Super Committee, Super Failure…

Posted on by March 6, 2013
Sequestration IS the elephant in the room, and this one isn’t a Republican…


Every thing I’m hearing is the Dems congresscritters are going to fail on purpose to effectively gut the military (this has LONG been the Dems dream) since there aren’t any votes in the military and the military budget take $$ away from the ‘entitlements’ the Dems know and love. 


SECDEF Paneta was apparently on the Hill today but his comments and brief were NOT well received. The reality of sequestration is that it WILL gut the services; cutting personnel, equipment (which is worn out after 10 years of war), stop new development, and leave us in worse shape than where we were under Carter.


Our military is already stressed to the breaking point, spread way too thin and totally frustrated by the lack of support from this administration. When this mess happens, we will have even more problems just trying to maintain a presence in various places…


If you think Mogadishu was bad, that will be nothing compared to what can (and probably will) happen.  The kids on the pointy end will not give up, and they will fight to the death, sadly because there won’t be any backup within a reasonable distance…


And the Chinese have vowed to push us out of Japan, etc. all the way out to the second island chain (Guam); it’s been in the world media, but not the US MSM (gee, no big surprise there)…


From this report- Oddly enough, from Air Power Australia


“China’s new ‘Second Island Chain’ strategy aims to develop the capability to project power beyond the ‘Second Island Chain’ , ie the arc from Japan through Guam, Northern Australia and Indonesia. Air power plays a critical role in PLA strategic thinking. To implement the ‘Second Island Chain’ strategy the PLA is investing in its first aircraft carrier, the Varyag, with an air wing of  J-15 (reverse engineered Su-33 Flanker D), and is developing a cruise missile capable bomber force.”

And when you add in Arab Spring, lack of support for Israel, Russia coming back into power, the ‘pending’ failure of the EU, the administration’s lack of support for historic allies…

Well, it just doesn’t bode well in my mind…

For those of you with friends/family members in the military, I truly hope I’m wrong, but if I’m right, they WILL need all our thoughts and prayers…

Home… FINALLY… for one day…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

Finally got home, overall good trip, and productive in a couple of ways…LOL


One image from my trip for y’all. This is the view from my hotel room at Haneda Airport, it’s LITERALLY in the airport, and the view is  of the check-in counters…



At least I didn’t have to go out in the rain to get there…LOL


And in the ye Gods and little fishes category, one more price from Tulsa.


$225,000 for a shotgun…


Not just ANY shotgun mind you, but an unfired 1930’s Purdy BEST Grade double in .410!!!


Anyhoo, I got my M-1 NM back, and it turns out the ejection problem was, of all things, a kinked spring holding the ejector!  So now the safe is full again 🙂



Left is my 1953 HRA, right is my Springfield Type 2 NM.  Now I just have to be home long enough to actually SHOOT em…


Sigh…  Y’all have a good week!

27 Hours for THIS???

Posted on by March 6, 2013


Sigh…


27 hours on the road to get to Tulsa for the big ‘shew’… Met up with AEpilotJim, at the big Tulsa gun show, and all I can say is O.M.G…


The prices… They BURN!!!


Like STUPID burn… I dunno what these people are thinking (if they are), but a ‘random’ sampling just up on the top section elicited the following:


Colt Pythons/Diamondbacks- $3000-4000


1903 Hammerless Colts- $1200-2400


SAA Colts- $8000 and up


S&W pistols (mostly at S&W collector tables), $2000 and up, one “registered” S&W I saw was $5500 for a well used gun.


Old (1873/1882/1894) Winchesters $4000-$37,000.


Colt Mfg 1921 Thompson submachine gun $37,500 plus $750 for ONE drum mag.


OTOH, lots of ‘cheap’ ARs some down around $750 for complete guns, but manufacturers I’ve NEVER heard of.


Ammo prices were semi-reasonable, bunches of cheep scopes, tac lights, green lasers, red lasers, and more junk that you can shake a stick at to hang off ARs…


Looked like a LOT of lookers and very few buyers.  Talking to some of the folks I know that have had tables up here for years, all of them to a person are amazed at the prices too!


One question for my readers, does anybody know what a R stamped on the trigger guard of an IBM M-1 Carbine signify? Tried looking it up in the books today at the show and couldn’t find anything… I know a bunch of them were reworked at Red River back in the day, and I was wondering if anyone knows what RRAD used as an arsenal mark???

Veterans Day…

Posted on by March 6, 2013

“In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned.  When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
-Mark Twain

veteran_15.gif

Please take a moment and thank a Vet, or say a prayer for those both living and dead who gave some or all to defend our country…


From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion.
-Abraham Lincoln


Almost 125,000 of our war dead from WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam are buried outside the USA.  This is the cemetery at Normandy…


The Marriott Casa Monica Hotel FAIL…

Posted on by March 6, 2013


Borepatch has the link and comments HERE…  


Honestly, I’m not surprised…


Marriott has never, in my opinion, treated the military well. I had an incident with Marriott a number of years ago while still on active duty, where I was given a room by the Marriott in San Diego that was adjacent to the elevator and the A/C was not operable (in the middle of the summer).  When I complained, I was told words to the effect of “What do you expect, you’re “military” and we can only charge you the per diem rate”.  And Marriott is notorious for changing their ‘military’ rates to exactly the per diem rate, even if they have quoted a lower rate on a reservation.


I’ll go to a $39.95 Indian run motel that stinks of curry and Vendaloo before I’ll take a free room at a Marriott…

Happy 236th Birthday Marines!!!

Posted on by March 6, 2013


236 years, from the Halls of Montezuma to Helmand…


They continue to serve, continue to volunteer for the HARD jobs, and do them successfully. Can’t ask for more than that…


Semper Fi!

Alright already, you HAVE my attention…

Posted on by March 6, 2013


Wanna know how to wake everybody up???


Put em in a concrete building, surround same with metal scaffolding…


And shake with a 6.8 earthquake…  THAT is a LOT of noise!!!


Needless to say, we departed the building rather quickly, but orderly…LOL


It appears the first quake at 1039L was a precursor quake, and fairly low level, but it rumbled long enough to notice.  The second one was an S-wave quake, magnitude 6.8 located 140 miles from us, on the bottom of the Pacific, and lasted probably 15-20 seconds!


We quickly grabbed what ever comms we had, and were checking the net, JTWC, and anybody else we could get hold of to see if we needed to head to higher ground, but that proved to not be required (thankfully)….


And went to lunch… 🙂

Ah… Warmth…

Posted on by March 6, 2013


AND humidity (92% at 0530), and wind, and @@#^& rain… sigh…  


So I can either be wet, or dry and sweating; gotta love Okinawa…


Since my bag didn’t make the connection, I had to retrieve it yesterday, and finally get some clean clothes! I hate washing underwear and shirts in the tub, especially over here, because stuff NEVER gets dry.  There is a dehumidifier in the room, and I’m having to empty it twice a day (about a quart each time) just to try to break even on the humidity.


Flight over was ‘interesting’, ended up getting a last minute upgrade to business, and ended up sitting next to sumdood from Discovery Channel. He turned out to be a real ass, VERY liberal, anti-military and thought his ‘statements’ should be taken as gospel.  And he was driving the FAs nuts with his wine demands…


So I went to sleep rather that deal (e.g. short walk out the exit at altitude) with him…


We got to NRT a hour late, so by the time I got to the next airline desk, the airplane was already boarding, so jumped through hoops, and was literally the last person on the airplane (which IS better than being the first person NOT on the airplane)… Caught a ride up to the ‘hotel’ and finally got in the room at 2330, so roughly a 24 hour day.  And then too tired to sleep, so got about 3 hours and woke up at 0400 local…


This Friday will be Veterans Day, and as with the last couple of years, there will be people giving discounts to active duty and veterans.  If you are, or know a vet, please let them know about the specials, they can be found HERE.


In any case, take a moment to thank a Vet, or say a prayer for those still serving; because of them, we have the freedoms we enjoy today.   

NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (EAS) TEST

Posted on by March 6, 2013


Heads up- Read below and check it out so that there in no over-reaction…

NATIONWIDE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM (EAS) TEST

On Wednesday, November 9, 2011, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will conduct the first national test of the Nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test. This nationwide test will kick off at 2:00 p.m. (EST) and run concurrently across all time zones.

This system test is the first of its kind designed to broadcast a nationwide message to the American public. In the history of the country, nothing like it has been conducted on such a level. As you may be aware, there have been tests in the past, but not of this magnitude encompassing all regions of the Nation simultaneously. The three (3) minute test will run concurrently on all radio and TV band stations exceeding the previous messages broadcast which were anywhere from a 30 second to 1 minute message.

THERE IS GREAT CONCERN IN LOCAL POLICE AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CIRCLES ABOUT UNDUE PUBLIC ANXIETY OVER THIS TEST. THE TEST MESSAGE ON TV MIGHT NOT INDICATE THAT IT IS JUST A TEST. FEAR IS THAT THE LACK OF AN EXPLANATION REGARDING THE MESSAGE MIGHT CREATE PANIC. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR FAMILIES SO THEY ARE AWARE OF THE TEST.

Below is FEMAs website that will provide more information regarding this test:

Three Things…

Posted on by March 6, 2013


We got into an interesting discussion over lunch today, and were trying to come up with three things in the next year that will occur outside the US, but still have a major impact ON the US…


And then the fight started… 🙂


When you have well educated, well read and well traveled folks, it gets interesting, to say the least!!!


And by consensus, I mean the other  ideas (and there were a bunch) got out voted…LOL


Edit- Wrote #1 in a hurry, left out important words… My bad… Now corrected. 


Consensus idea 1.  Israel ATTACKS (possibly nukes) Iran-  Forces re-evaluation of foreign policy and military drawdown; administration fails…


Consensus idea 2. Chavez/Castro/KI Jung die (one or all)- Russia (Putin) moves to secure control of governments, re-enforces communism. Alt 1 Raul Castro is prevented from taking power, Cuba ‘overthrows’ Castro regime, now what???


Consensus idea 3. Greece collapses taking the EU with it, Euro becomes worthless (effectively)-  Major hit to US economy, possible banking collapse(again), with no fallback.  UN effectively dismantled.


Only the first one is mine, the others came from some other folks (and my other two got voted off the island rather quickly)…


Comments? Are we right, wrong, stupid, full of it?  If you had to add ONE idea, what would it be?