Once more into the breach…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
I know I’m stoopid… But sometimes the ‘target’ is just too good to pass up…

Friday our token office liberal was crowing about women being allowed in combat, and how it was a WIN for all women…

Now this is the same one I’ve gone round with a couple of times, but THIS time I got her…

I told her yeah, that’s great, and I hope she likes having her daughter having to register for Selective Service and the draft!  

And I turned around and walked off, leaving her looking like Nemo… Gulping and turning various colors… 🙂

And I “DO” hope the start requiring women to register for the Selective Service now that they are allowed into combat.  That was always the ‘excuse’ before, that since they were restricted, there was no need for registration…

Let the unintended consequences begin! 😀

More Equal time…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
THIS post started the discussion, THIS post was a follow up and more information, and now this post is another perspective on the discussion…


One example of a pro-gun argument that doesn’t rely on “It’s in the Constitution!”

In 1996, in Port Arthur, Australia, 35 people were killed and 21 people were wounded when a man with a history of erratic behavior and violence (from early childhood) opened fire with two semi-automatic rifles. He obtained those rifles in an illegal fashion.
Regardless, the Australian government instituted a buyback program that eventually destroyed more than 600,000 firearms. Sadly, in the only province that reported specific details, less than 3% of the buybacks were of the same type of rifle as those committed in the massacre.

To this day, gun control advocates like to show that the homicide rate in Australia has plummeted due to the wide-reaching gun control restrictions. However, a quick look at the rate of homicide in Australia* finds that from 1976 (the first year reported) to the present, the rate varied only between 1.16 and 2.4 per year. Yes, the four most recent years had the lowest rates out of any presented. But the highest rate was in 1988, 9 years before the buyback. Obviously, the drawdown started occurring for a reason other than “most guns were removed from the public’s hands”.

Now, firearm suicides have fallen from about 22% of all suicides in 1992 to 7% of all suicides in 2005.** But there have been concerted efforts in suicide prevention from the time of 1997 – when there was a 10% INCREASE in the suicide rate (in 1997 and 1998). Notice that this increase takes place after the gun buyback program, and so therefore, removing guns from society did not hinder the suicide rate.

The number of guns stolen per year has also fallen. From 1994 (pre-ban) to 2000 (post-ban), there were, on average, more than 4,000 firearms stolen each year. Approximately 3% of those stolen weapons are later connected to an actual crime or found in the possession of a person charged with a serious offence.

Now, looking at the Australian Institute of Criminology’s own page***, we can see that while the rate of robbery, kidnapping, and homicide remain relatively steady since 1996, the rate of assault has gone up. Further reading**** shows that violent crime statistics drawn from police data do not show the large amount of violent crime and victimization that is never disclosed to police (whereas the homicide rate is fairly obvious). In fact, the AIC’s own website admits that there is a high rate of non-disclosure in the various indigenous communities, suggesting that the rate of violent crime is potentially much higher than what they can prove via official record.

On this webpage*****, the following stats are summarized:
= In 2006, assault rose 49.2 percent and robbery 6.2 percent.
= Sexual assault — Australia’s equivalent term for rape — increased 29.9 percent.
= Overall, Australia’s violent crime rate rose 42.2 percent.

And while the homicide rate did drop, both Australia and the United States (where there is no appreciable gun-ban) saw a decrease in the murder rate:
= Between 1995 and 2007, Australia saw a 31.9 percent decrease; without a gun ban, America’s rate dropped 31.7 percent.

Now compare the previous stats I gave for Australia to the following lines:
= U.S. violent crime decreased 31.8 percent: rape dropped 19.2 percent; robbery decreased 33.2 percent; aggravated assault dropped 32.2 percent.
= Australian women are now raped over three times as often as American women.

Would this constitute a valid pro-gun argument?

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate_by_decade

** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_Australia

*** http://www.aic.gov.au/statistics/violent%20crime.html

**** http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20series/tandi/401-420/tandi405.html

***** http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=17847

I do acknowledge that the first one, in retrospect, is a bit over the top, and these last two DO bring some clarity to the discussion.  And I am thankful that we ARE having a civil discussion here. 

I also appreciate the readers who have commented both in the post themselves, and those who’ve commented via email.  

Thank you all for reading and using facts rather than hyperbole, emotion and fear mongering… 

h/t Ron

A question…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
DC vs Heller said this:

The handgun ban and the trigger-lock requirement (as applied to self-defense) violate the Second Amendment. The total ban on handgun possession in the home amounts to a prohibition on an entire class of arms that Americans overwhelmingly choose for the lawful purpose of self-defense. This prohibition would fail constitutional muster under any standard of scrutiny. Similarly, the requirement that any lawful firearm in the home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and is therefore unconstitutional. 

Since NY, MD and other states and the Feds have defined  “assault rifles” in all these bills. and every bill seeks to ban this “class” of guns, which an overwhelming majority of Americans own for self defense, doesn’t that equal them trying to ban an entire class of arms for said reason and therefore has already been proven to be unconstitutional by DC vs Heller? 

The decision saying that trigger locks and having them disassembled etc. in the home should also nullify a few other things in these kooky bills with regard to securing the guns shouldn’t it?

Just asking…

WTF in Missouri???

Posted on by March 6, 2013
I don’t even know what to say about this one…

From CBS St. Louis-


Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, has proposed a bill that would create an offense for failing to prevent an illegal firearm possession or for the failure to safely store a firearm. The bill also would require a parent or guardian with a child enrolled in a school to notify the school district — or the governing body of a private or charter school — that the parent or guardian owns a firearm.

“This bill is very important to me because in urban cities across the nation, we experience gun violence every single day and usually our type of gun violence deals with people who live in high poverty areas, areas where there aren’t enough resources,” Chappelle-Nadal said.

Under the bill, an offense would be a Class A misdemeanor unless death or injury results, making the offense a Class D felony.

The offense would be committed if a parent or guardian fails to report the possession of a firearm by a child under the age of 18 or if a parent recklessly stores a firearm allowing the child to acquire it, by not storing it in a secure locked location.


Full story HERE.  

I’m just shaking my head over this one…

There’s RC, and there’s SERIOUS RC…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
This one is for Ev…



It’s damn near as big as what he used to fly…

Conjecture, but probably something around $20,000 sitting there…

h/t JP

And… Here come the hits…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
The Navy has released ‘part’ of it’s plan to deal with cuts…

From Military.com HERE.


Navy flag officers and top executives were told Thursday to begin cutting expenses — laying off thousands of temporary civilian workers, reducing base operations and preparing to cancel maintenance work on more than two dozen ships and hundreds of aircraft.

/snip/ 

— Cancel maintenance for about 30 Navy ships and 250 aircraft between April and September.
— Terminations of temporary civilian employees and a civilian hiring freeze. This will reduce the shipyards’ workforce by more than 3,000 people.
— Reductions in base spending and plans to cancel most repairs and upgrades of piers, runways, buildings and other facilities.

/snip/

The cutbacks are in response to Congress’ approving a continuing resolution to keep the government operating at 2012 budget levels until March 27.

The smaller budget and other “unplanned growth” leave the Navy with $4.6 billion less than it needs for 2013.


What is NOT being said, and Ashton Carter came out this afternoon with another hit, and that is planning for one day a week furloughs for civilian workers through the end of the FY, which is September…

And I’m betting we’re going to see entire Carrier Strike Groups and entire squadrons of airplanes tied up to the pier/parked on the ramp in what is called cold iron status…  Readiness, pretty much out the window, ability to react to a global crisis, out the window…  Don’t know how the Army/Air Force will handle it, but it’s sure as hell NOT going to be pretty…

h/t Craig, Frito, Avon and others
 


And from Gerald, a link HERE to Michael Yon’s post on the Air Force response…

And from WSF, a link HERE to the Army response… sigh… We’re F**ked…

A little ‘humor’…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Jesus was wandering around Jerusalem when he decided that he really needed a new robe.

After looking around for a while, he saw a sign for Finkelstein, the Tailor..

So, he went in and made the necessary arrangements to have Finkelstein prepare a new robe for him. A few days later, when the robe was finished, Jesus tried it on — and it was a perfect fit!

He asked how much he owed.

Finkelstein brushed him off: “No, no, no, for the Son of God there’s no charge!

However, may I ask for a small favor. Whenever you give a sermon, perhaps you could just mention that your nice new robe was made by Finkelstein, the Tailor?”

Jesus readily agreed and as promised, extolled the virtues of his Finkelstein robe whenever he spoke to the masses.

A few months later, while Jesus was again walking through Jerusalem , he happened to walk past Finkelstein’s shop and noted a huge line of people waiting for Finkelstein’s robes.

He pushed his way through the crowd to speak to him and as soon as Finkelstein spotted him he said: “Jesus, Jesus, look what you’ve done for my business!

Would you consider a partnership?”

“Certainly,” replied Jesus

“Jesus & Finkelstein it is.”

“Oh, no, no,” said Finkelstein.

“Finkelstein & Jesus.

After all, I am the craftsman.”

The two of them debated this for some time.

Their discussion was long and spirited, but ultimately fruitful — and they finally came up with a mutually acceptable compromise.. A few days later, the new sign went up over Finkelstein’s shop:

I know, I know… but it is STILL funny… 🙂

Do you Give???

Posted on by March 6, 2013
Jennifer put a post up HERE about giving blood… And AGirl had one up HERE.

I used to give blood all the time, and thankfully never had the experience AGirl had, at least not until that night after some beers…

Back in the early mumble 70s , the Navy/Marines used to have a ‘project’ for giving blood, ‘we’ knew it affectionately as “Vampire Liberty”. The Red Cross or local hospitals used to bring in either buses to take us to give, or bring a blood van to the bases.  Now for ‘some’ reason they always seemed to do this on Thursday between paydays…  If you gave blood, you got ‘early’ liberty on Friday. I ‘think’ it was around 13-1400… AND you got paid for your blood (since I am O+ I think I got maybe $5, but some of the ‘rare’ types got a LOT more; I remember we had one guy with AB- and I think he got around $40). 

During Vietnam, there was always a need for blood, and usually when we had a ‘duty week’, we’d go give on Monday.  I seem to remember we were limited to once every three months, but that’s still a lot of blood over x years. 

Sadly, due to my travels in strange/weird places over the years, I’m no longer allowed to give blood unless it’s TEOTWAWKI…

Why am I bringing this up, well to make a long story short, there are a LOT of folks that need ‘good’ blood, with the right antigens, and it seems fewer and fewer in the newer generations are willing to give.  

Folks, there is ALWAYS a significant need for blood, especially those who are accident victims, undergoing surgery, chemo, and lots of other uses.

HERE are some statistics that may surprise you…

Bottom line, sometimes the ‘best’ donation you can give is the cheapest… A little bit of your time, and a little bit of your blood.  The life you save ‘may’ be mine, or Jennifer’s, or AGirl’s; or someone you love…

AABB has a donation locator HERE, or the Red Cross has one HERE.

Thanks!

Equal time, and a clarification…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
I received a comment an Aussie reader (Pax) and a link to another Australian article in The Conversation, from Monash University.


In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre and Monash University shootings, the conservative government of John Howard introduced a series of gun laws. These restricted who could own guns and the type of guns they could own.

While the impact of the Australian gun laws is still debated, there have been large decreases in the number of firearm suicides and the number of firearm homicides in Australia. Homicide rates in Australia are only 1.2 per 100,000 people people, with less than 15 percent of these resulting from firearms.

Prior to the implementation of the gun laws, 112 people were killed in 11 mass shootings. Since the implementation of the gun laws, no comparable gun massacres have occured in Australia.

Remarkably, American pro-gun advocates try to use the impact of the Australian gun law reform to make a case that reform “doesn’t work”. This seems amazing given the homicide rate in the United States is 5 per 100,000 people, with most homicides involving firearms.

When gun advocates use Australian crime stats, they sometimes employ a number of misleading tricks and sleights of hand. These tricks are common to several politically charged debates, and are a form of pseudo-science. Lets look at these tricks in action.


Full article presented HERE.

I’m not going to argue the statistics presented here, but I’d be curious as to the current rates and deaths per year. The last authoritative study quoted in the article was in 2006. I know from discussions I’ve personally had with both LEOs and ER docs in Australia, they are seeing more ‘illegal’ guns used. Now what that definition of ‘more’ is, I’m not sure.

Thanks Pax, appreciate your chiming in and your clarification!

Gah… More Sequestration and other Social Engineering…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
Strange things are afoot (as usual) inside the Beltway…

Reader Craig points out the issues of maintenance and inability for the Navy to decom ships…  From Military.com…


The Navy is stuck with a number of poorly performing ships it wasn’t permitted to scrap but can’t afford to fix because Congress hasn’t resolved its budget stalemate.

Four Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers were on the Navy’s decommissioning list for 2013 because repairing and upgrading them would cost billions of dollars. But Congress objected to the cuts and instead authorized money to maintain three of them.
That money has yet to materialize.

Congress failed to agree on a 2013 budget and instead placed government spending under a continuing resolution — a Band-Aid measure that keeps the government running at 2012 budget levels, with no new appropriations.

That leaves the Navy responsible for keeping three cruisers operational, including the Norfolk-based Anzio, without setting aside money to maintain or repair them, much less do necessary upgrades. As a result, the Anzio and two other cruisers — the Vicksburg, based in Mayport, Fla., and the Cowpens, in Yokosuka, Japan — are operating at diminished levels and with minimal staffing, able to do some local tasks, but not considered suitable for deploying overseas.


Now I happen to know for a fact that the USS Cowpens IS forward deployed… So how is ‘that’ working out?  Not well…

Full article HERE. 

And the key, as I’ve said before is the LACK of maintenance funds… A couple of years ago the figure was ~$450M shortfall, so ONLY the pre-deployers were getting fixed… And we’re still having ships fail INSURV (THE major service inspection).

In other news, proof that CJCS and especially Gen Dempsey have drunk the koolaid, there will be an announcement by Panetta tomorrow that women will be ‘allowed’ to go into combat by 2015 in the Army and Marines.

Women in all branches of the military soon will have unprecedented opportunities to serve on the front lines of the nation’s wars.

Leon Panetta, in one of his last acts as President Obama’s defense secretary, is preparing to announce the policy change, which would open hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and potentially elite commando jobs after more than a decade at war, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday.

The groundbreaking move recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff overturns a 1994 rule banning women from being assigned to smaller ground combat units. Panetta’s decision gives the military services until January 2016 to seek special exceptions if they believe any positions must remain closed to women.

“This policy change will initiate a process whereby the services will develop plans to implement this decision, which was made by the secretary of defense upon the recommendation of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,” a senior defense official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

Full article HERE.

What’s NOT being said, is this will not be an ‘optional’ assignment… If you (the female) end up in a combat MOS, like it or not, want it or not, your butt WILL be in combat.  The really scary part is that the ‘plan’ is to open all elite forces to females; if this is true, what are they going to do with the minimum standards required today for admission to these units???

AND one more, as if your BP isn’t high enough already…  

This one is for all you ex-Air Force folks…
From Military Times online.


The objective of the inspection was to ensure a professional work environment in the Air Force and reflect the high caliber of Airmen serving in our Air Force.

/snip/

Over 100 Air Force installations were inspected. Commanders of thousands of units inspected the workspaces of almost 600,000 Air Force military and civilian personnel. Commanders looked for and removed three broad categories of material: pornographic; unprofessional; or inappropriate or offensive.

According to the results, in the three categories, the Air Force found 631 instances of pornography (magazines, calendars, pictures, videos that intentionally displayed nudity or depicted acts of sexual activity); 3,987 instances of unprofessional material (discrimination, professional appearance, items specific to local military history such as patches, coins, heritage rooms, log books, song books, etc); and 27,598 instances of inappropriate or offensive items (suggestive items, magazines, posters, pictures, calendars, vulgarity, graffiti).

Identified items were documented and either removed or destroyed. In some instances, findings were turned over to OSI where appropriate. The areas inspected were all government workspaces and shared common areas such as briefing rooms, break rooms and computer drives.

The inspections are one in a series of initiatives the Air Force has undertaken to combat sexual assault. The Air Force conducted bystander intervention training service-wide, examined supplementary training for commanders and made multiple avenues of support available to every victim of sexual assault. Support services include counseling, medical, mental health, and safety services and victim’s advocate among other things. Also of note, the Air Force has launched a pilot program designed to provide legal assistance to victims of sexual assault will begin later this month.

Full article HERE.

I don’t have a problem with stopping sexual and other abuses, it should have been done a LONG time ago.  What I DO have a problem with is that apparently the USAF is removing it’s history from the spaces. When squadron coins, patches and class pictures are deemed inappropriate, what is next??? And in a conversation, apparently the  ‘bystander intervention’ also includes reporting anything the bystander doesn’t like (e.g. posters, plaques, cups, etc.)…

I wonder what he would do with these???


  The Cubi O’Club Bar, transported to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.

The NAVY understands tradition, and how to balance tradition with progress… Just sayin…

h/t Craig, Les, and Don