Meeting a soccer mom, and what’s wrong with Ms. Mag on guns

Perhaps “meeting” isn’t exactly the word, because she didn’t see us coming, and we’re only here at all because we saw her first. She was pretty, blonde, liberal, preoccupied, and in a hurry. The first two characteristics were evident at a glance (we did not explore the blonde-ness for authenticity. Odds are, not; but there’s …

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The SAWS that Never WAS, part 3b: the feed of the XM248

We were going to move on to the XM262 before circling back to the XM249 (the ultimate winner), but despite having devoted two posts to the Rodman Labs ingenious XM235/XM248 LMB, we’re still getting questions about it. Many of them relate to the feed mechanism, and why it’s better. Well, along with the patent for …

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The SAWs that never WAS: Intro, and XM106

The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon is widely distributed in the US Army and Marine Corps (even after the Marines replaced many SAWs with M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles). But how did we get to that point, and what other weapons were considered along the way? This series will look at each of the four contenders in …

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The Manning Verdict (document)

The attached document is the actual judge’s verdict in the Manning case. The Army has said previously that: Manning was charged with aiding the enemy in violation of Article 104 of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice. He was also charged with 16 specifications under Article 134 of the UCMJ: wrongfully causing intelligence to be …

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Breaking: Manning beats ‘Aiding’ rap, guilty on other charges

Well, it’s official. Bradley Manning’s court-martial is over, and all that remains is his sentencing, which should take place tomorrow. (Justice is seldom denied by delay in the military justice system. Manning will be serving his sentence by Wednesday afternoon, and will probably be in the US Disciplinary Barracks in Leavenworth, Kansas by the weekend). …

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Bud Day, American Hero: RIP

“Hero” is a little-used word these days, and when it is used it is thrown about casually, applied to the pretty faces of prolefeed entertainers or the physical talent of some guys who throw a ball. That is, when it’s not used ironically, by hipsters who take joy in being far beyond such antiquated subjects …

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Sunday in the company of some aging warriors

The last couple of days have been spent, in part (not a large enough part, damn responsibilities!) in the company of some men who are not as young, and not as hard, as they once were. In those days, they never thought they would be encumbered with ex-wives, and mortgages, and crabgrass. Indeed, some of …

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When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have hammers

“This is my hammer…there are many like it, but this one is mine — wait, does this pink tie make me look gay?” Although, to be sure, the hammer was only used to make the kid unrecognizable after his tormentors — his mother and stepfather — killed him with other means. “Ah,” you think, “this …

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It’ll be Sunday all day

Hope you’re enjoying yourself. We are. This entry was posted in Administrivia on June 30, 2013 by Hognose. About Hognose Former Special Forces 11B2S, later 18B, weapons man. (Also served in intelligence and operations jobs in SF). Kevin O’BrienKevin was a former Special Forces weapons man (MOS 18B, before the 18 series, 11B with Skill …

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