A Little Hump Day Rule 5: Dorothy Mays And Valerie Lane: TCOTS

From my blog bud, Bob Belvedere!!!!!!!!!!
http://thecampofthesaints.org/2011/06/29/a-little-hump-day-rule-5-dorothy-mays-and-valerie-lane/

D O R O T H Y   M A Y S   &   V A L E R I E   L A N E…

Hit the link up above and enjoy the rest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Spot on Quote of The Day-------------From The Camp Of The Saints

This one is too good to just link. So here is the whole thing!


…is awarded to Yuval Levin for this brilliant one-sentence summation of Little Barry’s press conference yesterday:

It all had the feel of a childish tantrum by a person who desperately wishes he were living in a different reality—one in which he is the heroic man of action and his opponents are irresponsible and weak….

Spot-on.

If you didn’t watch the spectacle, well then, you were fortunate as you were spared witnessing Barry’s stomping of his verbal feet and hissy hysterics.

How about an examples: as reported by Mr. Levin, the man-child responding to a question about his position on ‘gay marriage’:

I’ll keep on giving you the same answer until I give you a different one, all right? And that won’t be today.

There’s much more that can be found in the transcript here – if you dare read it without ingesting tranquilizers.

Also, check out Doug Bandow’s look at an example of Julius Obamacus Nero Caesar’s tyrannical arrogance from yesterday.

Stacy McCain looks at the worst, most petty, most arrogant thing our Fearless Leader said yesterday and comes up with a simple answer to the question: What are we going to do about this jug-eared clown?

He also has the story on Mark Halperin [no friend of the Right] who said something we in the VRWC can all agree with, but which got his sorry-arse suspended.

The old and the new: Enterprise and George H.W. Bush

From Theo at Last of The Few.
History made in this one. As some of you may know, Enterprise is due to be decommissioned some time in 2013. She was commissioned on 25 November 1961. I was seven. She has been in service for almost fifty years.
http://www.theospark.net/2011/06/red-sea-june-21-2011-navys-oldest.html


Go to the link and you can see it much larger.
Thanks Theo.

More HAMBO'S HAMMER

From yesterday at the PIGAZETTE.
Good Read, folks. Really good read.

Freedom of Speech

[The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on video games has the usual suspects bellowing their contention that the U.S. Constitution gives the Nanny State the power to protect them from speech they don't want to hear. They use the term 'free speech', because it implies that there is some speech which is NOT free. 'Free Speech' is term Korrectniks brandish when they are creating speech codes, promulgating thought crime laws (aka 'hate speech'). Free Speech, and its fellow traveler Restricted Speech are at the heart of political correctness. If the term 'free speech' is a trap, what's the proper term for this inalienable individual liberty? That answer is enshrined in our First Amendment. Anyone who takes time to read the First Amendment, will notice that the Founding Fathers don't cite 'free speech', They use the unambiguous term 'freedom of speech', a term which does not give the eager censors any wiggle room. The opposite of freedom is tyranny, and nobody in their right mind thinks the Founding Fathers wanted any part of that.] This venerable Hambo rant explores the following elements of the PIG Doctrine, in greater specificity: The exaggerated sensitivities of others are not my responsibility, nor do their hurt feelings empower them to abolish my right to Freedom of Speech. Since a word is nothing more than an ethically-neutral sequence of sound waves, it only has as much power for good or evil as the listener bestows upon it. There are no intrinsically 'offensive' sound waves, there are only hypersensitive listeners who are predisposed to being offended by them. America And The Sounds of Silence It's no accident that our inalienable birthright of Freedom of Speech is enshrined in the 1st Amendment of the U. S. Constitution. Its primary purpose is to remind the Nanny State to back the hell off when it comes to our Freedom of Speech. A secondary purpose, probably an unintentional one, is to remind each and every one of us that Freedom of Speech involves other sovereign individuals who can, and will, say things that we don't want to hear. Unhappily, neither of these lofty purposes has been achieved. From the dawn of time, humans have been trying snuff out speech that they didn't want to hear. Each of us is afflicted with this utterly human malady. We want our voice to be heard, without restriction, but few of us have the stones to tolerate an opposing point of view. The Free State of PIG calls this phenomenon the 'Sounds of Silence'. The Sounds of Silence have a long, sorry history. For example, when Iggy the Apeman started to feel frisky and went searching for female companionship, he would, invariably have his trusty club resting on his shoulder. Why? When he meet a suitable playmate, the last thing he wanted to hear from Cuddles the Cave Cutie is 'Not tonight, Iggy, I've got a headache'. A little love tap from his club resolved the pesky issue by imposing the sweet Sounds of Silence. Not much has changed since Iggy and Cuddles' time, and humans continue to do everything in their power to snuff out speech they don't want to hear. They prefer the Sounds of Silence, because they can't handle speech that makes them defend their views, makes them listen to an unfiltered dose of objective reality. These self-appointed censors, invariably, use the government's monopoly on the use of force, to impose their preferred Sounds of Silence. * Over the centuries, supernaturalists - from every sect - imposed the Sounds of Silence with blasphemy laws criminalizing 'religious' speech they didn't want to hear. We regret to report that such laws persist, to this very day, in parts of Europe, and in most Jihadikaze infested nations. * Over the centuries, tyrannical regimes imposed the Sounds of Silence by making it a "shut up or we'll kill you" class crime to criticize the current regime. That, too, persists in certain notorious liberty-nuking blights on our globe. * When it comes to censorship, when it comes to imposing the Sounds of Silence, America's true believers have a long, ignoble history. During the earliest phases of America's Colonial era, supernaturalist enclaves were imposing the Sounds of Silence on anyone who didn't spout the 'party line'. The differently-religious, along with true believers from the WRONG Cross Cult sect, got the Sounds of Silence bum's rush right out of town. Those who refused to comply were taught the errors of their ways. The Sounds of Silence's infamous history was one of the reasons that America's Founding Fathers did their best to protect our Freedom of Speech birthright from a government-imposed Sounds of Silence. Unfortunately, human nature won't be denied and our 'shut the hell up' instincts seem to be winning this two centuries old battle to impose the Sounds of Silence from sea to shining sea. Despite the 1st Amendment's protection of Freedom of Speech, sovereign American individuals, on both sides of the political spectrum, do their utmost to silence speech they don't want to hear. Technically, the 1st Amendment is still the law of the land. Technically, it continues to tell the government to 'back off'. Technically, it continues to warn sovereign individuals to 'get over it', when it comes to hearing things they don't like. Technically, but 21st century reality tells a different story. * The Demoncrats imposed the Sounds of Silence on debates during primary elections by refusing to appear at any debates hosted by Fox News. That 'liberated' them from listening to, from answering, any hard, challenging, questions that could expose their views to the chad-punching public. * When it comes to the Sounds of Silence, Messiah Barry is without peer. In a daring, preemptive, strike, he took numerous items off the table. These include, but are not limited to: his supernaturalism, his middle name, his rogues gallery of friends and associates, his inexperience, his blatantly Marxist platform, his unrelenting flip-flopping, and his unsuitability for that Oval Office job. He snuffed out any comments on these, and other matters, with a Sounds of Silence weapon of mass destruction: the race card. * The Elephant Clan is equally adept at imposing the Sounds of Silence. They, too, favor the preemptive strike and it's almost as good as Messiah Barry's race card. Determined to snuff out any Freedom of Speech that exposes their sorry, government expanding, liberty nuking, antics, the Elephant Clan's Sounds of Silence trump card is their venerable mantra: We know that we really, really suck, BUT, the Demoncrats still suck more. * Believe it or not, even on the Internet, where Freedom of Speech is alive and well, the Sounds of Silence have gained a foothold.A year or two ago, some Blogspot sites were shutdown by the parent company, Google. The Sounds of Silence scheme is simple and very effective. A group of Daily Kossack Obamatons singled out sites that were critical of Messiah Barry, then complained to Blogspot/Google that the sites are 'offensive'. Armed with those complaints, Blogspot/Google locked out the perpetrator of that Blogspot site while the investigation was under way. The ensuing Sounds of Silence resulted in several of the bloggers moving their sites to a competing blog site provider, but it will take time for them to recover their lost readership. Many of the targeted blogs are run by disgruntled Comrade Hillary supporters, who refused to be dazzled by Barry's bullshit. * Until President Reagan eradicated it, the Sounds of Silence were very successful in snuffing out political speech on radio and television with the 'Fairness Doctrine'. In the name of promoting Freedom of Speech, this Draconian Nanny State stinker chased it off the 'public' airwaves. The instant the Sounds of Silence were dropped like a bad habit, talk radio exploded onto the scene, generating the robust political debate that the Fairness Doctrine promised, but never delivered. The leftwing loons did their best to make this 'robust, wide-open political debate' work for them, but their primary success is on certain boob tube networks that were already dominated by lefties. The problem, as they soon found out, is that relentless liberal whining isn't viable in the marketplace. Whenever we the people are given a choice, we dump the liberal offering like a bad habit. That's why, depending on the outcome of the forthcoming election, this stinker could be disinterred, re-animated and used to restore the Sounds of Silence on the 'public' airwaves. If the libs can't make us listen, the next best thing is to use the Sounds of Silence to eliminate what rational adults want to hear. * Juan 'Do You Want Salsa With That Citizenship, Chico' McCain succeeded in putting a muzzle on political speech, because Freedom of Speech gives incumbent Elected Tormentors a boo-boo. His Campaign Finance Reform imposed the Sounds of Silence during the critical phase of any election cycle, by criminalizing the Freedom of Speech of sovereign, chad-punching individuals. * The neo-Marxist Eggheads, who dominate America's Ivory Towers, began imposing the Sounds of Silence, decades ago, with campus speech codes. Now, in the 21st century, roving gangs of Korrectniks intimidate any rational adult, who strays onto a college campus, into surrendering their Freedom of Speech birthright. The vaunted 'free exchange of ideas' has been unceremoniously evicted from the campus, by these cultural Marxists. * Mecca Maniacs have reset the Sounds of Silence bar to dizzying heights. Their zeal, in this regard, is off the charts. If you dare to exercise your Freedom of Speech birthright about their prophet, their supernaturalism, their deity, or simply make them feel bad, THEY WILL KILL YOU. In their special circle of hell, Freedom of Speech is a synonym for "death sentence". * America's properly hyphenated horde has whined its way around the 1st Amendment and prodded the Nanny State into criminalizing any speech that gives them a rash. It's called 'hate speech' and it's so loosely defined that it applies to any speech they don't want to hear. The Sounds of Silence are the law of the land, in this land conceived in liberty. * Elements of the Vast Right-Wingnut Conspiracy have - in the name 'of the children' worked tirelessly to impose the Sounds of Silence on entertainment fare. Because some breeders can't, or won't, properly supervise their tykes, the Nanny State imposed Sounds of Silence which, systematically, deny sovereign individuals adult-themed content. Anything more daring than a test pattern is too 'edgy' for the boob tube. Any movie DVD that is aimed at an individual older than 5 can't be sold in the local outpost of capitalism, because - GASP - a child might get his mitts on it. Music albums that contain adult lyrics must be exiled, affixed with warning labels, and, wherever possible, removed from a store because some tyke might find it. Video games that give the VRWC a rash must be banished from the marketplace. Too many alleged adults are hooked on the Sounds of Silence. Too many alleged adults take the easy way out by snuffing out speech that they can't handle, or just plain don't like. Too many alleged adults seem to forget that the Sounds of Silence are the quiet that proceeds the thunder of jackboots goose-stepping over our liberty. It's time to flush the Sounds of Silence. It's time to grow a pair and confront that exercise in Freedom of Speech that gets on your last raw nerve. It's time for each and every one of us to restore Freedom of Speech - as the Founding Fathers intended it - to its rightful place in this land of the not as free as we're supposed to be.

New Header Pic

I needed something with snow and ice..............and having a retro painted EA-6B and EA-18G of The Vikings of VAQ129 out of NAS Whidbey Island WA flying over Mount Rainier seemed to work. It is a beautiful shot, don't you think?

Some PIG!

Hambo's Hammer for Monday, 27 June 2011!

What is an American
[A Southern Mexifornia fishwrap, the O.C. Register, asked its readers to answer the question, 'What is an American?', but they only gave the reader 100 words to get 'er done. I have already answered that question, but it's somewhat longer than 100 words.]
What is an American? The answer to that depends on whom you ask:
Mahmoud al-Gilligan, and all his Jihadikaze home boys will tell you that an American is evil personified. He will insist that an American is a demon who inhabits the Great Satan, their term for the United States of America.
Messiah Al's disciples will tell you that an American is a carbon-spewing, energy swilling junkie who is callously destroying Mother Earth.
Hugo "Skipper" Chavez and his Marxist cohorts will tell you that an American is a capitalist exploiter who is enslaving the underclasses.
Cindy Sheehan class peace punks will insist that an American is a war monger who won't rest until he has trampled defenseless nations underfoot and enslaved the denizens of those nations.
Before we can get a meaningful answer to our question, we need to seek the answer to another, equally important question: What is it that defines a national identity like "Italian", "Canadian", or "American"?

Ethnicity: Many national identities (Japanese, for example) are based, in part, on a shared ethnicity. That's a viable standard, but it won't work for America, because Americans can, and do, come from any/every ethic group. There is no ethnic/racial litmus test that will exclude someone from becoming an American.

Culture: Another common criteria for a national identity is a shared culture that stretches back centuries or millennia. That won't work for Americans who have a propensity for remaking their culture on the fly. Americans, routinely, borrow elements from other cultures, especially when it comes to foods, fashions and terminology.

Geography: Being an American isn't tied to a certain portion of the North American continent. It's not the land itself that makes someone an American. An American is an American, no matter where he, she, heshe or it lives.

Longevity: In some instances, a national identity is based on how long a group of people have lived in a certain place. Excluding Siberian-Americans, those most commonly identified as Americans have only been living in the New World for 400 years, at most.
Obviously the usual traits that define a national identity don't seem to apply to 'American'. The 'American' identity isn't limited by ethnicity, culture, geography and longevity. We need to dig deeper for the answer to this question.
What is an American? It's not the vile things that our critics claim and it defies the conventional criteria for a national identity. The essence of being an American was shaped by this land, but not defined by it. The essence of being an American was, and is, enriched by the many ethnicities that inhabit this land conceived in liberty but isn't limited to any one of them. The essence of being an American is demonstrated by, not defined by, American culture.
The traits that define an American aren't anything tangible. Being an American is an attitude, a singular mindset, that we carry inside each and every one of us who are proud to state "I'm an American". The central fact about Americans is that their national identity was created, from scratch, by those rugged individuals who made their home here.
We are, as the open borders crowd insists, a nation of immigrants. Each new wave of immigration has put its own mark on the American character, redefining what it means to be an American, in the process.
The first immigration wave to the New World was undertaken at least 10,000 years ago, in the waning days of an ice age. Leaving the world they knew, those original immigrants - those individuals I call Siberian-Americans - gazed upon the land bridge spanning the Bering Straits and boldly began a long journey into the unknown. They were the embodiment of that classic human trait that makes us seek the answer to the question: "I wonder where that leads?" They started out on a dangerous journey into unknown territory to face its dangers head-on. Why did they risk it? Because it's a primal human impulse to find out what's around that next turn in the road, beyond that hill on the horizon, or across that dangerous stretch of ocean.
The next wave of immigration began when determined individuals in Europe started out on their own dangerous journey in boats that were barely up to the challenge of a notoriously unforgiving stretch of ocean. They landed on the new world and began to populate its eastern shores with men and women who dared to dream of a bold, untried form of government. Many of those who started that journey never lived to finish it. Some of those who completed that dangerous passage, didn't survive the rigors that the New World imposed on them. Those who emerged from that trial by an unflinching Mother Nature laid the ground work for that singular individual we call an American.
Americans are, by nature, innovators, risk takers. An American is an individual who wants to test, his, her, hisher or its personal limits. An American wants to see how far, how high, their intellect, talent and hard work can take them. An American seeks "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" without Nanny State interference.
That seems to explain why people around the world spend years jumping through bureaucratic hoops, and surmounting countless hurdles for the right to become an American. Many of them understand what it really means to be an American better than most native born Americans. In many cases, these newest Americans put us to shame with their classically American work ethic, their determination to build their lives from scratch. They want to make their mark on the world, without Nanny State assistance.
There's a lot we can learn from these legal immigrats who work so hard to enter America through the front door. They have much more to offer than exotic foods, fashion trends and new terminology. They are a badly needed lesson, a warning, that we are allowing the Nanny State and its damn social safety net to strip all the real meaning from America's national identity.
It's my considered opinion that too many native born Americans have lost their way. The Nanny State's siren song of artificial rights and safety nets that 'spare' us the essential, character building, life lessons is destroying us. Those life lessons, those blows that the Nanny State absorbs, are vital when it comes to forging the American character. We have become fat, lazy and much too complacent, while the Nanny State chips away at our birthright of inalienable individual liberty. We are, in short, our own worst enemy when it comes to the erosion of that rugged individualism that is the solid foundation which gives being an American its unique meaning.
We've lost our way, but the situation isn't hopeless. Many - perhaps most - of America's legal, front door, immigrants harken back to the essence of what it means to be an American. They don't want a handout. They don't want a safety net. All they want is their chance to become that self-reliant, that self-made, individual, an American.
What is an American? If you still don't know, ask any legal immigrant. Ask any of those determined individuals who walk that long, torturous, path that ends at a ceremony where they are sworn in as a certified American. Ask those eager immigrants who dip their toe into those teeming capitalist waters with that donut shop, convenience store, dry cleaners or gas station. Ask that endlessly patient individual who is on that years long waiting list, ready, willing and eager for permission to realize that dream of becoming an American.
What is an American? A dreamer, an innovator, an arrogant, swaggering pain in the butt, who dares to tell the rest of the world: "I'm living proof that there's a better way."

Ordinary Day?

Took the Missus to LAX to catch the Allegiant MD-80 to Wichita. She made it safe and sound. Going to spend time with the kids and grandkids. Then she and the oldest grand daughter head back on the Southwest Chief to Barstow. I have to meet the train at about 0200 on the 12th of July.
On my way back I made a stop in Glendale and had brunch with the one, the only Little Miss Attila!!!!!!!!
Joy McCann herself!!!!! Took a picture and sadly when I got home, I hit the wrong button on the Kodak and lost it. I am so bummed. Joy was the first blogger I was able to meet in person.
That being said we had a nice visit.
Back to the grind tomorrow for a short week. Friday is liberal leave/move your RDO(regular day off). I moved mine to Friday, four day weekend. And the forecast is for HOT!!!!!!!

Day by Day Cartoon 06/26/2011

Day by Day Cartoon

06/26/2011

I also have a link in that date to the DBD site. It is one we should all read, regularly!

787 Dreamliner arrives at Paris for the Air Show.

I have to admit that at first I did not like the lines on this bird. But having seen the footage of it in flight, I have begun to like it.
And it is quite the performer, as I can tell. And as with any new technologically advanced and laden product, it had it's problems early on.
But enjoy.

Cool Video (And Hot FLIR) Views Of The 787 Landing At Paris

Got this one from AirPigz. One of the best, off the wall aviation blogs around. Always has neat stuff up! But this one is really cool!



http://airpigz.com/blog/2011/6/24/cool-video-and-hot-flir-views-of-the-787-landing-at-paris.html

SR-71 Low Pass From Bring the Heat, Bring the Stupid

Blackbird low level in afterburner.
Thanks Guys!
http://xbradtc.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/sr-71-low-pass/

Rule 5 Saturday Night: Ana Beatriz Barros

H/T to Maggie's Notebook and the link to it from The Camp Of The Saints.


http://www.maggiesnotebook.com/2011/06/rule-5-saturday-night-ana-beatriz-barros/
Kind of slow today, so here is some serious eye candy! Follow the link to the rest!!!!!

From xbratc: Two members of religion of peace arrested for plan to attack recruiting center in Seattle.

Copied directly from Bring the Heat, Bring the Stupid. Facebook friend and denizen of Whidbey Island WA. His home was where I did eleven of twenty years.
One of our big papers in the area was the Seattle Times. Liberal fishwrap. Bird cage carpet.

Two men have been arrested in Seattle in what federal agents say was a terrorist plot to attack a military recruit processing station in Seattle.

Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis, 33, of Seattle, and Walli Mujahidh, aka Frederick Dominque Jr., 32, of Los Angeles were arrested Wednesday and charged in a complaint unsealed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Among the charges were conspiracy to murder U.S. officers, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction and unlawful possession of firearms.

via Local News | Two men arrested in plot to attack Seattle military processing facility | Seattle Times Newspaper.

I first joined the Army at the Seattle Military Entrance Processing Center.

Read the whole article.  The Seattle Times at least does mention their religious affiliation (if only quite a ways down the column).

Via Ace, who stole it from DPUD.

Thoughts on the Air Force and Close Air Support

From Bring the Heat, Bring the Stupid on the ongoing discussion about CAS......
Copied in Full......

We’ve often been frustrated by the Air Force’s grudging provision of Close Air Support (CAS) over the years.  And there’s an institutional perception throughout the Army that the Air Force doesn’t want to do CAS, and perhaps the Army should take over that role.

But it isn’t simply a case of the Air Force being a bunch of assholes, and leaving the Army hanging out to dry. There are real challenges to providing the type and quantity that Army would desire. Indeed, as a practical matter, they could never provide enough, as the Army would only demand more.

Since 1942, US ground commanders have been asking for more and better close air support. Early attempts at CAS in North Africa and Italy were dismal, partly because of technical reasons, partly because there was no established doctrine for how it should be done, and (in North Africa, especially) partly because the Luftwaffe had, if not air superiority, then at least air parity.

But as communications, techniques, and our own air superiority improved, so too did the Army Air Forces ability to provide CAS.  By the time of the invasion of Normandy, the 9th Air Force introduced the TACs, or Tactical Air Commands. Each TAC was designed to operate in direct support of  one of the field armies on the ground in France. And they did a great job. But what they didn’t do was provide a constant umbrella of CAS over each and every unit. In fact, a lot of what they did would later become known as BAI, or Battlefield Air Interdiction. What they DID do that is historically important, however, is to integrate their operations to support and synch up with those of the ground commander.

In Korea, and especially in Vietnam, when we think of CAS, we see it being used essentially as really heavy artillery, available on call when normal tube artillery wasn’t enough.  For the most part, in the permissive environment in South Vietnam, that’s how the Army wanted it to be used, and the Air Force, in spite of its own institutional reservations, provided a great deal of that.

But after Vietnam, just as the Army turned its eyes to Western Europe, so did the Air Force. Just as the Army was facing enormous numbers of tanks and motorized Soviet divisions, the Air Force faced a very similar challenge in terms of the sheer numbers of Soviet Frontal Aviation forces arrayed against them.  The Air Force faced up to the probability that if there was a war in Western Europe, they’d be lucky to maintain air-parity, and unlikely to immediately achieve air superiority. And given that fact, there would be no way they could provide CAS on anything like the scale the Army would want.

And for the most part, the Army understood that. The Air Force wasn’t ducking out on CAS because they didn’t like doing it. They were faced with the age old challenge of too many missions for the resources available. And something had to give. So the Air Force wanted to capitalize on the strengths of airpower, and use it to its maximum effectiveness for each sortie flown.

There came to be three basic types of missions in support of ground forces: Close Air Support, Interdiction, and a new term, Battlefield Air Interdiction, or BAI.

Close Air Support is, roughly, those air missions that are terminally controlled by a Forward Air Controller at the front lines, or in support of troops in contact.

Interdiction missions were deep strikes against ground targets in the enemy’s rear areas that were in general support of the ground forces, such as marshaling yards for railroads, oil refineries, ports and other shipping targets, command and control assets, and other infrastructure targets. 

Battlefield Air Interdiction, however, was a little different. These were strikes in the enemy’s rear that were designed to directly influence the enemy, attrit his forces, and support a ground commander’s specific scheme of maneuver, but were far enough behind the front lines that they were not controlled by a forward air controller on the ground. The air commander and the ground commander worked together to nominate and service targets in this BAI environment. And example might be tasking the Air Force to drop a specific bridge, at a specific time, to disrupt the movement of a Soviet Motor Rifle Division for a predictable period of time (and likely follow up that strike with a series of strikes on the MRD while it is waiting for an alternate bridge to cross).

Airpower’s inherent capability to mass quickly and strike targets of relatively fleeting opportunity made BAI a more lucrative mission that trying to pick off a tank here or there at the front lines.  Two F-16s might kill a couple tanks at the front lines, or they might stall an entire division for a day or more by dropping a bridge. The return on investment argued for the BAI mission, as far as the Air Force was concerned.

And the Air Force put a lot of effort and resources into the mission. Over the course of several decades, the Air Force spent billions and billions of dollars supporting this job. The E-8 JSTARS was designed to help find out where these columns of enemy divisions were. Entire families of bombs were designed to help the Air Force attack columns of Soviet tanks before they deployed into assault formation. Sensors and command and control networks were developed to give the Air Force the ability to find worthy targets, and assign appropriate strike packages to them quickly, all to support the scheme of maneuver on the ground.

The Army and the Air Force, through a series of high level staff conferences, came to a rough agreement on the role of airpower in the Army’s AirLand Battle Doctrine. As a practical matter, the Army understood that anything that was within range of the artillery of a unit on the ground was an Army target, to be attacked with artillery (or attack helicopters), and those targets further out were for the Air Force to attack. Those targets within a tactical corps Area of Interest (that is, enemy units that could reach the front in 48-72 hours, or roughly 100 miles behind the front lines) were generally treated as BAI targets, and the Air Force would work within the ground commander to attack those specific targets the ground commander nominated.  Anything further back from the front lines was generally considered an interdiction target, and the Air Force would attack those based on its own desires, and the priorities of the theater commander.

Nor did the Air Force totally ignore the need for Close Air Support. It did, after all, in the austere budget environment of the 1970s, develop and buy several hundred A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, designed specifically for Close Air Support. And every it provided Forward Air Controllers and Air Liaison Officers to every brigade in the Army. So the Air Force would provide some level of CAS to the Army, but the Army would have to prioritize which units on the ground would benefit from the limited available supply of CAS sorties.

The demonstration of this concept was, like so much else of AirLand Battle, the First Gulf War. While the Navy was firing Tomahawk missiles at Baghdad, and the Air Force’s F-117s were going downtown as well, the Air Force focused first on dismantling the Iraqi air defense network, bombing airfields and control nodes throughout the land. But they also quickly began both isolating the battlefield in general, by dropping bridges and cutting communications, and they began supporting the Army’s scheme of maneuver. They atrited Iraqi formations in general, and they attacked to fix, atrit or destroy specific units that the Army nominated for attention. If these attacks weren’t nearly as successful as the Air Force hoped (or claimed) that was more a matter of technical limitations than of a faulty doctrinal basis, or lack of good faith effort on the part of the Air Force. If each tank brigade in Desert Storm didn’t have a flight of A-10s overhead at all times, the Air Force might be forgiven for pointing out that the brigade did have access to at least one, and often three battalions of 155mm artillery, possibly a battalion of 8” artillery, a battalion of MLRS rocket artillery, and a battalion (or more) of AH-64 Apache gunships.  The Army wasn’t exactly hurting for fire support in the close fight…

But now we come to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The low intensity conflict there against terrorist groups means that there really aren’t any BAI target or interdiction targets for the Air Force to attack. The enemy rarely masses and identifies itself until it is actually in contact with our ground forces. Further, the near universal adoption of precision guided munitions such as laser guided bombs, and GPS guided JDAMs means airpower can be used more precisely than conventional unguided artillery fires, with lower collateral damages.  And the ability of strike aircraft to share video of their targeting imagery with forces on the ground via systems like ROVER (which transmits video from their targeting pods to laptops in the hands of troops on the ground) provides an excellent ability to “see over the next hill” or “around the corner” that his highly valued.

So CAS has quickly become the “big gun” of choice for troop units on the ground. After all, few things put an end to a fight like dropping a 2000lb bomb on the other guys head.

But while the Air Force has provided CAS for the Army for almost 10 years now in Afghanistan and Iraq, they still have other missions facing them. They still need to train to fight and win air superiority against a more conventional foe. And they only have a limited amount of money to spend. I strongly suspect the Air Force would be delighted to operated a Light Attack turbo prop plane in support of the Army… except they are convinced that the money would have to do so would inevitably come from the hide of some other program that the Air Force, as an institution, sees as a higher priority in the long term. One suspects also that the Air Force didn’t quite anticipate that it would be called upon to provide an aerial umbrella for a decade or more.

With the adoption of precision ground fires such as the Guided MLRS, the guided Excalibur 155mm projectile, and the newest GPS guided 120mm mortar round, perhaps some of the demand signal for Close Air Support will diminish. But likely not. Even with those tools in his pocket, any commander that thinks he can get air assets overhead is certainly going to ask for them. No commander ever went into a fight thinking he had too many resources.

File This Under "Miss Me Yet?"

From Blackfive via Buck Pennington at Exile in Portales. Can you believe this sorry sack of shit? What a Fucking Low Life Dirt Bag, Commie Camel Jockey!

File This Under "Miss Me Yet?"

Blackfive:

The President addressing the 10th Mountain Division today at Fort Drum:
"First time I saw 10th Mountain Division, you guys were in southern Iraq. When I went back to visit Afghanistan, you guys were the first ones there. I had the great honor of seeing some of you because a comrade of yours, Jared Monti, was the first person who I was able to award the Medal of Honor to who actually came back and wasn’t receiving it posthumously."

As we all know, SSG Sal Giunta, of the 173rd Airborne, was the first living recipient (2011) of the MOH who fought in Iraq/Afganistan. SFC Jared Monti, 10th Mountain Division, was KIA in Afghanistan in 2006. He was posthumously awarded the MOH by Obama in 2009.

Can you imagine Dubya making such a statement?  Neither can I.  I don't like Obama, I don't like his politics, but I respect the office of the president.  That said, this gaffe offends me to my very core.  Say what you will about President Bush but the man would NEVER make an error as grievous as this.  Period.  Obama is worse than a fuckin' joke... the man is not worthy of the position he holds.

http://exileinportales.blogspot.com/2011/06/file-this-under-miss-me-yet.html

The Army’s Quest for its Own CAS – Part 3

The third in a series from Bring the heat, Bring the Stupid.
..............In the first two posts, I discussed the Army’s efforts to develop an organic close air support (CAS) capability.  In spite of restrictions, the Army considered jet-powered forward air control (FAC) aircraft, which looked very much like fully capable attack aircraft.  This met, as expected, with resistance from Air Force leaders, who judged the Army’s jets an unwanted encroachment the junior service’s mission............


Got some neat looking and downright strange looking aircraft here today. Like this sample below.
I will be linking the entire series as they are posted.
http://xbradtc.wordpress.com/2011/06/22/army-fixed-wing-cas-pt3/

The Fairchild VZ-5. I was five when this came out.

The Army’s Quest for its Own CAS – Part 2

Part two from Bring the heat, bring the stupid........
Pictures too!

Army A4D

Fiat G.91
Interesting segment. It also has the Northrop N-156F a derivative of the T-38 Talon.
I am learning some things from these posts.

http://xbradtc.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/army-fixed-wing-cas-pt2/

Cheeky Rule Five on a Monday Night.

Link is to Uber Humor:
60 pics of definitely tasty derrieres!
Not dirty pics, just really nice rear ends!
http://uberhumor.com/that-ass-60-hottest-asses-we-could-find-60-pictures/

Sample.


Need I say more?
Didn't think so.......

The Army’s Quest for its Own CAS – Part 1

Got this one from xbradtc..............Bring the heat, bring the stupid.
It is part one, waiting on part two. But I understand the Army wanting it's own close support fixed wing aircraft. Capacity, speed and loiter time, from my son the soldier. The Air Force is heavy into the high speed, wizbang stuff.
http://xbradtc.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/army-fixed-wing-cas-pt1/

AT-6 Texan

Beech AT-6 Texan II is a good candidate as well as the Embraer/(Shorts) Super Tucano.

EMB-314 Super Tucano

Fast for what the demand is. Good loiter time and a good payload.......Both in that realm and either would serve the Army well.

Paris Air Show to start Monday: Air Capital Insider

This is the aviation blog of the Wichita Eagle. I still have interest in Wichita as two of my kids and three of my grandkids live there. And I did almost seven years in both Bombardier-Learjet and Hawker Beechcraft plants. And two of my grand daughters have dads who send child support due to the aircraft industry. More than mildly interested, as it were.
But that aside, Molly McMillin is on hand for the big do in Paris.......The main thing for all at Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita is the Boeing 747-8I Intercontinental.

On Sunday, Boeing’s first 747-8 Intercontinental arrived at Le Bourget, its international debut of the elongated 747.

The plane arrived from Seattle, flew at Mach .85, and traveled 4,400 nautical miles. It will be on display through Tuesday, then return to flight test.

CGI images of the Big Cinnamon Coloured Jet

Over Mount Rainier. Kind of obligatory for Boeing with new airplanes.

Read more: http://blogs.kansas.com/aviation/2011/06/19/paris-air-show-to-start-monday/#ixzz1Pmst5BiK

Miyamoto Musashi: Samurai, Philosopher, Author

There was a two hour show about this man on History International this evening. What a man, he was.
Hosted by Mark Dacascos, good show. He basically walks in Musashi's footsteps........
Next time it airs, I recommend it.
Musashi is oft times referred to as "The Ultimate Warrior."
The link is to the Wikipedia entry about him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi

Musashi Miyamoto with two Bokken (wooden quarterstaves)

Color version to replace B&W. Scan of ancient japanese scroll.

Image source is: http://www.akinokai.org/images/Images.htm?Musashi.jpg

Original document is too old to copyright, hence all faithful/mechanical reproductions should also be public domain.

Mission impossible: uniforms vs Denise Milani’s boobs in high-res: 23 Photos

Eye Candy/Rule Five linkage to theBrigade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Samples to get you interested!




Enjoy!
http://thebrigade.thechive.com/2011/06/15/mission-impossible-uniforms-vs-denise-milanis-boobs-in-high-res-23-hq-photos/

From Wyatt Earp at SYLG!

Philadelphia: America's 2nd Dirtiest City
It seems topped only by New Orleans.
Go on over and check it out!
http://supportyourlocalgunfighter.com/2011/06/philadelphia-americas-2nd-dirtiest-city/

Santa Clarita Gas Station Collapses After Crash

This place is one of my coffee stops going to and from LA....The Airport, Diabetes Docs for the Missus and The Department of Veterans Affairs, Sepulveda Ambulatory Care Center.
Bummer!
"Sheriff's deputies say alcohol may have been a factor in the crash"
That is the last line in the article........Hmmmmmm?
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-santa-clarita-chevron-collapse,0,2784056.story

Devil's Lake Subdivision of the BNSF Conditions between MP 103 & MP 104 during high wind events.

Got this from my Roadmaster Buddy, Shane Urwiller.
The recent bad weather in the Northern Plains has caused issues on the BNSF(Old Great Northern RR)
In June of 2007, I was working my ballast train along this line. It is the between Grand Forks and Minot, North Dakota




Hopefully this link will take you to where you can make them larger!
Devil's Lake Sub MP 103-104

Blood On Their Hands: Giving Guns to Criminals Was the Plan All Along

Katie Pavlich at Townhall has this interesting piece up.
Well worth the time to read it......
...........“Allowing loads of weapons that we knew to be destined for criminals, this was the plan. It was so mandated.” –Special Agent John Dodson ATF Phoenix Field Division..........


Kind of makes ya wonder, doesn't it?
http://townhall.com/columnists/katiepavlich/2011/06/15/blood_on_their_hands_giving_guns_to_criminals_was_the_plan_all_along

Thunder on The Lot

The car and motorcycle show with music, drifting, dirt racing and other neat things.
Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster.
Went down with a few others to enjoy a while before it gets hot.

My Friend Bobby's M109R Boulevard

Bobby's Boulevard Part Two

Bobby's Boulevard Part Three

AAMCO Girls and a Cobra

Pretty, aren't they?

Just a few from the day.......Still trying to get all of them loaded on Facebook! Except the two with the ladies.....discretion is the better part of valour, ya know?

CHP BMW Patrol Bikes

Absolutely the Best Looking Springer Softail I have ever seen