CANADA Free Press ^ | 08/31/16 | Jim O'Neill
BLM whiners and all racial bigots, black and white, disgust me. Your arrogant refusal to sense the divine spark in us all contributes to the thickening shadows spreading around the world. Screw you all, and the horses you rode in on
“Black Lives Matter.” At first blush, it seems difficult to imagine anyone taking issue with the obvious, self-evident truth articulated by those three simple words. But when we peel away the veneer of deception, we find that Black Lives Matter (BLM) is in fact one of the most destructive, hateful, racist movements in living memory.—John Perazzo “The Profound Racism of ‘Black Lives Matter’”
This article discusses the movement “Black Lives Matter” (BLM). Let me say up front that I find their “narrative” deplorable at best, and the fact that Democratic politicians, from Obama on down, treat them as respectable is an insult to any decent person with half a brain.
DIOGENES invites you to pull up a chair on this fine day and read posts from around the world. The writing may lean to the right...but that's the way Diogenes wants it! You may leave your opinion, but Diogenes rarely changes his! WELCOME!
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Obama moves to seize control of the 2016 Presidential election!
Flopping Aces ^ | 08-30-16 | DrJohn
“The people who cast the votes don’t decide an election, the people who count the votes do.” – Joseph Stalin
What could go wrong?
Paul Bedard:
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net ...
“The people who cast the votes don’t decide an election, the people who count the votes do.” – Joseph Stalin
What could go wrong?
Paul Bedard:
Even before the FBI identified new cyber attacks on two separate state election boards, the Department of Homeland Security began considering declaring the election a “critical infrastructure,” giving it the same control over security it has over Wall Street and and the electric power grid.The latest admissions of attacks could speed up that effort possibly including the upcoming presidential election, according to officials.The justification?
“We should carefully consider whether our election system, our election process, is critical infrastructure like the financial sector, like the power grid,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said.
“There’s a vital national interest in our election process, so I do think we need to consider whether it should be considered by my department and others critical infrastructure,” he said at media conference earlier this month hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.
DHS describes it this way on their website: “There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof.”This is fabulous. The regime that brought you Fast and Furious, IRS targeting of conservatives, that depended on the stupidity of grubers, that lied about obamacare and lied about the Iran deal now seeks to control the 2016 Presidential election. This reminds me of obama wanting to put all medical records online. That assures they can be hacked. It’s the same for electronic voting machines. They and their databases can be hacked. Stealing the 2016 election has been described as “child’s play.” Thi administration has claimed that the Russian have at leasttwice hacked voter databases.
Hackers based in Russia were behind two recent attempts to breach state voter registration databases, fueling concerns the Russian government may be trying to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, U.S. intelligence officials tell NBC News.The breaches included the theft of data from as many as 200,000 voter records in Illinois, officials say.Are we sure it was the Russians? Because “U.S. intelligence officials” say so? We’re told it was the Russians by the same people who told us “You can keep your plan and your doctor no matter what.” The same people who laughed at stupidity of the American people for swallowing obamacare and who were boastful of playing the press and the people for fools with regard to the Iran deal .
The incidents led the FBI to send a “flash alert” earlier this month to election officials nationwide, asking them to be on the lookout for any similar cyber intrusions.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net ...
Commies endorse Hillary, Commies HACK HILLARY, Obama hands election control to Homeland Security (What could possibly go wrong?)
Canada Free Press ^ | 08/31/16 | Judi McLeod
Even after almost eight long years in office, the Obama administration has failed to learn that you can’t blow and whistle at the same time.
Obama intel organizations like the FBI speculate that the Big Bad Russian Bear is the perp that should be blamed for hacking into both the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign.
Vladimir Putin is a Communist. Russian intel is Communist.
It goes without saying that the Communist Party is hardline Communist.
Even after almost eight long years in office, the Obama administration has failed to learn that you can’t blow and whistle at the same time.
Obama intel organizations like the FBI speculate that the Big Bad Russian Bear is the perp that should be blamed for hacking into both the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign.
Vladimir Putin is a Communist. Russian intel is Communist.
It goes without saying that the Communist Party is hardline Communist.
The Democrats Own the Ills of the Inner Cities
American Thinker ^ | August 31, 2016 | Michael S. Goldstein
Yes, the Democrats think they own the problems besetting the residents of our inner cities, but not in the way they believe. Democrats try to own the problems solely as election issues. They see their constituents’ problems only as tools, weapons with which to beat Republicans over their heads during election years, charging that white conservative racism is the cause of all the woes of inner city people. But Democrats take no responsibility for creating solutions. Democrats hold all the relevant government offices and the power to make lives better, but they never, ever, fix any of the problems. Eugene Slaven in his August 27 AT article, "Democrats Have Nothing to Fear but Losing Black Votes", notes that “...leftists... routinely highlight every statistic showcasing socioeconomic disparities between whites and blacks...” If elected Democrat office-holders would resolve the problems, these issues would be gone from their rhetorical tool belt, and no longer be available to them during election season.
In the most real sense, however, Democrats actually do own these horrible problems which continue to grind down their constituents. This is because for decades in most large cities, the Democrats have owned the municipal administrations and U.S. House congressional representation. Republicans are nowhere to be seen.
Yes, the Democrats think they own the problems besetting the residents of our inner cities, but not in the way they believe. Democrats try to own the problems solely as election issues. They see their constituents’ problems only as tools, weapons with which to beat Republicans over their heads during election years, charging that white conservative racism is the cause of all the woes of inner city people. But Democrats take no responsibility for creating solutions. Democrats hold all the relevant government offices and the power to make lives better, but they never, ever, fix any of the problems. Eugene Slaven in his August 27 AT article, "Democrats Have Nothing to Fear but Losing Black Votes", notes that “...leftists... routinely highlight every statistic showcasing socioeconomic disparities between whites and blacks...” If elected Democrat office-holders would resolve the problems, these issues would be gone from their rhetorical tool belt, and no longer be available to them during election season.
In the most real sense, however, Democrats actually do own these horrible problems which continue to grind down their constituents. This is because for decades in most large cities, the Democrats have owned the municipal administrations and U.S. House congressional representation. Republicans are nowhere to be seen.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Their Masters' Voices: Dogs Understand Tone And Meaning Of Words!
NPR ^ | Aug. 30. 2016 | Nell Greenfieldboyce
When you praise a dog, it's listening not just to the words you say but also how you say them.
That might not be huge news to dog owners. But now scientists have explored this phenomenon by using an imaging machine to peek inside the brains of 13 dogs as they listened to their trainer's voice.
The reward pathway in the dogs' brains lit up when they heard both praising words and an approving intonation — but not when they heard random words spoken in a praising tone or praise words spoken in a flat tone, according to a report in the journal Science.
"Dogs process both what we say and how we say it in a way which is amazingly similar to how human brains do," says Attila Andics, a neuroscientist at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary.
When you praise a dog, it's listening not just to the words you say but also how you say them.
That might not be huge news to dog owners. But now scientists have explored this phenomenon by using an imaging machine to peek inside the brains of 13 dogs as they listened to their trainer's voice.
The reward pathway in the dogs' brains lit up when they heard both praising words and an approving intonation — but not when they heard random words spoken in a praising tone or praise words spoken in a flat tone, according to a report in the journal Science.
"Dogs process both what we say and how we say it in a way which is amazingly similar to how human brains do," says Attila Andics, a neuroscientist at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
Obama Sabotages ObamaCare
forbes ^ | 08.29.16 | Grace-Marie Turner
As health insurers head for the exits, Americans who have been whipsawed by ObamaCare may get whacked again this fall: First, they were thrown off private plans that were declared illegal, then they were forced into the ObamaCare exchanges, and now they could face the prospect of being shut out of coverage through their exchanges entirely for 2017. In Arizona’s Pinal County, for example, no insurers are offering coverage through the exchange. While decisions won’t be final until next month, people in other counties could face a similar fate.
Elsewhere, millions of Americans will have a “choice” of just one carrier, especially in rural areas. It’s likely that Alabama, Alaska, and Oklahoma will have only one health insurer selling individual coverage on their exchanges next year. South Carolina and most of North Carolina could join that list as well. Nearly one-third of the nation’s counties are likely to have just one insurer offering health plans on the exchanges next year: Last year, 50 Texas counties had only one insurer offering individual plans, according to data from the Texas Department of Insurance. Next year, Texans in 57 counties will have only one choice. Exchange customers in many Florida counties will be offered only the Blues plans.
United Healthcare, Humana, and some Blues plans were the first start the exodus from the ObamaCare exchanges. But when Aetna CEO Mark Bertoliniannounced in mid-August that his company will dramatically reduce its individual public exchange participation to just four states, it created an earthquake. Aetna had been all in for ObamaCare, investing billions to offer coverage through the ACA exchanges. But after losing $430 million in this market since January 2014, Bertolini had to answer to his shareholders.
As health insurers head for the exits, Americans who have been whipsawed by ObamaCare may get whacked again this fall: First, they were thrown off private plans that were declared illegal, then they were forced into the ObamaCare exchanges, and now they could face the prospect of being shut out of coverage through their exchanges entirely for 2017. In Arizona’s Pinal County, for example, no insurers are offering coverage through the exchange. While decisions won’t be final until next month, people in other counties could face a similar fate.
Elsewhere, millions of Americans will have a “choice” of just one carrier, especially in rural areas. It’s likely that Alabama, Alaska, and Oklahoma will have only one health insurer selling individual coverage on their exchanges next year. South Carolina and most of North Carolina could join that list as well. Nearly one-third of the nation’s counties are likely to have just one insurer offering health plans on the exchanges next year: Last year, 50 Texas counties had only one insurer offering individual plans, according to data from the Texas Department of Insurance. Next year, Texans in 57 counties will have only one choice. Exchange customers in many Florida counties will be offered only the Blues plans.
United Healthcare, Humana, and some Blues plans were the first start the exodus from the ObamaCare exchanges. But when Aetna CEO Mark Bertoliniannounced in mid-August that his company will dramatically reduce its individual public exchange participation to just four states, it created an earthquake. Aetna had been all in for ObamaCare, investing billions to offer coverage through the ACA exchanges. But after losing $430 million in this market since January 2014, Bertolini had to answer to his shareholders.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Hillary Has Until September 29 To Respond - Under Oath - To These 25 Questions
by Tyler Durden
Aug 30, 2016 7:15 PM
Judicial Watch announced on its website today that it has submitted a list of 25 questions to Hillary Clinton regarding her email practices while serving as Secretary of State. Pursuant to a decision by U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, Hillary has 30 days to respond, under oath, to the questions. Per federal law, Judicial Watch was limited to a total of 25 questions.
All 25 questions are included in their entirety below (we've highlighted some of the particularly amusing ones):
- Describe the creation of the clintonemail.com system, including who decided to create the system, the date it was decided to create the system, why it was created, who set it up, and when it became operational.
- Describe the creation of your clintonemail.com email account, including who decided to create it, when it was created, why it was created, and, if you did not set up the account yourself, who set it up for you.
- When did you decide to use a clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business and whom did you consult in making this decision?
- Identify all communications in which you participated concerning or relating to your decision to use a clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business and, for each communication, identify the time, date, place, manner (e.g., in person, in writing, by telephone, or by electronic or other means), persons present or participating, and content of the communication.
- In a 60 Minutes interview aired on July 24, 2016, you stated that it was “recommended” you use a personal email account to conduct official State Department business. What recommendations were you given about using or not using a personal email account to conduct official State Department business, who made any such recommendations, and when were any such recommendations made?
- Were you ever advised, cautioned, or warned, was it ever suggested, or did you ever participate in any communication, conversation, or meeting in which it was discussed that your use of a clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business conflicted with or violated federal recordkeeping laws. For each instance in which you were so advised, cautioned or warned, in which such a suggestion was made, or in which such a discussion took place, identify the time, date, place, manner (e.g., in person, in writing, by telephone, or by electronic or other means), persons present or participating, and content of the advice, caution, warning, suggestion, or discussion.
- Your campaign website states, “When Clinton got to the Department, she opted to use her personal email account as a matter of convenience.” What factors other than convenience did you consider in deciding to use a personal email account to conduct official State Department business? Include in your answer whether you considered federal records management and preservation requirements and how email you used to conduct official State Department business would be searched in response to FOIA requests.
- After President Obama nominated you to be Secretary of State and during your tenure as secretary, did you expect the State Department to receive FOIA requests for or concerning your email?
- During your tenure as Secretary of State, did you understand that email you sent or received in the course of conducting official State Department business was subject to FOIA?
- During your tenure as Secretary of State, how did you manage and preserve emails in your clintonemail.com email account sent or received in the course of conducting official State Department business, and what, if anything, did you do to make those emails available to the Department for conducting searches in response to FOIA requests?
- During your tenure as Secretary of State, what, if any, effort did you make to inform the State Department’s records management personnel (e.g., Clarence Finney or the Executive Secretariat’s Office of Correspondence and Records) about your use of a clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business?
- During your tenure as Secretary of State, did State Department personnel ever request access to your clintonemail.com email account to search for email responsive to a FOIA request? If so, identify the date access to your account was requested, the person or persons requesting access, and whether access was granted or denied.
- At the time you decided to use your clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business, or at any time thereafter during your tenure as Secretary of State, did you consider how emails you sent to or received from persons who did not have State Department email accounts (i.e., “state.gov” accounts) would be maintained and preserved by the Department or searched by the Department in response to FOIA requests? If so, what was your understanding about how such emails would be maintained, preserved, or searched by the Department in response to FOIA requests?
- On March 6, 2009, Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric J. Boswell wrote in an Information Memo to your Chief of Staff, Cheryl Mills, that he “cannot stress too strongly, however, that any unclassified BlackBerry is highly vulnerable in any setting to remotely and covertly monitoring conversations, retrieving email, and exploiting calendars.” A March 11, 2009 email states that, in a management meeting with the assistant secretaries, you approached Assistant Secretary Boswell and mentioned that you had read the “IM” and that you “get it.” Did you review the March 6, 2009 Information Memo, and, if so, why did you continue using an unclassified BlackBerry to access your clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business? Copies of the March 6, 2009 Information Memo and March 11, 2009 email are attached as Exhibit A for your review.
- In a November 13, 2010 email exchange with Huma Abedin about problems with your clintonemail.com email account, you wrote to Ms. Abedin, in response to her suggestion that you use a State Department email account or release your email address to the Department, “Let’s get a separate address or device.” Why did you continue using your clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business after agreeing on November 13, 2010 to “get a separate address or device?” Include in your answer whether by “address” you meant an official State Department email account (i.e., a “state.gov” account) and by “device” you meant a State Department-issued BlackBerry. A copy of the November 13, 2010 email exchange with Ms. Abedin is attached as Exhibit B for your review.
- Email exchanges among your top aides and assistants in August 30, 2011 discuss providing you with a State Department-issued BlackBerry or State Department email address. In the course of these discussions, State Department Executive Secretary Stephen Mull wrote, “[W]e are working to provide the Secretary per her request a Department issued BlackBerry to replace her personal unit which is malfunctioning (possibly because of her personal email server is down). We will prepare two versions for her to use – one with an operating State Department email account (which would mask her identity, but which would also be subject to FOIA requests).” Similarly, John Bentel, the Director of Information and Records Management in the Executive Secretariat, wrote, “You should be aware that any email would go through the Department’s infrastructure and [be] subject to FOIA searches.” Did you request a State Department issued Blackberry or a State Department email account in or around August 2011, and, if so, why did you continue using your personal device and clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business instead of replacing your device and account with a State Department-issued BlackBerry or a State Department email account? Include in your answer whether the fact that a State Department-issued BlackBerry or a State Department email address would be subject to FOIA affected your decision. Copies of the email exchanges are attached as Exhibit C for your review.
- In February 2011, Assistant Secretary Boswell sent you an Information Memo noting “a dramatic increase since January 2011 in attempts . . . to compromise the private home email accounts of senior Department officials.” Assistant Secretary Boswell “urge[d] Department users to minimize the use of personal web-email for business.” Did you review Assistant Secretary Boswell’s Information Memo in or after February 2011, and, if so, why did you continue using your clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business? Include in your answer any steps you took to minimize use of your clintonemail.com email account after reviewing the memo. A copy of Assistant Secretary Boswell’s February 2011 Information Memo is attached as Exhibit D for your review.
- On June 28, 2011, you sent a message to all State Department personnel about securing personal email accounts. In the message, you noted “recent targeting of personal email accounts by online adversaries” and directed all personnel to “[a]void conducting official Department business from your personal email accounts.” Why did you continue using your clintonemail.com email account to conduct official State Department business after June 28, 2011, when you were advising all State Department Personnel to avoid doing so? A copy of the June 28, 2011 message is attached as Exhibit E for your review.
- Were you ever advised, cautioned, or warned about hacking or attempted hacking of your clintonemail.com email account or the server that hosted your clintonemail.com account and, if so, what did you do in response to the advice, caution, or warning?
- When you were preparing to leave office, did you consider allowing the State Department access to your clintonemail.com email account to manage and preserve the official emails in your account and to search those emails in response to FOIA requests? If you considered allowing access to your email account, why did you decide against it? If you did not consider allowing access to your email account, why not?
- After you left office, did you believe you could alter, destroy, disclose, or use email you sent or received concerning official State Department business as you saw fit? If not, why not?
- In late 2014, the State Department asked that you make available to the Department copies of any federal records of which you were aware, “such as an email sent or received on a personal email account while serving as Secretary of State.” After you left office but before your attorneys reviewed the email in your clintonemail.com email account in response to the State Department’s request, did you alter, destroy, disclose, or use any of the email in the account or authorize or instruct that any email in the account be altered, destroyed, disclosed, or used? If so, describe any email that was altered, destroyed, disclosed, or used, when the alteration, destruction, disclosure, or use took place, and the circumstances under which the email was altered, destroyed, disclosed, or used? A copy of a November 12, 2014 letter from Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick F. Kennedy regarding the State Department’s request is attached as Exhibit F for your review.
- After your lawyers completed their review of the emails in your clintonemail.com email account in late 2014, were the electronic versions of your emails preserved, deleted, or destroyed? If they were deleted or destroyed, what tool or software was used to delete or destroy them, who deleted or destroyed them, and was the deletion or destruction done at your direction?
- During your October 22, 2015 appearance before the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi, you testified that 90 to 95 percent of your emails “were in the State’s system” and “if they wanted to see them, they would certainly have been able to do so.” Identify the basis for this statement, including all facts on which you relied in support of the statement, how and when you became aware of these facts, and, if you were made aware of these facts by or through another person, identify the person who made you aware of these facts.
- Identify all communications between you and Brian Pagliano concerning or relating to the management, preservation, deletion, or destruction of any emails in your clintonemail.com email account, including any instruction or direction to Mr. Pagliano about the management, preservation, deletion, or destruction of emails in your account when transferring the clintonemail.com email system to any alternate or replacement server. For each communication, identify the time, date, place, manner (e.g., in person, in writing, by telephone, or by electronic or other means), persons present or participating, and content of the communication.
Retired Police Officer Writes Open Letter To Colin Kaepernick- Goes Viral
GOP the Daily Dose ^ | 8/30/16 | Dylan
An Open Letter to Colin Kaepernick,
Dear Colin guess you have been pretty busy these last few days. For the record I don’t think any more or less of you for not standing for the National Anthem. Honestly, I never thought that much about you, or any professional athlete for that matter, to begin with. I’ve read your statement a few times and want you to know I am one of the reasons you are protesting. You see I am a retired police officer that had the misfortune of having to shoot and kill a 19-year-old African American male. And just like you said, I was the recipient of about $3,000 a month while on leave which was a good thing because I had to support a wife and three children under 7-years-old for about 2 months with that money. Things were pretty tight because I couldn’t work part time. Every police officer I’ve ever known has worked part-time to help make ends meet.
You know Colin the more I think about it the more we seem to have in common. I really pushed myself in rehab to get back on the street, kind of like you do to get back on the field. You probably have had a broken bone or two and some muscle strains and deep bruising that needed a lot of work. I just had to bounce back from a gunshot wound to the chest and thigh. Good thing we both get paid when we are too banged up to “play”, huh? We both also know what it’s like to get blindsided. You by a 280- pound defensive end, ouch! Me, by a couple of rounds fired from a gun about 2 feet away, into my chest and thigh. We also both make our living wearing uniforms, right? You have probably ruined a jersey or two on the field of play. I still have my blood stained shirt that my partner and paramedics literally ripped off my back that cold night in January. Fortunately, like you I was given a new one. Speaking of paramedics aren’t you glad the second we get hurt trainers and doctors are standing by waiting to rush onto the field to scoop us up. I’m thankful they get to you in seconds. It only took them about 10 minutes to get to me. By the grace of God, the artery in my thigh didn’t rupture or else 10 minutes would have been about 9 minutes too late. We also have both experienced the hate and disgust others have just because of those uniforms we wear. I sure am glad for your sake that the folks who wear my uniform are on hand to escort you and those folks that wear your uniform into stadiums in places like Seattle!
I guess that’s where the similarities end Colin. You entertain for a living, I and almost 800,000 others across this country serve and protect. Are there some bad apples within my profession? Absolutely and they need to be identified and fired or arrested! But you know what, the vast majority do the right thing, the right way, for the right reason. Did I mention that seconds before I was shot, an elderly African American gentleman walking down the sidewalk, turned to my partner and I as we rode past and said, “Get them.” Get who you ask? The thugs terrorizing an otherwise good and decent neighborhood, home to dozens of good, decent African American families trying to raise those families in communities not protected by gates and security guards. No these folks and families depend on America’s Law Enforcement Officers.
Colin I have buried 7 friends, killed in the line of duty and three others who have committed suicide. I have attended more funerals than I care to remember of neighboring departments who have lost officers in the line of duty, during my career. Law Enforcement Officers with different backgrounds, upbringings, and experiences united by their willingness to answer the call to protect and serve their fellow citizens.
Colin I am sorry for the endorsement deals you may lose and the dip in jersey sales, but please know you will NEVER lose what these men and women and their families have lost. And so whether you stand or sit during the National Anthem means very little to me. As for me and the men and women on whose team I was privileged to serve, we will put on our ballistic vests, badge, and gun, kiss our loved one’s goodbye, for some tragically for the last time, and out into a shift of uncertainty we will go. We will continue to protect and continue to serve and we will be standing at attention Colin, not just for the playing of our National Anthem, but far more importantly for the playing of Taps.
V/R
Chris Amos
An Open Letter to Colin Kaepernick,
Dear Colin guess you have been pretty busy these last few days. For the record I don’t think any more or less of you for not standing for the National Anthem. Honestly, I never thought that much about you, or any professional athlete for that matter, to begin with. I’ve read your statement a few times and want you to know I am one of the reasons you are protesting. You see I am a retired police officer that had the misfortune of having to shoot and kill a 19-year-old African American male. And just like you said, I was the recipient of about $3,000 a month while on leave which was a good thing because I had to support a wife and three children under 7-years-old for about 2 months with that money. Things were pretty tight because I couldn’t work part time. Every police officer I’ve ever known has worked part-time to help make ends meet.
You know Colin the more I think about it the more we seem to have in common. I really pushed myself in rehab to get back on the street, kind of like you do to get back on the field. You probably have had a broken bone or two and some muscle strains and deep bruising that needed a lot of work. I just had to bounce back from a gunshot wound to the chest and thigh. Good thing we both get paid when we are too banged up to “play”, huh? We both also know what it’s like to get blindsided. You by a 280- pound defensive end, ouch! Me, by a couple of rounds fired from a gun about 2 feet away, into my chest and thigh. We also both make our living wearing uniforms, right? You have probably ruined a jersey or two on the field of play. I still have my blood stained shirt that my partner and paramedics literally ripped off my back that cold night in January. Fortunately, like you I was given a new one. Speaking of paramedics aren’t you glad the second we get hurt trainers and doctors are standing by waiting to rush onto the field to scoop us up. I’m thankful they get to you in seconds. It only took them about 10 minutes to get to me. By the grace of God, the artery in my thigh didn’t rupture or else 10 minutes would have been about 9 minutes too late. We also have both experienced the hate and disgust others have just because of those uniforms we wear. I sure am glad for your sake that the folks who wear my uniform are on hand to escort you and those folks that wear your uniform into stadiums in places like Seattle!
I guess that’s where the similarities end Colin. You entertain for a living, I and almost 800,000 others across this country serve and protect. Are there some bad apples within my profession? Absolutely and they need to be identified and fired or arrested! But you know what, the vast majority do the right thing, the right way, for the right reason. Did I mention that seconds before I was shot, an elderly African American gentleman walking down the sidewalk, turned to my partner and I as we rode past and said, “Get them.” Get who you ask? The thugs terrorizing an otherwise good and decent neighborhood, home to dozens of good, decent African American families trying to raise those families in communities not protected by gates and security guards. No these folks and families depend on America’s Law Enforcement Officers.
Colin I have buried 7 friends, killed in the line of duty and three others who have committed suicide. I have attended more funerals than I care to remember of neighboring departments who have lost officers in the line of duty, during my career. Law Enforcement Officers with different backgrounds, upbringings, and experiences united by their willingness to answer the call to protect and serve their fellow citizens.
Colin I am sorry for the endorsement deals you may lose and the dip in jersey sales, but please know you will NEVER lose what these men and women and their families have lost. And so whether you stand or sit during the National Anthem means very little to me. As for me and the men and women on whose team I was privileged to serve, we will put on our ballistic vests, badge, and gun, kiss our loved one’s goodbye, for some tragically for the last time, and out into a shift of uncertainty we will go. We will continue to protect and continue to serve and we will be standing at attention Colin, not just for the playing of our National Anthem, but far more importantly for the playing of Taps.
V/R
Chris Amos
Reuters: Donald Trump Closes 12-Point Gap with Hillary Clinton, Now Tied!
Breitbart.com ^ | 30 August 2016 | Breitbart News
Donald Trump closed a 12-point polling gap with Hillary Clinton in five days, leaving them half a percent apart during the next two-day period, according to new polling data from Reuters.
On August 22, Clinton led Trump by 12 points, 44.8 percent to 32.8 percent. By Aug. 27, the two candidates were neck and neck, according to Reuters.
Donald Trump closed a 12-point polling gap with Hillary Clinton in five days, leaving them half a percent apart during the next two-day period, according to new polling data from Reuters.
On August 22, Clinton led Trump by 12 points, 44.8 percent to 32.8 percent. By Aug. 27, the two candidates were neck and neck, according to Reuters.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Don't judge Colin Kaepernick until you've walked a mile in his shoes (satire)
Conservative Review ^ | 8/30/16 | Steve Deace
The scars of racism are lasting, and they are terrible.
After all, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first arrived on the national scene when his white coach, Jim Harbaugh, stuck it to him by benching another white guy. Thus allowing Kaepernick to take over the most important position in all of sports, for a team that would end up playing in the Super Bowl.
No wonder #BlackLivesMatter has become so important to him. His life didn’t matter to such an extent that he is now filthy rich to the tune of a $125 million contract. Have talent, get paid. That sucks, man. But such are the times that try men’s souls.
There’s more, though. So much more. Pretend scars upon pretend scars. And when you learn more about the loving white family who adopted Kaepernick, you’ll see just how deep those scars really don’t go.
Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, who had struggled through the pain of losing two infant sons to congenital heart defects, nonetheless found the strength to open their arms to Colin. After his unknown black father ran from his responsibilities, and his white 19-year-old mother gave up on the idea of raising him in the final month of pregnancy.
Look at all that white privilege talking. Just walking around with a silver spoon in their mouths and never doing a darn thing for nobody except raising someone else’s child in a safe and loving environment. Really makes your skin crawl, doesn’t it? All that overcoming-real-hurt-and-loss-in-order-to-let-grace-abound-all-the-more is just one giant micro-aggression when it comes right down to it.
It would be nice at this point in such a horror story if somebody stepped in and did something to help poor Colin out. But no. Just more jerks. First, his white high school football coach Larry Nigro didn’t like the lack of attention Kaepernick was getting from big-time college football programs. So he back-stabbed him by making a highlight reel of his best performances and then helped send it to roughly 100 schools.
Where do you find the fortitude to get up off the mat when someone betrays you like that? No wonder Kaepernick has so much lingering resentment. And when it rains, it pours. One of those tapes was sent to the University of Nevada, where two more white guys – head coach Chris Ault and assistant Barry Sacks — piled on Kaepernick once more. They had the unmitigated gall to offer him a scholarship to fulfill his persistent nightmare scenario of playing college football. Then they piled on by throwing in a free college education to boot.
Most people don’t rebound from that kind of sabotage. How Kaepernick put the pieces together and got a chance to become a starter as a freshman, as well as go on to finish in the top 10 in the nation in several categories at his position, we will never know. If only amidst the systemic prejudice somebody had given him a chance.
Ultimately, Kaepernick’s four-year trail of tears at Nevada concluded with him ranking as the only quarterback in the history of Division I FBS college football to pass for more than 10,000 yards and rush for more than 4,000 yards in a collegiate career. But now, let me see you and raise you on the pain-and-suffering-O-meter. Kaepernick is also the only Division I FBS quarterback to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season three times in a career.
Shattered dreams like that are only possible if the white patriarchy keeps kicking you in the groin over and over again. No “One shining moment” for this guy, just a never-ending stream of them. And all the misplaced bitterness and manufactured grievances that so obviously must follow when things play out so perfectly.
Then finally, one August day, you are sitting there during a meaningless pre-season pro football game. When all of a sudden, the years and years of oppressive love, assistance, success, and riches catches up with you, and you are finally triggered into taking a leak on your country’s flag.
Something had to give. You can only keep up a brave face for so long.
After not rising for the national anthem last weekend, Kaepernick explained, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street, and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
That’s powerful. I bet almost as powerful as that time Kaepernick said nothing when San Francisco’s Kate Steinle was shot dead by an illegal alien. Or when he was fined $11,000 for using the “n” word during an argument with a black Chicago Bears linebacker. Or those feature stories written about Kaepernick’s shoe collection, which at the time occupied five rooms of his house.
Clearly all the hallmarks of a deep-thinking social justice warrior, the personal resume, which is dotted with very little but the very opposite of lamentation and woe.
Naturally then — and perhaps supernaturally so — Kaepernick is hypocritically equipped with eyes to see made-up monsters and ears to hear preposterous lies. That will come in handy as his career seems prepared to tank, because ESPN is always looking for its next Michael Sam scam.
So keep digging deeper, Colin Kaepernick. I’m sure your life can finally be the convoluted mess you seem to desire so richly, even though so many others have been willing to see the best in you.
The scars of racism are lasting, and they are terrible.
After all, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first arrived on the national scene when his white coach, Jim Harbaugh, stuck it to him by benching another white guy. Thus allowing Kaepernick to take over the most important position in all of sports, for a team that would end up playing in the Super Bowl.
No wonder #BlackLivesMatter has become so important to him. His life didn’t matter to such an extent that he is now filthy rich to the tune of a $125 million contract. Have talent, get paid. That sucks, man. But such are the times that try men’s souls.
There’s more, though. So much more. Pretend scars upon pretend scars. And when you learn more about the loving white family who adopted Kaepernick, you’ll see just how deep those scars really don’t go.
Rick and Teresa Kaepernick, who had struggled through the pain of losing two infant sons to congenital heart defects, nonetheless found the strength to open their arms to Colin. After his unknown black father ran from his responsibilities, and his white 19-year-old mother gave up on the idea of raising him in the final month of pregnancy.
Look at all that white privilege talking. Just walking around with a silver spoon in their mouths and never doing a darn thing for nobody except raising someone else’s child in a safe and loving environment. Really makes your skin crawl, doesn’t it? All that overcoming-real-hurt-and-loss-in-order-to-let-grace-abound-all-the-more is just one giant micro-aggression when it comes right down to it.
It would be nice at this point in such a horror story if somebody stepped in and did something to help poor Colin out. But no. Just more jerks. First, his white high school football coach Larry Nigro didn’t like the lack of attention Kaepernick was getting from big-time college football programs. So he back-stabbed him by making a highlight reel of his best performances and then helped send it to roughly 100 schools.
Where do you find the fortitude to get up off the mat when someone betrays you like that? No wonder Kaepernick has so much lingering resentment. And when it rains, it pours. One of those tapes was sent to the University of Nevada, where two more white guys – head coach Chris Ault and assistant Barry Sacks — piled on Kaepernick once more. They had the unmitigated gall to offer him a scholarship to fulfill his persistent nightmare scenario of playing college football. Then they piled on by throwing in a free college education to boot.
Most people don’t rebound from that kind of sabotage. How Kaepernick put the pieces together and got a chance to become a starter as a freshman, as well as go on to finish in the top 10 in the nation in several categories at his position, we will never know. If only amidst the systemic prejudice somebody had given him a chance.
Ultimately, Kaepernick’s four-year trail of tears at Nevada concluded with him ranking as the only quarterback in the history of Division I FBS college football to pass for more than 10,000 yards and rush for more than 4,000 yards in a collegiate career. But now, let me see you and raise you on the pain-and-suffering-O-meter. Kaepernick is also the only Division I FBS quarterback to pass for more than 2,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season three times in a career.
Shattered dreams like that are only possible if the white patriarchy keeps kicking you in the groin over and over again. No “One shining moment” for this guy, just a never-ending stream of them. And all the misplaced bitterness and manufactured grievances that so obviously must follow when things play out so perfectly.
Then finally, one August day, you are sitting there during a meaningless pre-season pro football game. When all of a sudden, the years and years of oppressive love, assistance, success, and riches catches up with you, and you are finally triggered into taking a leak on your country’s flag.
Something had to give. You can only keep up a brave face for so long.
After not rising for the national anthem last weekend, Kaepernick explained, "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street, and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
That’s powerful. I bet almost as powerful as that time Kaepernick said nothing when San Francisco’s Kate Steinle was shot dead by an illegal alien. Or when he was fined $11,000 for using the “n” word during an argument with a black Chicago Bears linebacker. Or those feature stories written about Kaepernick’s shoe collection, which at the time occupied five rooms of his house.
Clearly all the hallmarks of a deep-thinking social justice warrior, the personal resume, which is dotted with very little but the very opposite of lamentation and woe.
Naturally then — and perhaps supernaturally so — Kaepernick is hypocritically equipped with eyes to see made-up monsters and ears to hear preposterous lies. That will come in handy as his career seems prepared to tank, because ESPN is always looking for its next Michael Sam scam.
So keep digging deeper, Colin Kaepernick. I’m sure your life can finally be the convoluted mess you seem to desire so richly, even though so many others have been willing to see the best in you.
Black Lives Matter to Donald Trump!
Wall Street Journal ^ | Aug 29, 2016 | Heather MacDonald
The Republican [nominee] says every child—in Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore—should be able to walk to school safely. For that, he’s called racist....
...it is Mr. Trump who has decried the loss of black life to violent crime—and has promptly been declared biased for doing so. Whether intentionally or not, Mr. Trump has exposed the hypocrisy of the Black Lives Matter movement and its allies...
Why this frenzied effort to demonize Mr. Trump for addressing the heightened violence in inner cities? Because the Republican nominee has also correctly identified its cause: the false “narrative of cops as a racist force in our society,” as he put it in Wisconsin...
When Mr. Trump pledges to restore law and order, he is not promising to “protect White America,” in Sally Kohn’s words. He is addressing a problem that whites could easily ignore, if they were the bigots that the Black Lives Matter movement and nearly the whole of academia make them out to be....
The Republican [nominee] says every child—in Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore—should be able to walk to school safely. For that, he’s called racist....
...it is Mr. Trump who has decried the loss of black life to violent crime—and has promptly been declared biased for doing so. Whether intentionally or not, Mr. Trump has exposed the hypocrisy of the Black Lives Matter movement and its allies...
Why this frenzied effort to demonize Mr. Trump for addressing the heightened violence in inner cities? Because the Republican nominee has also correctly identified its cause: the false “narrative of cops as a racist force in our society,” as he put it in Wisconsin...
When Mr. Trump pledges to restore law and order, he is not promising to “protect White America,” in Sally Kohn’s words. He is addressing a problem that whites could easily ignore, if they were the bigots that the Black Lives Matter movement and nearly the whole of academia make them out to be....
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
A Candidate's Death Could Delay or Eliminate the Presidential Election!
US News & World Report ^ | 8/30/16 | Steven Nelson
The presidential election could be delayed or scrapped altogether if conspiracy theories become predictive and a candidate dies or drops out before Nov. 8. The perhaps equally startling alternative, if there's enough time: Small groups of people hand-picking a replacement pursuant to obscure party rules.
The scenarios have been seriously considered by few outside of the legal community and likely are too morbid for polite discussion in politically mixed company. But prominent law professors have pondered the effects and possible ways to address a late-date vacancy.
"There's nothing in the Constitution which requires a popular election for the electors serving in the Electoral College," says John Nagle, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, meaning the body that officially elects presidents could convene without the general public voting.
Unfortunately the 2nd amendment is still in force, and the lofty Notre Dame Professor doesn't understand that. A late demise means someone new is named by a party. Hillary's grand Mal during Debate 3 wont change that. Congresscritters know any subterfuge to try to keep Obama in power would be met with VIOLENT resistance. And that goes for the state legislators too. We vote for Electors. Someone assumes room temp, the party picks a replacment, and they spread the word.
The presidential election could be delayed or scrapped altogether if conspiracy theories become predictive and a candidate dies or drops out before Nov. 8. The perhaps equally startling alternative, if there's enough time: Small groups of people hand-picking a replacement pursuant to obscure party rules.
The scenarios have been seriously considered by few outside of the legal community and likely are too morbid for polite discussion in politically mixed company. But prominent law professors have pondered the effects and possible ways to address a late-date vacancy.
"There's nothing in the Constitution which requires a popular election for the electors serving in the Electoral College," says John Nagle, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame, meaning the body that officially elects presidents could convene without the general public voting.
Unfortunately the 2nd amendment is still in force, and the lofty Notre Dame Professor doesn't understand that. A late demise means someone new is named by a party. Hillary's grand Mal during Debate 3 wont change that. Congresscritters know any subterfuge to try to keep Obama in power would be met with VIOLENT resistance. And that goes for the state legislators too. We vote for Electors. Someone assumes room temp, the party picks a replacment, and they spread the word.
(Excerpt) Read more at usnews.com ...
Colin Kaepernick vs. Vince Lombardi
US Defense Watch ^ | August 30, 2016 | Ray Starmann
The season hasn’t even started yet and the NFL is already running a 40 yard dash into trouble.
Colin Kaepernick, the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, with electrified hair by Chia Pet and a body so tattooed that it resembles an East LA viaduct, sat through the National Anthem during last week’s exhibition game versus the Green Bay Packers.
Kaepernick’s reasons for disrespecting his nation and the veterans who gave their lives and limbs for his freedom was your typical idiotic leftist rant, with a touch of Black Panther thrown in for bad measure.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
According to Kaepernick, the US is oppressing people of color here and abroad. We’re the bad guys, not ISIS, North Korea or Iran. In Kaepernick’s world, white men are virtually slave owners, who subjugate black men on a daily basis; like the white people, John and Jed York and Denise DeBartolo York who own the San Francisco 49ers and who oppress Mr. Kaepernick by paying him $14 million dollars a year.
Kaepernick stated that he will continue to sit through the National Anthem at every game. Apparently, his decision to be an unpatriotic scumbag and an uninformed idiot came after long consultation with his family and his Muslim girlfriend.
As a vet, and an American, I find Kaepernick’s behavior to be disgraceful, sickening and the act of a spoiled brat who has no clue about his country, its history or its current role in the world at large.
Colin Kaepernick is just another overpaid, out of control jerk in the NFL. The NFL has a discipline problem and has had one for at least ten years. Prima Donna players get away with limited or no punishments from Roger Goodell and the league, even though they beat their girlfriends, commit assorted felonies and misdemeanors, deflate balls, and now refuse to stand for the National Anthem. Idiot players run around the field with hippie hair flowing out from their helmets, looking like Jamaican pot dealers and members of 1970’s Euro rock bands. Players go on violent rants on social media, TV and in their locker rooms. Other players turn a touchdown pass completion into an episode of Dancing with the Stars before the referee can wrestle the ball away from them.
In the NFL, the inmates are indeed running the asylum.
A jerk like Kaepernick is really a Sign of the Times.
The NFL has become just like American society and American schools: spoiled, petty, undisciplined, out of control; and what is a growing trend among the left, unpatriotic. Coaches like Pete Carroll use politically correct, soft and kind methods to try and motivate a whole generation of un-coachable players. A coach is no longer a drill sergeant, butt kicker, but the player’s buddy, their best friend, someone to speak kindly to them as they scream at the top of their lungs to a terrified female reporter on the sidelines.
Niners coach Chip Kelly told reporters on Saturday that Kaepernick’s decision not to stand during the National Anthem is “his right as a citizen” and said “it’s not my right to tell him not to do something.”
And today, Michigan head coach and former Niners head coach, Jim Harbaugh, apologized for stating yesterday that he didn’t respect the motivation behind Kaepernick’s action. Just one question, Coach Harbaugh, why are you apologizing to Colin Kaepernick?
Give me a break…
Gone are the days of Ditka, Papa Bear Halas, Tom Landry, Don Shula, Bud Grant, Hank Stram and of course, Vince Lombardi.
Kaepernick would have lasted approximately three seconds under Lombardi. Lombardi would have called Kaepernick into his office and then bounced him off a couple wall lockers like a used super ball. That would have been followed by Kaepernick’s trip down to the local barber shop for a high and tight and a shave. Somewhere in the process, Kaepernick would have had his tattoos removed.
Lombardi would have told Kaepernick that if he wanted to; one, live to see another day, and two ever make it past the practice team again, he would stand every Sunday for the National Anthem.
Kaepernick would have learned about real world Lombardi discipline and “oppression” at the hands of one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL.
But, Lombardi is gone, although his genius and vision lives in perpetuity on the old, subdued color NFL films, narrated by a man nearly as gigantic as Lombardi, Mr. John Facenda.
The NFL desperately needs leaders of men like Vince Lombardi. The NFL has talented coaches, bright people, but they lack the ability to lead men. They are too afraid of the inmates, the press, the fans and the lawyers.
No doubt, Kaepernick will continue to snub his nose at America every Sunday as he sits on the bench during the National Anthem while he texts someone from the Muslim Brotherhood or Black Lives Matter or some other radical, anarchist, anti-American group.
No doubt, coaches and other players will continue to make excuses for Colin Kaepernick and coddle him. He’s just a misunderstood Millennial who needs a safe space.
What he needs is some old fashioned wall to wall counseling.
The season hasn’t even started yet and the NFL is already running a 40 yard dash into trouble.
Colin Kaepernick, the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, with electrified hair by Chia Pet and a body so tattooed that it resembles an East LA viaduct, sat through the National Anthem during last week’s exhibition game versus the Green Bay Packers.
Kaepernick’s reasons for disrespecting his nation and the veterans who gave their lives and limbs for his freedom was your typical idiotic leftist rant, with a touch of Black Panther thrown in for bad measure.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
According to Kaepernick, the US is oppressing people of color here and abroad. We’re the bad guys, not ISIS, North Korea or Iran. In Kaepernick’s world, white men are virtually slave owners, who subjugate black men on a daily basis; like the white people, John and Jed York and Denise DeBartolo York who own the San Francisco 49ers and who oppress Mr. Kaepernick by paying him $14 million dollars a year.
Kaepernick stated that he will continue to sit through the National Anthem at every game. Apparently, his decision to be an unpatriotic scumbag and an uninformed idiot came after long consultation with his family and his Muslim girlfriend.
As a vet, and an American, I find Kaepernick’s behavior to be disgraceful, sickening and the act of a spoiled brat who has no clue about his country, its history or its current role in the world at large.
Colin Kaepernick is just another overpaid, out of control jerk in the NFL. The NFL has a discipline problem and has had one for at least ten years. Prima Donna players get away with limited or no punishments from Roger Goodell and the league, even though they beat their girlfriends, commit assorted felonies and misdemeanors, deflate balls, and now refuse to stand for the National Anthem. Idiot players run around the field with hippie hair flowing out from their helmets, looking like Jamaican pot dealers and members of 1970’s Euro rock bands. Players go on violent rants on social media, TV and in their locker rooms. Other players turn a touchdown pass completion into an episode of Dancing with the Stars before the referee can wrestle the ball away from them.
In the NFL, the inmates are indeed running the asylum.
A jerk like Kaepernick is really a Sign of the Times.
The NFL has become just like American society and American schools: spoiled, petty, undisciplined, out of control; and what is a growing trend among the left, unpatriotic. Coaches like Pete Carroll use politically correct, soft and kind methods to try and motivate a whole generation of un-coachable players. A coach is no longer a drill sergeant, butt kicker, but the player’s buddy, their best friend, someone to speak kindly to them as they scream at the top of their lungs to a terrified female reporter on the sidelines.
Niners coach Chip Kelly told reporters on Saturday that Kaepernick’s decision not to stand during the National Anthem is “his right as a citizen” and said “it’s not my right to tell him not to do something.”
And today, Michigan head coach and former Niners head coach, Jim Harbaugh, apologized for stating yesterday that he didn’t respect the motivation behind Kaepernick’s action. Just one question, Coach Harbaugh, why are you apologizing to Colin Kaepernick?
Give me a break…
Gone are the days of Ditka, Papa Bear Halas, Tom Landry, Don Shula, Bud Grant, Hank Stram and of course, Vince Lombardi.
Kaepernick would have lasted approximately three seconds under Lombardi. Lombardi would have called Kaepernick into his office and then bounced him off a couple wall lockers like a used super ball. That would have been followed by Kaepernick’s trip down to the local barber shop for a high and tight and a shave. Somewhere in the process, Kaepernick would have had his tattoos removed.
Lombardi would have told Kaepernick that if he wanted to; one, live to see another day, and two ever make it past the practice team again, he would stand every Sunday for the National Anthem.
Kaepernick would have learned about real world Lombardi discipline and “oppression” at the hands of one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL.
But, Lombardi is gone, although his genius and vision lives in perpetuity on the old, subdued color NFL films, narrated by a man nearly as gigantic as Lombardi, Mr. John Facenda.
The NFL desperately needs leaders of men like Vince Lombardi. The NFL has talented coaches, bright people, but they lack the ability to lead men. They are too afraid of the inmates, the press, the fans and the lawyers.
No doubt, Kaepernick will continue to snub his nose at America every Sunday as he sits on the bench during the National Anthem while he texts someone from the Muslim Brotherhood or Black Lives Matter or some other radical, anarchist, anti-American group.
No doubt, coaches and other players will continue to make excuses for Colin Kaepernick and coddle him. He’s just a misunderstood Millennial who needs a safe space.
What he needs is some old fashioned wall to wall counseling.
Army recon targets Apache helicopter cannon for Humvee replacement
By James Rogers
As the U.S. Army readies to bring its current crop of Humvees into the 21st century with a new vehicle, reconnaissance officials are also looking to replace the Humvee's pre-World War II .50-caliber machine gun with a version of the Apache helicopter’s cannon in 2019.
The Army has embarked on a major project to replace the Humvee, officially known as the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWVS). Last year the Army signed a $6.7 billion deal with Oshkosh Defense for 17,000 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs). Touted as offering more protection and greater off-road mobility, JLTVs will replace a large chunk of the Army and Marine Corps’ legacy Humvee fleet. The military expects to see the new vehicles in 2018 and 2019.
Col. William T. Nuckols Jr., director of mounted requirements at the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCOE) at Fort Benning, Ga., says the shift to new vehicles is a great opportunity for scout platoons to upgrade from the Humvees’ M2 .50-caliber gun.
“The design work for [the M2] was started in 1917 by General John Pershing,” he explained. “I don’t want to bash it; it’s the best heavy machine gun in the world, but technology has continued to move.”
Related:
Nuckols explained that, while scouts’ primary role is reconnaissance, they need heavy firepower when they run into enemy forces. “In a chance encounter scouts will be looking to engage the enemy, then disengage as quickly as possible,” he said.
A version of the M230-LF 30-mm. cannon used on Apache helicopters would significantly boost scout platoons’ weaponry, according to Nuckols, citing the cannon’s devastating explosive rounds.
“Having an exploding bullet is good when you’re facing enemy soldiers who are in a vehicle or behind a wall,” he said. “Anytime we can shoot bullets that explode, versus bullets that don’t explode, that’s a good thing.”
The M230’s 30-mm. rounds also cause much greater damage over long distances than the M2’s 12.7 mm bullets. Whereas the .50-caliber bullet can pierce just 7/8ths of an inch of armor at 100 meters, the 30-mm. round can penetrate 1.37 inches of armor at 500 meters, according to Nuckols. “At 1,500 meters, it actually goes up to [penetrating] 1.7 inches [of armor],” he added.
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File photo - A U.S. Army Apache flies past the moon in the Zharay district of Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan June 11, 2012. (REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov)
The Army is looking to field the modified M230 cannon to scout platoons in around 2019. “We have got to do some modifications to it, we’re working through that right now,” said Nuckols. “Along with the improved weapon, we’re also looking to add an improved sensor – it will give us the ability to see further using the sensor and also engage with the weapon.”
The cannon could be deployed on up to 800 vehicles.
Military.com reports that Army maneuver officials are also hoping to convince the service’s senior leadership, and Congress, that scout platoons need a light tactical vehicle that carries six soldiers. The JLTV carries four.
“We’re looking at several different options to present to Army senior leaders,” Nuckols told FoxNews.com.
The colonel explained that, with a 6-soldier vehicle, a 36-soldier scout platoon would only have to manage six, as opposed to nine vehicles. “It allows us to maximize our mounted [-in-vehicle] and dismounted [on foot] reconnaissance capability,” he said.
The Army and Marine Corps are looking to buy up to 55,000 JLTVs by 2040.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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Free Government ^ | 1997 | Sraff Free government assisted cell phone programs have become more popular, in part, due to the poor economy ...
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