17-year-old Lepa Radic before her execution in 1943.

17-year-old Lepa Radic before her execution in 1943. When offered her life in exchange for information about her partisan unit, Radic responded with “my comrades will reveal themselves when they avenge my death”.

I here people talking about being brave because "they embrace their real selves" and that they "talk truth to power".

Poppycock.

This is real bravery that is awe inspiring.  This was a brave woman.

Challenger 2 main battle tank of the Queen's Royal Hussars prepares for live firing in Germany.

Open Comment Post. Feb 21, 2018

Brazil's Lower House Approves Military Intervention in Rio...Are American cities next?

via Voice of America.

Brazil's lower house approved a decree to put the military in charge of Rio de Janeiro's security forces early Tuesday as soldiers and police spread out throughout in the city to combat rising crime.

The military took over Rio's police on Friday, but the presidential decree still needs congressional approval. The Chamber of Deputies has sent the measure to the Senate, which was scheduled to debate it later in the day.

Overnight, the armed forces and police spread out in in Rio in the first major operation since the change in command. They took up positions on major roads that connect Rio with the rest of the country in an effort to prevent drugs, illegal arms and stolen goods from entering the city, said Col. Roberto Itamar, a military spokesman. Around 3,000 members of the armed forces were involved.

Armored vehicles rolled through the streets of one neighborhood on Guanabara Bay on Tuesday, while boats patrolled the waters. Soldiers and police set up checkpoints and searched everyone leaving or entering during the morning commute.

Story here. 

We're having a "police" debate on my gun control posts today (make no mistake about it...I'M TOTALLY AGAINST IT...I WAS BORN FREE!) and police shootings are being discussed too.

Well ya know what?

My views on militarized police have evolved.  I was against it.  Now?  Well with a bit of info I've come across I'll give them what they need to get the job done.

Why?

Two reasons.

1.  Reports of the Cartel operating in Houston, Los Angeles and a few other cities has hit my inbox.  Old news to you?  New to me.  If they've been operating in our country for awhile now then I'm amazed they've been able to keep things as under control as they have.  But make no mistake about it.  If they're in those cities we will eventually see the same type violence here as we see in Mexico.

2.  You don't want an American city to have to deal with the Rio situation.  The last thing the American people need is to have a Marine Corps Infantry Battalion rolling down its streets doing police work.  You want to see mean and nasty?  That will be mean and nasty.  They will do their best to moderate, to be friendly and to not alienate people, but they're not trained for police work even if the COIN mafia wants you to think so.

Give the police Abrams M1's if that's what they think they need but we do NOT need to wake up to an America city going thru what's going on in Brazil.

Those 3 Special Forces troops went down hardcorps in Niger. The 4th we just don't know...might never want to know...

via Sputnik.

They didn't find anything. Instead, 50 militants believe to be aligned with a local Daesh offshoot, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), ambushed the patrol.

Also retrieved was footage from the body camera of Green Beret Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson. It depicts the three American soldiers — Johnson along with Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright — in the midst of a fighting retreat against a vastly superior militant force.

All three Green Berets are slain on the footage. Not depicted is the death of Sgt. La David Johnson, a comrade of the trio whose body was discovered a day later in a different location. Four Nigerien soldiers and an interpreter also met their ends in the battle.

Story here. 

Ok, so the orders were augmented.  Instead of just a patrol they were also on a hunt for a terrorists.

Believe it or not that doesn't alarm me one bit.  I thought we were gonna see something a bit more egregious but if that's all that happened then it's not a really big deal.  AM I DOWNPLAYING their deaths?  NO!!!!  I am saying that getting orders that include "opportunities" are given on a regular basis.  They probably didn't even need to give that order.  If those bubbas got the scent of a terror leader while on patrol they'd probably have notified higher ups, requested support (which would have been given) and started chasing him down.

So the circumstances of this incident aren't alarming.

The fact that they got ambushed, fought hard, and were unfortunately killed? You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.  Again I'm not being flippant but these guys went out like the pros they were.

Which brings me to Sgt Johnson.  We don't know what happened (correction they aren't releasing it).  At this point and with this level of quiet surrounding his death I'm sure the public would be horrified to find out.

If his death really is mysterious then let's hope that he went out hard and was captured and subjected to the barbarity of this region.

At the end of the day, let's clean up our procedures, let's make sure we have sufficient support and let's do this right.

Not one step in retreat...Trump is making a mistake...

This is bad on a number of levels.  First lets talk legality.  I'm annoyed that he is attempting to do this thru the office of the President.  This will set a precedent of President's acting against our gun rights thru the power of the pen.

I don't like that.

Next he is picking the wrong side.  The gun grabbers will NEVER be satisfied.  They will want more no matter what we give so why give anything.

For me?

Not one step in retreat.  I will not accept the curtailing of MY GOD GIVEN RIGHTS because some idiots on the East or West Coast that have an issue with firearms.

Side note.  Think I'm alone in this?  Check out the gun community on Instagram...people are ragging on Trump.  His normal supporters are going batshit crazy!

HH-60W on the way to the Air Force...

via IHS Janes.

Lockheed Martin has begun the assembly of the first Sikorsky HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) for the US Air Force (USAF), ahead of the type’s maiden flight planned for the end of this year.

The assembly of the Engineering Manufacturing Development (EMD) aircraft, which was announced by Lockheed Martin on 20 February, includes installation of the new Tactical Mission Kit (TMK), the integration of sensors, radar and multiple defence systems, as well as a new fuel system that features dual internal fuel tanks. These new fuel tanks total 3,000 litres, nearly doubling the capacity of the internal tank on a UH-60M Black Hawk.

Good news but the USAF really needs to take a blast from the past.  What do I mean?  They don't need a small rescue copter.  They need a big bird.  Sorta like the Jolly Green Giant series...

Size matters.  If the USAF was smart they would either jump on the Marine Corps buy of the CH-53K or get with Army Special Ops and buy the MH-47. Either way they need a big copter that can penetrate at least a bit into enemy air space to pick up downed crewmen, injured Marines/Soldiers.

Both the CH-53K and MH-47 are rated as being "penetration capable" helicopters.  I'm not sure if the HH-60W is and even if it is it will be too short ranged...especially when you slap extra armor and weapons on it.

Democrats will make gun control a pivotal issue? Idiots!

via AllOutdoor.com

There is an old saying gun grabbing Democrats use, “Never let a tragedy go to waste.” The community of Parkland, Florida, (and the nation), has not even begun to mourn, and gun grabbers have introduced a symbolic assault weapons ban.

Why is the bill called symbolic? Because it has no chance of passing. Republicans control both houses of congress, and President Trump declared himself a friend of gun owners. Democrats know their gun control bill has no chance of passing, but they have to do “something.”

Story here. 

I used to include the link to the article in the "via" part, but popped it out to "story here" so that it would be easier for people to go to.

Makes no difference.  People will chime in without having read the articles linked so let me give you a quick rundown.  Feinstein and friends introduced a new assault weapons ban that they know won't pass.

He goes on to state that gun control will probably be a major issue this fall.

The Dems are idiots.

If they go this way then every person that has Trump fatigue will turnout to vote.  Not to support Trump but to make sure the Congress stays Republican.

This IS the swing issue for me.

MCV Type 16 of the 42nd Regiment on exercise (pics)

pics via Bmashina Tumblr Page.

Open Comment Post. Feb 20, 2018