A Dixie Carpetbagger

Newbius finds an odd exhibit in a museum.  No, that’s not an M-4 with a shotgun’s sight rib– take a look at the muzzle.  It’s Colt’s prototype Advanced Combat Rifle.  What’s so special about it?  It fires two rounds at a time… kinda.

So, instead of modifying the fire control to fire a two-round burst, (wait a second… the M-16A2 had a three-round burst setting) Colt made a rifle that fired two projectiles (of different weights) with reduced accuracy (two weights, two points of impact) from a specialized cartridge (reduced powder charge, logistics nightmares, non-standard).  Anybody care to guess why the ACR contest went nowhere?

McDonald came down in our favor.

Link to a PDF of the decision here.

The Second Amendment now applies to the states through the 14th Amendment.  Alito wrote the majority opinion, Scalia wrote a concurring opinion, and Breyer whined (a spine, grow one, Stoddard*).  Weer’d points out that this will have huge impacts on state laws (and points to crying at The Huffer’s Postings).  Jay G., Laurel,and Roberta X gloat a little bit, while Curt points to the VPC whining and Newbius points to some sobs by Dennis Henigan. Then Paul Helmke declared victory, while Uncle points to Pajamas Media debunking the VPC… with their own stats.

Breda points out the guy who did quite a bit of the work (Alan Gura), and to a movie critic being… stupid.  Alan posts the picture Laurel referred to (yes, the Bradys are a hate group).  Joe Huffman has a quote from the NRA– finally, a right promised is a right honored.

There are four quotes quotes I want to use here.  The first is from Jennifer:

The gun banners have a warped view of the human race. They simultaneously believe that an inanimate object will turn a law abiding citizen into a crazed maniac and that the crazed maniac could peacefully exist in a society without the same inanimate object. Personally I do not believe that a person bent on violence will not be changed by a lack of tools. Likewise, a normally peaceful person will not be changed by the presence of said tool.

The next is from Tom at SCOTUSblog, via Uncle:

When Heller was decided, we had our biggest day ever, by far — 300,000 hits. Americans care about gun rights.

Then one from the Wall Street Journal, via USCitizen:

All of this suggests that the liberals have decided to bide their time and wait for a fifth vote so they can overturn both Heller and McDonald. This means that the matter of Second Amendment rights is far from settled, and the National Rifle Association and other advocates had better keep their legal guard up.

Finally, one from Steve Harris (a pro-gun attorney) via Massad Ayoob:

I think we need one more Supreme Court case on guns to make it clear to the circuit courts what they mean about reasonable regulation. That will take about 3-5 years to percolate.

So, after putting it all together, we “gun nuts” just took a big step towards real freedom.  But we have to be vigilant for the next few years, until all the kinks get straitened out.

Senator Byrd is now facing the Eternal Elector.

Or, as Tam phrased it: “The Grim Reaper invoked cloture on Robert C. Byrd’s filibuster today.”

That’s right, the only Klansman in the Senate has passed on to his eternal reward.  The left is already trying to spin his past involvement with the KKK in a positive light– the South made him do it!  Yes, us dastardly Rebels made him join the Klan, made him become a KKK recruiter, and made him vocally support the Klan.  Don’t venture south of the Mason-Dixon Line, Yanks, or we’ll turn our magical KKK Ray on you!

As both Weer’d and Mike W. pointed out, if Byrd did change his mind, where was his change in actions?  If the former Klucker was no longer a Klucker, where was his activism AGAINST the Klan?  You see, of the people in my blogroll, some of the most outspoken are those who had been in the groups they speak out against.  (Mike Vanderboegh and Weer’d come to mind…)  I mean, this is the guy who said this:

I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side… Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.

— Robert C. Byrd, in a letter to Sen. Theodore Bilbo (D-MS), 1944

Which brings me to a quote by Linoge:

Should Senator Byrd be remembered? Absolutely – as an shining example of what not to do. However, as sure as I am that he and Teddy are bumping knuckles today, I am just as certain that the Democratic Party and Mainstream Media (but I repeat myself) are doing their absolute damnest to ensure that Robert’s disgusting legacy is celebrated… which kind of says something about those folks with the “D” after their names, does it not?

Indeed– if the Dems were truly as nice, kind, pro-minority as they proclaimed… well, they wouldn’t be the Democratic Party.  Just remember, folks– this was the song the DNC used in 1864…  they were Copperheads then, and they’re Copperheads still.  For reference, compare the treatment of Byrd to the treatment of Thurmond.

Though I do wonder what Byrd was thinking when he was waving the flag as a “race mongrel” became President…

General McChrystal forgot an old adage.

You know, the one about how “the slow blade penetrates the shield.”  The fact that Rolling Stone was the one that brought him down is ironic, because… well, I’ll quote from this op-ed:

Since the end of the draft, the officer corps has become increasingly conservative and libertarian, and it is a rare officer who votes as a Democrat. [...] [C]urrently, the overwhelming majority of senior officers are registered Republicans, and there are very few registered Democrats. Special operations officers are even more conservative than their traditional brethren… [...] Ironically, McChrystal is a registered Democrat, a social liberal, and an Obama supporter in the 2008 election.

General, what did Barry say to you in that meeting?  Was it “YES, I CAN!”  Having said that (with as much snark as I can muster), I’m sorry to see the General retire–  McChrystal reminded me of Colonel Hackworth, who was one of my favorite writers and a man I much respected.  I just think it’s ironic that a leftist mag took down a leftist General who supported the leftist President that fired him… and replaced him with a General who has won an award from the AEI and been attacked by the Left.  (Dear MoveOn– choke on your “Betray Us” line.  We remember it, bet on that.)

* Oh, come on, somebody has to catch that…

From the New York Times:

One day next month every student at Loyola Law School Los Angeles will awake to a higher grade point average. But it’s not because they are all working harder. The school is retroactively inflating its grades, tacking on 0.333 to every grade recorded in the last few years. The goal is to make its students look more attractive in a competitive job market.

From the Washington Post:

The Marine Corps has discharged 13 junior officers training at Quantico for cheating on a land navigation test [...] They were taking an intense, six-month training course for new officers and were trying to learn how to lead a platoon through rugged terrain. They were sent with a map and compass to a wooded area on the base and instructed to write down numbers painted on boxes left there. The accused wrote down numbers from the previous year’s test…

The defense for both events?  Everyone’s doing it! Which, of course, doesn’t make me feel a bit better.  That just means that there’s more “A+” students out there who are actually A- (or B+, or C-) students graded on a curve.

I also admire the Marine OCS cadets for their sheer chutzpah– they’re going to lead people in combat, and they don’t even have the common courtesy to learn basic skills?  What happens when they’re in a war zone and have to bring their squad back in through a minefield… at night… with no GPS gear?  How many letters to parents will they have to right before it dawns on them that this happened because of their mental laziness?

(NYT article via Jennifer, WaPo article via Laginappe’s Guy)

A nationwide alert has been issued for 17 members of the Afghan military who have gone AWOL from a Texas Air Force base where foreign military officers who are training to become pilots are taught English [...] (they) have security badges that give them access to secure U.S. defense installations…

There’s no delicate way for me to say this, but…

YOU.  HAVE.  GOT.  TO.  BE.  F*CKING.  KIDDING.  ME.

These guys had better be at the local strip club getting their groove on, or somebody’s about to be assigned to Elmendorf… permanently.

(H/T Liberalguy)

Back at the beginning of the year, video came out on Wikileaks that (supposedly) showed the crew of an Apache gunship mowing down unarmed civilians.  Heavily edited, the video caused an uproar amongst the left.

Turns out that the video was leaked by a 22 year old Specialist serving in Iraq.  Amongst the things he leaked werea classified Army report (ironically enough, detailing Wikileaks as a security risk) and over a quarter of a million diplomatic cables.  Congratulations, Spc. Manning, you just earned yourself a free one-way ticket to Leavenworth, Kansas!

Remember today all of the brave men and women who have died in the service of our country.

The Great Locomotive Chase or Andrews’ Raid was a military raid that occurred April 12, 1862, in northern Georgia during the American Civil War. Volunteers from the Union Army commandeered a train and took it northwards towards Chattanooga, Tennessee, doing as much damage as possible to the vital Western & Atlantic Railroad (W&A) from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga as they went, pursued by other locomotives. As they had cut the telegraph wires Confederate forces along their route had no advance notice of their arrival. The raiders were eventually captured, and some were executed as spies. Some of Andrews’ Raiders became the first recipients of the Medal of Honor.  — Wikipedia

Even though I am a Southerner, I have to give Andrews credit for his work.  (Though I would like to point out that Fuller stayed hot on Andrews’ heels, including the points where he had to run after the locomotive…)  The movie (with the late Fess Parker) is very good and decently accurate.

Oleg has pictures of a memorial to the raiders, and Andrews’ tombstone.  I’ve always been saddened that Andrews (a civilian) couldn’t be awarded the Medal of Honor.  If there’s a man who deserved it, it was Mr. Andrews.

Air Force lost a drone, and a fisherman towed it in for them.  All well and good (except for the fisherman not claiming salvage), right?  Well, you see, it’s not the first time this has happened.  I don’t what’s worse, the Air Force losing these things, or losing enough of them that they’ve quit searching for them.

The Air Force fact sheet.  Take a look at the price tag… and the fact that there’s only 37 36 35 in the fleet.  (If, of course, neither of these can be made usable again.)

(H/T Uncle)

I was going to write about Pvt. Rodger W. Young, and the new video of his ballad I had found:

I went to the Army’s Medal of Honor listing to get the text of his citation, and my eyes fell across the next name on the list… ZEAMER, JAY JR.

I had been meaning to do something on Capt Zeamer and 2d Lt Sarnoski ever since I saw an episode of Dogfights on the History Channel that covered his last mission in Old 666.  I can’t say much beyond what actually happened, so I’ll just put the texts of all three citations here.

ZEAMER, JAY JR. (Air Mission)

Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army Air Corps. Place and date: Over Buka area, Solomon Islands, 16 June 1943. Entered service at: Machias, Maine. Birth: Carlisle, Pa. G.O. No.: 1, 4 January 1944. Citation: On 16 June 1943, Maj. Zeamer (then Capt.) volunteered as pilot of a bomber on an important photographic mapping mission covering the formidably defended area in the vicinity of Buka, Solomon Islands. While photographing the Buka airdrome. his crew observed about 20 enemy fighters on the field, many of them taking off. Despite the certainty of a dangerous attack by this strong force, Maj. Zeamer proceeded with his mapping run, even after the enemy attack began. In the ensuing engagement, Maj. Zeamer sustained gunshot wounds in both arms and legs, 1 leg being broken. Despite his injuries, he maneuvered the damaged plane so skillfully that his gunners were able to fight off the enemy during a running fight which lasted 40 minutes. The crew destroyed at least 5 hostile planes, of which Maj. Zeamer himself shot down 1. Although weak from loss of blood, he refused medical aid until the enemy had broken combat. He then turned over the controls, but continued to exercise command despite lapses into unconsciousness, and directed the flight to a base 580 miles away. In this voluntary action, Maj. Zeamer, with superb skill, resolution, and courage, accomplished a mission of great value.

*SARNOSKI, JOSEPH R. (Air Mission)

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Corps, 43rd Bomber Group, Place and date: Over Buka Area, Solomon Islands, 16 June 1943. Entered service at: Simpson, Pa. Born. 30 January 1915, Simpson, Pa. G.O. No.: 85, 17 December 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action above and beyond the call of duty. On 16 June 1943, 2d Lt. Sarnoski volunteered as bombardier of a crew on an important photographic mapping mission covering the heavily defended Buka area, Solomon Islands. When the mission was nearly completed, about 20 enemy fighters intercepted. At the nose guns, 2d Lt. Sarnoski fought off the first attackers, making it possible for the pilot to finish the plotted course. When a coordinated frontal attack by the enemy extensively damaged his bomber, and seriously injured 5 of the crew, 2d Lt. Sarnoski, though wounded, continued firing and shot down 2 enemy planes. A 20-millimeter shell which burst in the nose of the bomber knocked him into the catwalk under the cockpit. With indomitable fighting spirit, he crawled back to his post and kept on firing until he collapsed on his guns. 2d Lt. Sarnoski by resolute defense of his aircraft at the price of his life, made possible the completion of a vitally important mission.

*YOUNG, RODGER W.

Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Army, 148th Infantry, 37th Infantry Division. Place and date: On New Georgia, Solomon Islands, 31 July 1943. Entered service at: Clyde, Ohio. Birth: Tiffin, Ohio. G.O. No.: 3, 6 January 1944. Citation: On 31 July 1943, the infantry company of which Pvt. Young was a member, was ordered to make a limited withdrawal from the battle line in order to adjust the battalion’s position for the night. At this time, Pvt. Young’s platoon was engaged with the enemy in a dense jungle where observation was very limited. The platoon suddenly was pinned down by intense fire from a Japanese machinegun concealed on higher ground only 75 yards away. The initial burst wounded Pvt. Young. As the platoon started to obey the order to withdraw, Pvt. Young called out that he could see the enemy emplacement, whereupon he started creeping toward it. Another burst from the machinegun wounded him the second time. Despite the wounds, he continued his heroic advance, attracting enemy fire and answering with rifle fire. When he was close enough to his objective, he began throwing handgrenades, and while doing so was hit again and killed. Pvt. Young’s bold action in closing with this Japanese pillbox and thus diverting its fire, permitted his platoon to disengage itself, without loss, and was responsible for several enemy casualties.

Two different branches, the same theatre, but right next to each other on the rolls.

Shines the name, shines the name, of Rodger Young…

Went to the Eglin 75th anniversary Open House Saturday.  Excellent show– the Thunderbirds, as always, are awesome– great displays, and some awesome people to chat with.  I even got to chat with some EA-6B crewmen from VAQ-139.  (Note: I really wanted a T-shirt they were selling.  Not the “I HEART COUGARS” one, but another design.)

Watched the F-22 (I’ve seen Pugachev’s Cobra, and it awesome…) and the Corsair demonstrate while I waited in line for the Virtual Army Experience.  The VAE is not bad, but it’s not great, either– the guns look like M-4s, but they’re pintle mounted and semi-auto only.  Had that been a real mission, my convoy would’ve been dead, oh… 10 seconds in.  Saw the Coast Guard do a simulated SAR mission, and even got to watch a C-17 go through its paces.

All my pics are still being processed, but here’s some videos –

Only three things marred this show.

1)  Sunburn.  I don’t know if it’s just me, or a new runway coating, but I’ve never been sunburned at an airshow before.  I’m red like the Kool-Aid man…

2) Too few static display aircraft.  The only aircraft you could get inside were a couple of C-130s (a C-130, a AC-130, and a  MC-130), the CV-22, a few helicopters, the DHC-4, and the Lear Jet.  No C-5, no C-17, no KC-135 or other transport.  Not even that many booths with information from the Air Force– they usually have tons of history and tactical displays.

3) Bus snafus.  The gates opened at 9 AM and closed at 3 AM when the Thunderbirds started engines.  At 5 PM everyone was told “show’s over.”  Now, it took 6 hours for the buses to ferry everyone in… how long will it take to ferry them out?  I was in parking lot Blue Alpha, the smallest and closest of the lots– but nobody else knew which lot they were in, which led to me taking two long bus rides with groups that thought they were Blue Alpha, but really weren’t.  However, the Air Force worked everything out in style.*

However, it was a good show.  Two tidbits I found interesting– the flag and decal vendors sold out of Gadsen flags, and Thunderbird 6 did his “slow roll” to the opening strains of Muse’s “Uprising.” That song’s a bit… odd for an Air Force demonstration team…  I enjoyed it.  I found a good seat (a vehicle barrier under a shelter) and watched the show while I ate a ice cream bar.

* Yes, they made it up to me.  After the second snafu, I was handed off to a Sergeant and told that the next available bus would take me to the vehicle.  Moments later, a Dodge Charger pulls up, and the Sergeant practically levitates in a 90 degree turn and snaps a salute.  Oh sh*t, I think– officer.  Then the Sergeant bends at the waist (he didn’t approach the vehicle at all) and addresses the driver.  Oh sh*t, field grade officer, I think.

I get in, close the door, and as my driver leans over to talk to the Sergeant, I flick my eyes down and see one of these on my driver’s collar.  (Yes, I snapped to.  I come from a long line of enlisted men.)  So I got chauffeured back to my car by a full-bird Colonel and got to chat with him about the Thunderbirds, the Block 70 F-16, and the show.

(I just looked him up, and I’m impressed.  He earned a B.S. in psychology before I was born, holds multiple Master’s, and his last job was as a tech.  Here I thought he was just in charge of the SFs… {chuckle})