This is why you keep a low profile in public if you're a gun enthusiast.

via NBCNewYork.

The three individuals, two men in their 50s and a woman in her 20s from Pennsylvania, were stopped on the New Jersey side of the tunnel around 8 a.m., authorities said.
A search of their vehicle -- a brightly colored Dodge utility vehicle with logo decals for Tonka, Monster energy drinks and another one that read "Higher Ground Tactical", apparently a gun range and shop in Emmaus, Pennsylvania -- revealed the weapons cache.

Story here.

They got stopped because they had a cracked windshield.  Yeah.  Really.  Let's be actual and factual.  They got stopped because they were driving a gaudy, lifted, 4x4 with tactical stickers all over it.

They found weapons that are prohibited in New York so there will be no outcry but this is a warning to gun guys.

The "grey man" principle should be your guide.  Be as forgettable as possible.  Hide any hints of physical prowess and damn sure don't wear t-shirts that point out proficiency or interest in arms.  Glock, Surefire, Ruger shirts?  In my part of the world they're common.  In certain parts of the country they make you stand out.  In New York you can have pink hair, tattoos on your forehead, look like a clown and no one will bat an eye.  Wear one of those t-shirts and you're going to be noted by law enforcement.

Learn from the mistakes of these idiots.  Take the "defended by Colt" off the back of your rig.  It could save you some heartburn if you travel the country.

UFC Kimbo Slice tribute vid...

Turkey's Amphibious Tulpar S Tracked Vehicle at Eurosatory 2016.

Thanks to Jonathan for the link!

via Yenisafak.com

Turkey's largest privately-owned defense manufacturer, Otokar, introduced its latest tracked armored vehicle, TULPAR-S, in Eurosatory 2016, which was held in Paris June 13 - 17.

TULPAR-S stands out for its superior mobility, protection and amphibious capability.

It is the new member of Otokar's new generation of light tracked vehicles. TULPAR-S is a 15-ton amphibious tracked vehicle platform, first unveiled in the Weapon Carrier Vehicle configuration during IDEF 2015, in Istanbul.

The vehicle is able to operate in the worst environmental and terrain conditions and survive most common threats in the battlefield. It is able to cross deep water obstacles and swim in turbulent conditions with its amphibious capabilities.

TULPAR-S carries commander, driver and eight fully geared crew members. Access to the vehicle is through a hydraulically operated ramp, with an escape door at the rear of the vehicle. Driver and commander can access the vehicle through their hatches on the top deck.

The Otokar's latest product has modular armor which allows the vehicle to be easily configured for added protection in different protection levels. TULPAR-S ballistic protection is supported with mine-resistant double-layer welded structure, shock absorbing floating floor, mine-blast resistant crew seats and spall liners in the crew cabin.

It was displayed in Eurosatory 2016 in the Armored Personnel Carrier configuration.

This is interesting.  I don't see water jets so that's going to limit it to river crossings and probably make it incapable of movements from ship to shore.  I also wonder why they're hiding the troop compartment in the photos.

I still see potential in the design.  It actually reminds me of a blast from the past.  Remember this proposed vehicle for the Marine Corps?  It was an amphibious vehicle, M-113 sized, but tailor made for the Marine Corps.  The Tulpar S has the chance to pick up that mantle and move forward with a different concept than the rest.

If they make it ship to shore capable...if they prove that its mobility is superior to the USMC ACV 1.1 concepts...if the price is right...then they could take the market by storm.

I am in awe! The Marine Corps still produces heroes!

Thanks to John for the link!

via The Gift Of Valor Facebook Page.

“I didn't do anything special,” Pfc. Richard Weinmaster insisted at his award ceremony. “I was just in the right place at the right time.”
“Ambush Alley.” That was what they called this side street. It was nestled in the Sangin district of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province, a Taliban stronghold. The street was just 8 feet wide, with 10-foot brick walls lining either side.
It was where Pfc. Richard Weinmaster would prove his mettle.
Weinmaster and other members of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment were conducting a dismounted patrol through Ambush Alley on July 8, 2008, when they were attacked by Taliban fighters. Small arms fire rained down on the Americans. Weinmaster, who had been in Afghanistan just over two months, was leading the way with his machine gun. It was his first deployment.
Unfazed, Weinmaster fired back with his automatic weapon. His award citation states that he confronted a “withering volume of fire that passed within meters of his position.”
Then, insurgents lobbed two hand grenades over the wall. One landed near Weinmaster’s team leader, Lance Cpl. Travis Wilkerson, and three other Marines.
Cpl. Richard S. Weinmaster smiles as he is congratulated by a Marine after the ceremony where he was awarded the Navy Cross. Weinmaster reacted immediately. First, he pushed Wilkerson away from the grenade. Then, astonishingly, Weinmaster jumped toward it, intending to put himself between the blast and his comrades.
The grenade exploded while Weinmaster was mid-air, according to an account by the World-Herald News Service. Shrapnel penetrated his head, legs, and abdomen. One piece went through his eye socket and into his brain.
Wilkerson, the team leader, was unscathed, as were other nearby Marines. Weinmaster had saved them from the grenade’s explosion.
Incredibly, rather than seeking treatment for his devastating injuries, Weinmaster resumed the fight. He took up his machine gun and fired at enemy forces just 50 yards away. Even in his weakened state, he was effective. His award citation credits him with “engaging enemy forces with accurate automatic weapons fire and forcing them to break contact.”
Before long, Weinmaster collapsed from his injuries. He was medically evacuated and it was unclear whether he would survive.
In the end, Weinmaster pulled through. Two pieces of shrapnel remain lodged in his brain.
For his actions on July 8, 2008, Weinmaster received the Navy Cross, the second-highest award given for distinctive valor. During the award ceremony, he also was promoted meritoriously to corporal.
Weinmaster deflects the praise to his teammates, crediting them with saving his life. “If it wasn’t for my Marines, I wouldn’t be here,” he reflected at a Marine Corps League meeting. “I’m walking. I’m talking. With that piece of shrapnel in my brain, I should be brain dead.”
Wilkerson, for his part, feels indebted to Weinmaster. “There is nothing I can do to repay that man,” he told The Desert Trail.
“I didn’t do anything special,” Weinmaster insisted at his award ceremony. “Everyone on my left and right would have done the same thing. I was just in the right place at the right time.”

I am in awe of this young man.

This is what a hero looks like.  I dare you to compare and contrast this STUD with the 99% of people in his age group.

This man is a lion.  He did the hard thing when it mattered.  America is not worthy of such dedication and self sacrifice.

The Russian hack of the DNC is about the election.

Remember the news that the Russians hacked the DNC servers?  Remember the talking point that they stole opposition research on Donald Trump?  My contention was that the talking point was pure bullshit.  Donald Trump is an open book and there was no need for the Russians to go after the DNC to target Trump.

Well today we get this from the Free Beacon.

Cyber actors linked to Russia’s intelligence service carried out a sophisticated cyber attack against Democratic National Committee computer networks in a bold attempt to influence the U.S. presidential election.
That’s the consensus view of U.S. intelligence agencies and private computer security firms regarding the covert intrusions by Moscow into DNC networks over the course of at least one year that resulted in the theft and release of sensitive internal information.
As with other state-sponsored cyber attacks, the White House is refusing to condemn the incident or take action despite ample electronic intelligence indicating the DNC hacking was a Russian cyber operation.

Read the entire article, but Gertz didn't pursue the main story.  He goes on to talk about an active cyber war taking place, but that's a side show.  We've known about that forever and I have no doubt that we're participating in a big way in that conflict.

The big story is that security experts believe that (and this is me reading between the lines) that the Russians might have found something in those servers that could influence the election.

I wonder what it could be?

Poland is building Armed BlackHawks!

Thanks to Josephine for the link!

via Flight Global.

Sikorsky company PZL Mielec used NATO’s multi-national exercise Anakonda to debut an armed version of the S-70i Black Hawk in mid-June. On display in Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, the rotorcraft attracted visitors including Polish defence minister Antoni Macierewicz.
Four pylons under stub wings can be used to carry Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, seven- or 19-round Hydra 70 rocket pods and GAU-19 gun pods, plus 200USgal crashworthy external fuel system tanks. The aircraft also can be equipped with an electro-optical/infrared sensor turret and door-mounted 12.7mm machine guns or M134 miniguns.

I fantasize about a Marine Corps air wing that went a different way.  Instead of trying to pursue leap ahead technology, we simply improved what already worked and chased an Armed BlackHawk as our CH-46 replacement, went with Growlers to take over for the EA-6, bought two seat Super Hornets for the Carrier mission and waited to see what happened with the F-35.

That fantasy is dead, but the Armed BlackHawk isn't.  My prediction?  This helicopter will be a best seller.

A-10's landing on Estonian highway.

Interesting isn't it?

A common practice for European air forces is headline news for our own.

Prototype ACV being built.

via Defense News.

BAE Systems is already in the process of assembling its first six of 16 prototype Amphibious Combat Vehicles for the US Marine Corps, and SAIC plans to begin integration work on its vehicles this summer.
The Marine Corps awarded contracts to both companies worth a little over $100 million each in November last year to build engineering and manufacturing development vehicles for its next-generation ACVs, which will ferry troops ashore and into battle.
BAE Systems and SAIC are expected to build 16 eight-wheeled vehicles over 2016 to be tested by the service in 2017. The Marine Corps will then pick a winner in 2018 to deliver 204 vehicles by 2020.
The total value of the contract with all options exercised is expected to amount to about $1.2 billion.

Time to do a deep dive to see how the SuperAV stacks up against the Terrex 2.  Even more interesting is whether or not the SuperAV continues to have a water advantage over its competitor.  I'm not so sure anymore.

The slow pace of the program in comparison to what we're seeing on the aviation side of the house is still a concern and I'm not entirely convinced that we won't see another delay so that the Marine Corps can fund all the aviation projects that will be competing for funding.  Remember there are still more MV-22s, F-35s, and CH-53Ks to buy.  That's more than a pretty penny and will probably consume all funds unless Congress reverses the sequester.

If the program does stay on track this time then the USMC will probably establish a new baseline in amphibious vehicles.  S. Korean and Japanese efforts to enter this market place will be squashed and they'll more than likely follow our lead.

CH-53E external load training (HMHT-302)....photos by Lance Cpl. Aaron Fiala

MV-22 Carrier Onboard Deliver Trials (COD)...photos by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Sean Castellano

I wonder why the Navy doesn't enter the modern age and call their photographers "Combat Camera" like everyone else.

There was one rumor about the Orlando case that hasn't been talked about or disproved.

I'm still chewing on the news we're getting from the Orlando terrorist attack and one thing became clear today.

We got alot of bad information early on.

Do you remember the talk about the terrorist being gay?  How many witnesses said that they saw him in the club before and now the FBI is unable to verify those statements (we can assume that they've combed thru all of the surveillance tapes)?  All the talk about him approaching gays on dating websites but again they're unable to verify it?

But that wasn't even the biggest falsehood.  Do you remember how we were told early on that the guy pledged allegiance to various terror groups?  If not then check this out...

Orlando gunman Omar Mateen was "deeply incoherent in his understanding of Islamic movements," casting doubt over whether "radical jihadist terrorism" played any role in the murder of 49 people in the Pulse nightclub mass shooting, said Middle East scholar Vijay Prashad.

"At some times, he apparently said he was a member of Hezbollah, which is the Lebanon- based militia group, largely a Shia group. At the other moment, he says that he is sympathetic to somebody with Al-Qaeda, the next minute with the Islamic State. Each of these groups is antithetical to the other," said Prashad.
"This was largely an attempt by this man to make his own very ugly act something greater than what it was, which was, you know, I think, principally an act of extreme, radical homophobia."

Prashad said the attempts to tie terrorist organizations to the mass murder "is a boon for groups like Al-Qaeda or ISIS."
"They don't tell us what exactly happened here, which is the story of another mass shooting in America, another young man deeply deranged and delusional, alienated for whatever reason, who was able so easily to get an assault rifle and kill innocent people."
"That's the real story, and unfortunately, the other story" of radical Islamism "strays us into territory of fear, suspicion, and hatred," said Prashad.

The scholar quoted above has an agenda.  Under the circumstances its easy to understand why he would be so easily swayed by a rumor/talking point that led him to a conclusion that he wanted to arrive at.  Still it is a bit mystifying how that got started.  Regardless this is the un-redacted transcript of his talk with police.

Transcript of Orlando Police Department 911 Calls, June 12, 2016

2:35 a.m.: Shooter contacted a 911 operator from inside Pulse. The call lasted approximately 50 seconds, the details of which are set out below:

(OD) Orlando Police Dispatcher

(OM) Omar Mateen

OD: Emergency 911, this is being recorded.

OM: In the name of God the Merciful, the beneficent [Arabic]

OD: What?

OM: Praise be to God, and prayers as well as peace be upon the prophet of God [Arabic]. I wanna let you know, I’m in Orlando and I did the shootings.

OD: What’s your name?

OM: My name is I pledge of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi of the Islamic State.

OD: Ok, What’s your name?

OM: I pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may God protect him [Arabic], on behalf of the Islamic State.

OD: Alright, where are you at?

OM: In Orlando.

OD: Where in Orlando?

[End of call.]

He doesn't seem to be confused at all about his allegiance.  He seems pretty sure of who he's "working" for and what he's doing.

With this last information blurb from the FBI we're quickly dispelling many rumors about the Orlando shooting.

There is one thing...one statement by witnesses that the media hasn't asked and I have yet to hear an official deny it.  Check this out.

“In a moment of desperation we were all crawling on the floor trying to find a place to exit. I looked to my right and I could see people going through some curtains. We were digging through the curtains and found a door.’’
But he said the door was blocked by a man. He wasn’t sure if it was a club security person or an accomplice to the gunmen.
“Fifty people were trying to jump over each other trying to exit the place. There was a guy holding the door and not letting us exit. He’s like ‘Stay inside, stay inside.’ As he is saying that, the shooter keeps getting closer and closer and the sound of the bullets is getting closer. Everyone starts to panic. People are getting trampled. Let us out, let us out!’’’

Before Brian W comes onto the blog and tells me to loosen my tin foil hat, I'm just asking a question.  We've seen all the theories and rumors shot down.  From the terrorist being at the nightclub earlier, to him being gay, to his trying to pick up men on gay dating websites and to his pledging allegiance to various terrorist groups, we've seen all those rumors shot down.

But no one is talking about the eye witness account about a second person blocking the door.  No one is even asking the question.  This isn't tin foil hat stuff, just curiosity.

Political Talk. Reason #1 why Obama has been bad for Blacks in America.

via the AP.

The drop in home ownership has grown so severe that it could impede wealth creation for generations of minority families, said Antoine Thompson, executive director of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, the nation's oldest minority trade association.

"We lost a lot of wealth," Thompson said. "We are reaching epidemic and crisis levels in black America."
The decline dovetails with a broader shift toward renting in the aftermath of the housing bust. An analysis by The Associated Press has found that rising rental costs and stagnant pay are making it harder to save to buy a home. Longtime homeowners, by contrast, have enjoyed rising home equity and lighter mortgage bills resulting from lower mortgage rates.
The problem is most pronounced among minorities who already had lower ownership rates before the bubble. Actions such as "redlining" — which for decades denied loans to minorities — excluded black neighborhoods from government-backed mortgages. This made it harder for minorities to buy even as the U.S. economy surged after World War II and overall home ownership rates climbed.
Many minority homeowners who bought or refinanced during the bubble eventually became trapped by predatory mortgages, some requiring no money down and monthly payments that eventually ballooned.
Just 41.5 percent of black households own their homes, down from nearly 50 percent in late 2004, according to the Census Bureau. The share of Hispanic homeowners dropped to 45.3 percent from roughly 50 percent. Both drops were sharper than the decline in white home ownership — to 72.1 percent from roughly 75 percent.
The Urban Institute forecast last year that Hispanic home ownership will rise slightly through 2030 but that black homeownership will tumble to 40 percent by 2030 if U.S. economic growth is about average and 38 percent if growth is slow.

If we saw these same numbers during a Bush administration then there would be protests in the streets about the issue.

The Congressional Black Caucus, Al Sharpton and every other self designated black leaders would be screaming from the rooftops.

Instead all we hear is silence.  My pet theory is a desire by the community to protect the President.  My question to anyone that has even a hint of common sense is why would you protect someone that isn't looking out for your best interests?  Health care?  Give me a break.  Unemployment and other economic factors are destroying the community and is all anyone talks about in the barbershops and watering holes...but again...no one in "leadership" is talking about it.

Reason #2 tomorrow.

Note:  Thanks to Brian W. and Jandanagger Laterobinson for the idea to do this series...their contention that all is well forced me to confront that nonsense head on.