artist he should be able to create work with a lot less infrastructure than a guy running a machine shop. He just needs to create some marketable art, and he's all set.
#12
Wehell, MANY CHIN + RUSS NETTERS > use the datas on Amers on Food Stamps, Public Health Services, Other Public Assistance as evidence of A WEAKENING AMERICA + SOCIETY, NOT A STRONG OR STRONGER AMERICA + SOCIETY.
A Panamanian murderer who escaped a prison in the Central American country has been captured in the District [of Columbia]
, where authorities say he used a fake Social Security card to obtain federally subsidized housing and cruised around town in three luxury cars.
The FBI was led to 36-year-old Juan Barrera by an anonymous caller who claimed Barrera was planning to fire a rocket launcher at a Metro train, according to an affidavit recently filed in Greenbelt's federal court.
Posted by: lord garth ||
03/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Not a problem, he's just a misunderstood immigrant looking for a new future in this great land. /s
A retired U.S. general says Dutch troops failed to defend against the 1995 genocide in the Bosnian war because the army was weakened, partly because it included openly gay soldiers.
The comment by John Sheehan, a former NATO commander who retired from the military 1997, shocked some at a Senate Armed Services Committee, where Sheehan spoke in opposition to a proposal to allow gays to serve openly in the U.S. military. Committee Chairman Sen. Carl Levin told Sheehan he was "totally off-target."
Sheehan said European militaries deteriorated after the collapse of the Soviet Union and focused on peacekeeping because "they did not believe the Germans were going to attack again or the Soviets were coming back."
Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and other nations believed there was no longer a need for an active combat capability in the militaries, he said. "They declared a peace dividend and made a conscious effort to socialize their military - that includes the unionization of their militaries, it includes open homosexuality."
Dutch troops serving as U.N. peacekeepers and tasked with defending the town of Srebrenica in 1995 were an example of a force that became ill-equipped for war.
"The battalion was understrength, poorly led, and the Serbs came into town, handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone poles, marched the Muslims off, and executed them," Sheehan said.
"That was the largest massacre in Europe since World War II," he said of the killing of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim boys and men after Serbian forces captured the town.
Levin, D-Mich., appeared incredulous. "Did the Dutch leaders tell you it (the fall of Srebrenica) was because there were gay soldiers there?" he asked.
"Yes," Sheehan said. "They included that as part of the problem." He said the former chief of staff of the Dutch army had told him.
Levin said it may be the case that some militaries have focused on peacekeeping to the detriment of their war-fighting skills.
"But I think that any effort to connect that failure on the part of the Dutch to the fact that they have homosexuals, or did allow homosexuals, I think is totally off-target," said Levin, a proponent of ending restrictions on gays serving in the U.S. armed forces.
"The Dutch military, as you point out, were peacekeepers and not peace-enforcers. I agree with that," said Levin. "But what the heck that has to do with the issue before us is what mystifies me." "You are not saying what we want to hear, so what you are saying is wrong."
#1
The argument about basic human respect and 'rights' includes ignoring the respect and rights of others who are given no 'choice'. When you change the basic conditions of contract under which everyone else signed up under give them a choice as well. Allow them in a years time frame the 'choice' to be separated from service within three months with retention of all benefits earned and no further obligation of service. When the exodus of middle grade NCOs and officers who are fed up with PC priorities* erodes combat effectiveness of units, just remember the sock puppets who said it wouldn't be a problem.
* wasn't long ago when the Iraq theater commander threatened courts martial if females continued to get pregnant after losing too many critical MOS soldiers. A dirty little PC secret the military keeps from public viewing and its consequences already. The middle grades have been rumbling about it for years. Just add another good reason to hang it up rather than having to deal with the consequences during time of war.
#2
The Gays openly serving in the Israeli, Canadian, British and Australian militaries don't seem to have effected the combat capabilities of those forces in Afghanistan or elsewhere.
Posted by: Gaz ||
03/19/2010 3:23 Comments ||
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#3
No runway fashion designers or hair solon lizzards please. You'll have the good men and women going elsewhere.
We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.
#4
I don't see that connection, but I also don't understand how they could stand by and let something like this happen. I also could not understand how the Royal Marines could allow themselves to be captured by the Iranians. It may because of their PC ways that include openly gay people in the military. As far as Israel is concerned, do you think they are a better military now or when the whacked the Arab legion? Are the two things connected? I have no idea.
#5
The connection is that the 'free' world has been on military welfare for generations. They believe they only need a token force and minimal defense spending because the real big work is going to be carried by the Americans. They can permit themselves to play games that in other circumstances and times in history would have ended their national existence. How many can interoperate with the Americans today? Very damn few. And those few are indeed few. They can't project forces of significance or sustain them without some part of the American force structure picking up some of the load. The Burg is full of stories of the Brits and their problems just keeping what they have in Afghanistan operational and the limitations that puts on their effectiveness. The whole package is the consequence of pols making decisions without regard to real world contingencies and demands. It's a game to them. It's life and death to those on the line.
The one force that is ready to bear the load is the American one. Even that has personnel problems and issues to maintain a force that is half of what it was 25 years ago. It's un-PC to remember that once a female got pregnant, the old rules were they were immediately separated, career over. Not now. So someone else is yanked to fill the critical position to meet mission requirements. The Iraq theater commander finally had enough of what the middle grades have had to put up with for decades and thus issued the statement. Everyone who was responsible wanted and still wants to look the other way rather than address the problem. The same crap is going to happen with this issue.
Just like straights, gays are going to be guilty of sexual harassment, adultery, and fraternization. It will destroy effectiveness and unit cohesion as it does with straights. The problem is going to be like the pregnancy issue in that those setting policy are now going to expect everyone else to look the other way, not to make waves, to make the program work. Otherwise, the same political special interest groups will scream just as they do now that they're victims of witch hunts. Those groups don't want tolerance, they want power to include imposing themselves and their behaviors on others without consequences.
Senior officers are generally bought and sold by the pols. It's the middle leadership that makes the system work day to day. At a certain point those middle grades who take 8 to 12 years to grow are going to say 'so long' rather than put up with the PC environment while trying to meet real mission. Once they past a 10 year mark, they have no further obligations and are not subject to recall. Those can not simply be replaced by new ascensions. Back to the hollow Army, junior troops and generals with minimal cement in between. See the Russian Army for a preview.
#6
P2K, you're spot on. I don't want openly homosexuals serving w/me. It will be another administrative and UCMJ headache when off base fights occur between groups of heteros vs homos, and believe me this crap will happen. Speaking of females, the first co-ed unit I was in was combat non-deployable because 20% were post-partum or pregnant. It was a joke. You're right the middle-graders have had enough. I'd say all the guys I knew between E-6 and O-4 are about sick of the current climate.
#7
The military is not a political correctness operation.
"once a female got pregnant, the old rules were they were immediately separated, career over. Not now. So someone else is yanked to fill the critical position to meet mission requirements. "
Thats if you are lucky. I never had those holes filled myself. It always brought our unit below MTOE strength and critical personnel were not available to fill key slots.
"sexual harassment, adultery, and fraternization."
Thats actually the only thing that needs to be addressed and the military does just fine with it.
#9
Jith,
The problem is the data is there. People just don't want to use it.
Gay men have consistently been found to be 10X as sexually active as heterosexual men. I don't know what the number is for women.
The real issue is: do you want to spend your time in a foxhole with someone who is 10X as horny as your average 18 year old and who views you as a potential target? That a politically incorrect question but its reality.
The other issue is that there is plenty of evidence from the 2 world wars of officers, NCOs or just some tough enlisted men forcing themselves on weaker (or younger) men in the unit. This weakened unit cohesion.
Regarding other armies, the British had the most anti-gay policy in NATO until Tony Blair became PM. This was because there was a long and sordid history of gay British officers forcing themselves on the enlisted men.
God knows what's going to happen now.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/19/2010 14:38 Comments ||
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#11
Barney Frank is in the House but he must have been apoplectic upon hearing of these comments. I always enjoy when Frank, who helped destroy our economy, is reduced to a slobbering meltdown.
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.
EVEN after years playing football, ACT local David Striegl had never got into a fight - until he was knocked out cold by a rogue kangaroo. Mr Striegl, 25, was running up Canberra's Mount Ainslie during his lunchbreak yesterday and did not think twice when he spotted one of the resident roos nearby. The bushland reserve in the nation's capital is popular with joggers and cyclists, and assaults by the marsupials who share the mountain are rare. Mr Striegl was knocked unconscious and remembers little about the attack.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A hardline Saudi cleric called for demolishing the Holy Mosque in Mecca and rebuilding it in a way that would insure Sex segregation.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Turkish police on Thursday detained around 20 people in connection to an alleged plot to topple the Islamist-rooted government, and the detainees included retired and active military officers, state media said.
The Pentagon's project to build the next generation of military fighter jets cleared a major hurdle Thursday when a test version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter successfully completed a vertical landing for the first time.
