Could John Lott’s wisdom be permeating the culture? . . . The Weird Thing That Happened As Firearms Sales Surged – “Even with the uptick in violent crime that’s been recorded recently, lawful gun owners remain concerned with safety, which explains why despite soaring gun sales, few people are actually accidentally injured by them. Crimes committed with guns will always be a problem, but the declining rates of commission using firearms of any kind suggests the proliferation of guns may be having a deterrent effect.” Who could have possibly seen that coming?
He apparently picked most of his victims at random . . . Phoenix serial shootings: Suspect accused of killing nine people identified – “Authorities in Arizona announced Monday that they had identified and charged a suspect in a series of shootings that killed nine people over an 11-month period. Aaron Juan Saucedo, 23, had been arrested last month in connection with the August 2015 murder of his mother’s boyfriend, 61-year-old Raul Romero. He faces 26 felony counts of homicide, aggravated assault and drive-by-shooting related to 12 attacks, which took place between August 2015 and July 2016.”
Beware bogus HK recall notices – A very prominent firearm dealer friend of ours received both of these pieces of correspondence. He spoke directly to HK and confirmed that yes, this was in fact a bogus recall notice initiated by those kooky awareness-raising kids at something called the Peng! Collective. Now you know where our German friends get their well-earned reputation for their collective sense of humor. View larger versions of these here and here.
God forbid . . . Every Marine a rifleman no more? – “Former Defense Secretary Ash Carter shocked the military last summer when he called for boosting the military’s high-tech force by finding civilians who already have those vital skills like cyber security and offer them ‘lateral entry’ into the military — a chance to skip boot camp and put on a uniform as a mid-career rank from Day One. In effect, he suggested having a Marine Corps that included ‘Marines,’ pinned with a staff sergeant’s rocker, who had never been to boot camp and spent no time in the junior tanks (sic). Marines scattered across the force who had little knowledge of Marine culture and whose colleagues quietly questioned their status as a ‘real Marine.’”
Hollywood’s Best L.E. Facial Hair – “The ‘boys in blue’ boast a beautiful bounty of bushy beardsmen whose bewhiskered faces are broadcasted across the nation. But we mustache you a question… who wears it best?”
Challenging Tailgunner Joe . . . GOP Challenger Steps Up to Run Against Pro-Gun Control Joe Manchin – “Pro-gun Representative Even Jenkins (R-WV-3) is challenging gun control Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) for his Senate seat in 2018. Jenkins has released an internet ad that chronicles Manchin’s broken pro-gun promises; showing Manchin shift from being a pro-gun Senate candidate to a pro-gun control Senator who stood side-by-side with Obama in the push for more gun regulations on law-abiding citizens. The ad shows Manchin saying, ‘As your Senator, I’ll protect our Second Amendment rights.’”
NRA Honors Henry NRA 2017 Annual Meeting: ATLANTA, GA- May 1, 2017– At the NRA Board of Directors Meeting at the Omni Hotel, Board President Allan Cors and Vice President Peter Brownell presented Henry Repeating Arms with the President’s Special Recognition Award. Anthony Imperato, president of Henry Repeating Arms accepted the plaque which reads: Presented by the NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA To HENRY REPEATING ARMS In Grateful Appreciation for Distinguished Philanthropic Leadership. NRA Board of Directors Meeting Atlanta, Georgia. May 1st 2017.
Fox Butterfield, is that you? . . . Despite Strict Gun Control, British Gangs Still Gunning Each Other Down In The Streets – “A new documentary airing on Britain’s Channel 5 reveals that, despite nearly a century of strict gun control, violent crime in England actually appears to be getting worse. The documentary, called ‘Inside the Gang,’ reveals today’s gang members are even more ruthless than their predecessors. Gangsters as young as 15 brag about shooting others for trespassing, or simply for entertainment’s sake. One, who goes by ‘Haze,’ says he ‘loves’ shooting people, and that the sight of them ‘scatter[ing], running into houses,’ is indescribably exciting. But, he says, ‘If I can’t catch them, I’m going to their mums, and they’re losing family members.’”
This looks like a high profile First Amendment lawsuit just waiting for an enterprising trial attorney.
God forbid the DoD put people to work in jobs they’re good at just because they’re good at their jobs. Heavens to Betsy!
I know it’s hard to get a grip on, but there are some jobs the military needs to do, even the marines, where being a mindless automaton with rigid regard for rank is not actually a good thing.
Yeah… nope. Put them in the chair force if you have to have them, but a Marine staff sergeant who never passed recruit training is a god damn disgrace. Marines have a very specific job, every Marine has to be able to do that job. It’s why every Marine enlisted man attends MCT and qualifies with a rifle and why every Marine officer is first trained as an infantry officer.
Last I checked, Marine Corps officers are also drawn from the NROTC and the US Naval Academy.
Most large universities and large cities have an OSO, an Officer Selection Officer, who is like a recruiter but for OCS. AFAIK every state has at least one but may have more based on population
If you have a college degree, meet the GPA and other requirements your local OSO will be happy to send you to OCS as long as you’re under 27 the day you arrive at OCS and there is a slot available.
Yes, and every single one of them goes to SOI after OCS.
I went to OCS in the early 70s along with some Reserves and regular Marines that were recommended.
OCS is Boot Camp. To allow civilians into the ranks without Boot is the most ridicules thing I ever heard.
Yes assign office duty but keep the civilian status. The same can be said for your local Police dept..
The Air Force doesn’t want them, send them to the Coast Guard.
Oh, why hasn’t he fired Ashley yet???
×1000! You saved me some typing. Maybe bring back the Tech (T-4,5, and 6) with NO authority to give ANY orders. Those were before my time BTW…
Why hasn’t he fired Ashley yet??? Or did I miss that?
Yeah, because when everything goes sideways you really want command to fall to someone who was just handed their rank …
They can hire them as civilian DoD employees or contractors. All of those who wear the uniform should have the basic skills of a soldier (or Marine, Airman, or Sailor as the case may be).
EXACTLY! Back when I was an airwing puke Sgt., we had 2 civilians in the shop. Both highly capable and brillliant Technical Representatives, they wouldn’t want to be called Marine. Then again, they were both prior Navy, they said “calling me a Marine is an insult”. That’s complete BS, but civilian contractors play a crucial role in all branches. Just don’t pin rank on them, that just diminishes the Corps. Sounds to me like this jackass got this idea because you can pay a (non)Marine E6 a hulluva lot less than the GS14 pay grade my tech reps got.
DOD has a plethora of civilians employees (high % with a attitude). Now they get a uniform also? Great.
But like every thing else ole Ash and Obumer screwed up with the us military, I suppose that is no dumber. Chics, queers, trannies, and civilians. What could go wrong?
true story, Maddog has his work cut out for him unf♡○¥ing the DOD after the last 8 years of trans-homo-goat-identifying whatever. I think he’ll get good results
Yeaaaah, fuck you. The army’s all i’ve ever wanted and you wanna kick me out for where i stick my dick? Fuck you
Yes. Next question.
But I would love to hear your reasoning why we should allow the mentally ill anywhere near the military.
Nope. I do not care at all about your sex life. I care that you can do your job, shoot move and communicate. And when me or one of my other soldiers is hurt you better be able to pick me up, in full kit, and run with me.
I have served with some gay dudes that I would go to war with any day, because they did their job. And I’ve served with sissies, homo and hetero, who had no place in my Army.
I’d pay good money to see you call a gay or transgendered service member a queer or tranny to their face. Fuck, I’d pay their bail after they were done with you, you cowardly piece of shit.
You haven’t met a lot of Marines, have you?
I’m still waiting for you to post that video of yourself calling a service member a queer or a tranny, tough guy.
You literally have 0 clue how the military works, Ron. You should get back to your Hillary cry in before you get triggered.
Evidently. Putting people who are qualified to do a job into that job because they’re qualified to do it is just madness, madness! This is the same reason hospitals insist surgeons are qualified to work on HVAC and mop floors, or airline pilots also can pack the luggage, so they’re indoctrinated into the “culture” of the institution. Did it ever occur to you that the thing keeping qualified people away from the marines in the first place is the “culture”? What the fuck difference do you think it makes if a guy working avionics or cyberwarfare operations has any clue which end of the rifle the bullet comes out of? Absolutely goddamned none. I’m opposed to hamstringing our military for bullshit reasons based on “tradition”- fuck your traditions, snowflake.
I believe you can already do this in the USMC — into the Band. I have never heard of anyone having a problem with this. You can’t attract talented musicians at E-1 pay. And no, they can’t leave the Band and become a platoon sergeant in the infantry (or anywhere else).
I’ve talked with Army MEDOs (medical staff officers) who show up for their BOLC as 2LTs and have to train LTCs and COLs how to put their uniform on. Medical professionals that, once again, the military would not be able to attract at company grade officer pay. On most forts/posts/bases of any size, the highest paid individual is not that commanding 2 or 3 star, it’s the top surgeon, usually an O6 (Colonel/Captain).
I believe there is some talk about doing this with the Cyber branch as well. Pulling geeks off the street and pinning field grade rank on them.
But is there a pro gun challenger to Toomey?
As for the instagram suspension, the school backed down and promised the family that all references to the incident had been scrubbed from the boy’s records. In other words, either the idiot backed down or the superintendent squashed his idiotic action. A pleasant change from the usual, when they just double down on their stupid and illegal actions when the victim generates a public outcry.
Toomey was re-elected on November 8, 2016, for another six-year term.
As for the suspension: Yeah, let’s all just pretend it didn’t happen.
No. It happened. It’s not something you can just “take back.” No “official record”? How about those two days absent? How are those accounted for? Do we somehow erase the memories of his peers?
The next time, will the official in charge find some other, more “reasonable” excuse?
Sorry, the damage is done, the genie’s out of the bottle, the “leadership” has been schooled and will find a way around the outrage next time.
The HK “recall” notice is so absurd no reasonable person would believe it. I suspect Peng will regret divulging their e-mail address. Depending on the cost of international calls, they may regret divulging their phone number, too.
Traditionally, all Marines are infantry first and foremost regardless of their nominal MOS. Even officers go through a form of boot camp called OCS. It sounds like Carter wanted to give Marine rank to civilians who didn’t know which end of a gun expels the bullet. Hiring them as civilian contractors with an assimilated rank would make sense. Making them legally equivalent to Marines who earned their rank the hard way would have been stupid. Command always goes to the senior rank. In combat, you don’t want that to be a computer programmer who can’t shoot.
I can see the argument for such enlistments in the Air Force or maybe Navy, but that’s what warrants are for. It makes not one lick of sense to add cyber commandos to the USMC. They don’t add anything to the Marine combat team and can best be placed in branches large enough to have entire units dedicated to their specialty.
I agree with this. It’s a (maybe) good idea for AF or Navy, maybe even an argument could be made for Army, depending on a few things. But not Marines.
Agreed. If the Marines need a Cyber Wizard in their FOB they can just get a Navy geek seconded to them – same as they do with doctors, corpsmen and chaplains. The Marines as still part of the Department of the Navy.
Yes…We need fake Chiefs aboard ships leading fire control parties.
You mean how you have fake commanders running warships when they get out of medical school?
I disagree that the Marine Corps has no need for technical specialists. They just don’t belong in the chain of command unless they are properly trained for that responsibility.
It goes back to the fundamental question asked about every other mos. How do these guys help an 0311 do his job? I don’t see a satisfactory answer to that question for glorified IT. Especially not one that justifies making them instant E6s.
Air Force basic is 6 weeks and it’s not hard. Warfighters or whatever you want to call it then go to various very difficult selection schools and the like to train for combat jobs. If you can’t hack a 6 week basic and then go on to do your job with rank you shouldn’t be considered.
Airmen, they are called airmen. The chair force is the perfect place to stick a dedicated cyber-command anyway. It’s not like many of them ever see combat.
Marine OCS Boot is 10 weeks and it’s hard. After that you are a 2nd L and continue either Ground Aviation or Law.
It doesn’t just end with Boot Camp.
As of 2007, you could also do OCS as two six week stints while you were in college OCS1 would be after your sophomore year and OCS2 would be after your senior year. As far as I am aware, regardless of your career track, everybody who graduated OCS had to do a six month stint at SOI before they were routed to their primary career track.
… and yes, OCS if FAR harder than recruit training. It’s mostly about how the instructors handle the candidates as opposed to how they handle recruits. They do their level best to make candidates quit, even prior service candidates (ask me how I know.) On the Island, they do their best to pass recruits with as much recycling as it takes to get them up to speed.
It would help if you knew what you were talking about.
Army Basic is 9 weeks, not considering OSUT training units.
Air Force Basic is 8 weeks plus 1 week in processing.
Navy Basic is 7 weeks plus 1 week processing.
Marines have 12 weeks of training plus 4 days of processing.
http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/length-of-basic-training-and-your-first-paycheck.html
What colossally moronic f**king bat sh*t crazy idea. Someone needs a knife hand to the throat.
Marines would never accept them, and they wouldn’t be effective – because they wouldn’t actually be Marines. Furthermore, it exposed that he doesn’t even understand the purpose of recruit training.
There’s a reason why Marines are the way they are, and all that entails. Every Marine earns their title, and the right to wear the EGA. I see it as like being on fire – you’re either on fire, or you’re not on fire. I would never see myself as being a sort of, kind of, a little bit on fire, so there’s no such state as being “kind of” a Marine. If they didn’t earn the title, they’re not a damn Marine – period. Same goes for Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen.
It COMPLETELY disrespects everyone in uniform that EARNED the right to wear that uniform. It’s the same reason the Corps has issues with WM’s – there’s a different standard for them, and we all know it. And to Carrucan’s point, if I’m on ship, I sure as hell want an old salt Senior Chief leading fire control over a civilian that was issued a uniform under false pretenses.
Sergeants, Corporals and Lance Corporals do all the heavy lifting, and by proxy, run the Marine Corps. There is no way that dynamic will function with a bogus Staff NCO in the mix – not for a minute in the Wing, and not for a millisecond with the grunts.
Tom, you are aware that the Navy is well known for rapidly advancing medical specialists? Right? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Navy Doctor under O4.
That wasn’t really on my radar, but come to think of it, I don’t doubt you’re correct. I understand they must graduate medical school first, and then attend a 5 week truncated version of the normal 12 week Navy OCS. There have always been special dispensations for critical fields. If you had Russian language skills during the Cold War, you were a rock star out of the gate. Considering the culture of the Marine Corps, I think this idea would be exacerbated and particularly problematic.
.
Yup, stupid for Marines due to our small head count, but could work with the Navy or Air Force. Just second them to the Army or Marines as necessary. Hell, you could make it even less disruptive by giving them warrants rather than high enlisted ranks or commissions.
Wow no mention of Comey. Just…beards?
BTW Alan Rickman wore it best. Just sayin’.
I concur
Word. When I wear a beard, it’s that style.
Agreed. Rickman.
So that’s what a ‘lazy eyed psycho’ looks like.
But does Jenkins support NFA repeal?
The NFA is NOT going to be repealed.
It’s a waste of time issue.
Sorry.
Doesn’t mean we can’t keep nibbling away at it, the same way LUberals have taken so much.
Sam Elliot has the best ‘stache in the business. Think “Tombstone” and he is a great Dep’ty Sheriff. I don’t know what movie Rickman was in with the beard, but it is “meh.” Oldman’s facial hair in “The Professional” (and as bad-assed as Oldman was) hardly warrants a mention since it is little more than stubble. Whether you like him or not, Sellek’s mustache is a solid contender in any cop contest. And no mention of David Suchet? Heavens! (Alright alright, so he was only a private detective, but he solved crimes.)
I was surprised that Sam’s wasn’t on the list, and for much the same reason as Selleck’s; iconic longevity. Those aren’t just super-cool mustaches anymore, they’re institutions that real men study as boys before growing their first ‘stashe.
Even so, I always thought my Dad out Selleck’d Tom, although his is more ” ‘Nam Gunship Crewchief” than law-man…. because that’s what he is. A little outside regs, with enough seniority & seriousness that make officers look the other way, and looks much better with an M-60 & helmet than a 1911 & Hawaiian shirts.
“I don’t know what movie Rickman was in with the beard”
Hint: Rickman played the Sheriff of Nottingham and the guy who played Robin of Locksley sounded like he came from Oklahoma instead of England.
Know why rhey want to fV<K with the MARINES? Because they work. FU Ass Carter why don't you start arming up your civilians with some embed MARINES. The civilians might be less of a target.
LUberals want Fuck up anything that works. And if they can’t fuck it up, they try to ban it.
Mark N is right, Sam Elliot’s stache has its own national anthem!
“Dear American Gun Store,
Please consider donating to us, to further our cause of preventing quality German firearms that consumers love to buy from being imported to your country!
Sincerely, the Peng Collective”
Yeah I’ll bet they get a lot of takers.
As a former Corporal in the Marines. I actually vomited in my mouth. Yes what a great idea! Let’s give wepons to untrained computer nerds. And have privates and Lance corporals look to them for leadership in a firefight! What could go wrong
With my education as a computer nerd, I would probably be brought in at the rank of captain. I would want my own weapon in a combat zone whether or not I met your standards. If the Corps didn’t provide what I thought was adequate training, I would find a Marine to teach me privately. However, the only order I would feel qualified to give in a firefight would be, “Gunny, you’re in charge,” and the Marines under me would deserve better than that.
If you want to be in a war zone and fight, you can go to OCS and actually be a Marine. Why pretend?
If you want to be in a war with the military, quit pussy footing and actually join the service instead of trying to lateral in and avoiding all the hard work. Plenty of men and women do so each day.
Yeah that’s mot how the military works. You wanna be a captain? Join up and work your way to that rank. Don’t have what it takes? The. You don’t get to be a captain. Rank isn’t about pay and entitlement because of things you’ve done before the service. Sorry snowflake but the military is still one of the few places you have to earn your stripes
Absolutely spot on. I’m currently a Captain in the Guard. I earned my railroad tracks by putting in time as a tank platoon leader, deploying and serving overseas as an LMT AOIC in Kosovo, qualifying gunneries, and good God let’s not forget the utter joy of Staff time- in short working my ass off and earning respect from those above and below me in rank while trying to prepare myself and my men as best I could to destroy any threat presented. I understand direct commissionees in certain fields- medical and a few others, but most of those have military experience before commissioning. That said, if our Squadron surgeon(direct commissionee) ever is engaging targets instead of fixing hurt Troopers, then we are well and truly f@cked. Simple fact: he’s not trained to fight, certainly not to the degree of our average grunt, scout, or tanker. There is nowhere outside the military you can go to get the level of training for maneuver and combat you get in the military.
Props to Henry Repeating Arms for their award and recognition. The Imperato family has found the true American spirit lives on. I was so glad to see they started operations in Rice Lake, WI also, a boost to Wisconsin’s economy. Fine guns, great wood and metal just like God intended lever guns to be. Plus, unlike some others Henry Repeating Arms does not claim lineage to the great Mr. Henry of early Winchester fame. See Springfield Armory’s logo, since 1794 my ass. Two completely separate entities, always were. Their is no lineage to the old Springfield Armory and to suggest this in their logo is deceiving.
I think there’s a legal requirement that any organization with “collective” in its name must be comprised entirely of self-righteous pinkos and cretinous buttlickers.
That fake H&K recall would have actually been kind of funny, if only they had worked the motto “Because You Suck and We Hate You” into the letterhead.
That would have been epic!!
With regard to the story about the proposal for appointing non-boot camp computer techs as cyber staff sergeants in my Marine Corps, I have to say not only no, but HELL NO! If you want to get the “sense of the Corps” on this story, just sigue over to The Marine Corps Times website and check out the comments to this story.
Movie cop moustaches – I think Sam Elliot wins the prize, but Kurt Russell grew a pretty good Wyatt Earp look-alike ‘stache for the “Tombstone” movie. Tom Selleck’s real-life moustache works fine for him in his cop show. As for Alan Rickman’s ‘stache, he had it for the Robin Hood movie, but I think that was it for him.
I’m absolutely shocked that gangs in Britain can still get access to guns and assault weapons. Someone should build a wall around the island.
“Escape From Nottingham.”
I’m joining the chorus condemning IT people becoming instant Staff NCO’s in the Marine Corps. I went through the “Full Metal Jacket” Parris Island boot training in 1964. EVERY boot was thoroughly trained and tested on the M-14 rifle. After graduation from PI we were sent to Camp Geiger where each and every one of us was taught infantry tactics and “fam-fired” a wide range of weapons so that we were at least familiar with how to fire them if needed. We weren’t assigned to any MOS training until after we were basically trained as infantrymen.
One would think that the experience of the Army during the early days of the Korean War should be recalled. When the NKPA attacked across the 38th Parallel the U.S. Army units were sent reeling into the Pusan Perimeter and no small reason for it was that the “chairborne” soldiers had not been trained in the weaponry with which they needed to fight. Some of them literally did not know how to load a rifle, much less shoot it with proficiency.
I can see the need for cyber experts.
How about doing the equivalent of the Seabees? The brought in experienced civilian construction experts with rank.
Do the same thing for cyber experts, a different organization (under the Navy?) and assign them to ships, bases and with Marines where needed. They have rank and pay but not in Marine Corps so we don’t have to worry about some dumb *** trying to exert his authority.