Interesting pic via Global Air Instagram Page....

I don't have the eye to tell if this is real or fake, but if it's real it's beyond interesting.  Oh and don't bang on me if it's fake...never have paid attention to a flight line and don't know if all those lines and such actually exist on a real one or not.

This judge is a piece of shit. Not even the courts are to be trusted....

First check out the vid above and read the story here.

This judge is a piece of shit.  Ignore the fact that the woman was obviously suffering medical issues, this glorified bitch wearing judges robes talked down to damn near everyone in the courtroom.

Too many people don't realize a simple fact.

If you want respect you have to give it.  If you don't give it don't expect it.  I don't care who you are, what you're doing or what you think you're entitled to.

Resigning is too good for this whore.  She needs to suffer some consequences for this shit show she put on.

The terrible thing for the country?

Not even the courts can be trusted.  Instead of interpreting the law they've started MAKING law to fit their own personal agendas.

So you tell me.

What institution do we have that we can trust?  The military?  After 20 years of warfare and they're saying we need to stay the course?  The police?  When they've been turned into a revenue generating operation for municipalities? The church?  When we've seen them teach everything but the word of God and all the scandals that they have on an almost daily basis?  Education?  The last thing they're doing is educating kids.  Hospitals/Medical personnel?  How when we have more deaths each year from medical mistakes than we do from firearms?

We're screwed people.  The terrible fact is that on a societal basis we've already hit bottom.  We just need to feel a bounce or two before it becomes widespread knowledge.

10 years ago this weekend....Real men stood their ground and protected their base...NEVER FORGET!

10 years ago this weekend, two Marines heroically gave their lives to stop a vehicle filled with 2,000 pounds of explosives. They were awarded the Navy Cross for their actions. Today, one was honored where he first took the oath of enlistment. #Marines #MarineCorps #USMarines #motivation #endurance #remember #semperfi #alwaysfaithful #sacrifice #Corps #LastStand #Seconds #life

A post shared by United States Marine Corps (@marines) on Apr 20, 2018 at 5:25pm PDT

Syrian Army seizes an entire brigade of tanks and other armored vehicles from rebels in east Qalamoun....

via Almasdarnews.

Following the complete capitulation of rebel forces in Syria’s eastern Qalamoun region, the Syrian Army has come into possession of an entire brigade worth of main battle tanks and other armored vehicles.
Virtually all of the captured armor comes from the Brigade 559 base which was taken over by militant groups in 2014.
Unfortunately for the rebels, they simply did not have enough men and technical specialists to maintain anymore than a fraction of the entire mechanized loot in frontline service at any one period in time.Much of the armor was hidden in caves and makeshift storage sights within the mountains of eastern Qalamoun.In line with the surrender deal for eastern Qalamoun, over fifty armored vehicles – mostly T-55, T-62 and T-72 main battle tanks but also including support vehicles like Shilkas – have now been returned to Syrian government forces; even more amazingly, this includes plenty of spare parts and ammunition, which was also preserved.

Story and vid here. 

When the after action of this war is written I hope more than a few chapters are devoted to the idea of nation state forces throwing down their weapons and fleeing in the face of determined terrorist forces.

The Iraqis and Syrians basically armed the people they were fighting in the early stages of these conflicts.

By rights we should be looking at two new radical Islamic states ... instead we have this never ending quagmire.

But back on task.

It would be nice if the Pentagon used the UN convention of "duty to protect" and applied that to terrorists who capture nation state military equipment.

Part of our "duty to protect" going into the future would be to automatically launch strikes to destroy tanks, APC/IFVs, heavy trucks etc...during economic/civil turmoil in certain countries.

Not playing world police, just saying if terrorists/rebels gain weapons that can influence a battlefield and can used against us then we're gonna zap it first.

This is an EXTREMELY DISCIPLINED Army Sniper!...pic by Staff Sgt William Frye

A southern black racer snake slithers across the barrel of junior U.S. Army National Guard sniper's rifle during a 1-173 Infantry training exercise Saturday, April 7, 2018, at Eglin Air Force Base. Snipers are trained to remain still for hours and invisible to enemies and even to wildlife. 

This dude is either extremely disciplined or he fell asleep and missed the entire thing.  If it was me?  FUCK NO!  Don't give a fuck if it isn't poisonous.  Snakes bro.  Can't fucking stand'em (well I do like fried rattlesnake...but that's on a plate not in the wild)....

Mig-31 with Kinzhal Hypersonic Missile flying parade practice...

Thanks to S300V4 for the pics!

Can't believe I'm gonna say this.  I'm still of the opinion that we need to approach Russia.  There are too many projects where collaboration can benefit both the US and Russia.  Too damn many.  More than cooperation with China in my opinion.

If we can't be friends then at least work at not being enemies is my viewpoint.  Sorting out the Middle East is one place mutual assistance would be of benefit.  Killing terrorists would be another.  Space travel, and obtaining a steady supply of rare minerals are just a few more.

BUT!

Having said all that this new missile is a bit worrisome.  We need to get specs on it asap.  Even better if we could pinch a few to get detailed performance data.  By hook or crook I want it done!

This has the look of a credible carrier killer and I want countermeasures yesterday!

General Atomics - MQ-25 Stingray Autonomous UAS Tanker Flight Deck ...

This is gonna be an AWESOME competition!  Usually talking about UAVs just makes my brain freeze, bores me to death and makes me want to punch walls. That was then, this is now.  This comp is going to be great...and you better bet that this will be the lead in to an attack and ISR bird....

Blast from the past. M1 Abrams outside Branch Davidian compound...

Who remembers this incident?

Who recalls watching ATF agents assaulting a compound and getting taken apart by some wild eyed bible thumpers?

Full disclosure.  The ATF LOST ALOT of respect nationwide from fellow law enforcement AND other federal agencies for how they handled this thing. I can't prove it but I believe this was supposed to be a show pony incident to highlight the agency and get them on the front burner for funding.  I know that rumor was floating around for a bit after this thing.

What I know for sure is that I'll never forget an agent doing a slide for life down an assault ladder after they attempted to make a second floor entry.

I'll dig up a tape of the assault later today (hopefully).  We can break it down donkey style on what they did right, wrong and in between but one thing is obvious.  SERIOUS mistakes were made.

Side Note:  I'm not sure but I believe this was the first time in modern policing that we saw suspects "killed" because attempts to engage them would prove too dangerous even though they had been contained, isolated and no longer proved a danger to the public.  We saw it again at Ruby Ridge (although in that case the facts are murky...hard to dig into because so much white nationalist shit is attached to stuff on the net), later in the incident at Big Bear in Cali and finally in Dallas.

Centauro on a landing craft...that's a tight fit!

Thanks to Dragon for the pic!

And this is exhibit number one for why Navantia is taking the Landing Boat market by storm.  The LCM-1E isn't what I'd exactly call huge but its able to do so much more than this little boat that it's not worth comparing.

Quite honestly I wonder if that is a pure troop carrier being pressed into service to land vehicles?  My boat identification skills are lacking and I'm a bit pressed so I can't search it out.  If you know the name/nomenclature for the boat in the pic post it below.

Open Comment Post. April 21, 2018