Archive for November, 2012

Marines Have to Explain What They Do

From National Defense Magazine:

With budget cuts on the horizon for all branches of the military, Marine leaders are taking no chances that the Corps’ value might be put into question. They are stepping up the rhetoric in a preemptive effort to put to rest the idea that the Marine Corps is just a smaller version of the U.S. Army.

, ,

No Comments

A Domestic Terrorist With a Deadly Plan

From the FBI:

By the time he moved to Alaska in 2006, Paul Rockwood, Jr. was an ardent follower of the American-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who he met at a Virginia mosque in late 2001.

A military veteran himself, Rockwood believed it was his religious duty to kill those who desecrated Islam. In 2009, he began sharing his deadly plans with an individual he thought held similar views. But that person was actually an undercover operative employed by our Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in Anchorage.

, , , , , , ,

No Comments

NSSF: Concealed Carry

, , , , ,

No Comments

Iowa CCW Permits Double in One Year

Iowa passed a “shall issue” law in 2010 and in 2011 the number of permits doubled.

KCRG.com

, , , , , ,

No Comments

The Elections, Gridlock and Foreign Policy

The Elections, Gridlock and Foreign Policy is republished with permission of Stratfor.”

By George Friedman

The United States held elections last night, and nothing changed. Barack Obama remains president. The Democrats remain in control of the Senate with a non-filibuster-proof majority. The Republicans remain in control of the House of Representatives.

The national political dynamic has resulted in an extended immobilization of the government. With the House — a body where party discipline is the norm — under Republican control, passing legislation will be difficult and require compromise. Since the Senate is in Democratic hands, the probability of it overriding any unilateral administrative actions is small. Nevertheless, Obama does not have enough congressional support for dramatic new initiatives, and getting appointments through the Senate that Republicans oppose will be difficult.

There is a quote often attributed to Thomas Jefferson: “That government is best which governs the least because its people discipline themselves.” I am not sure that the current political climate is what was meant by the people disciplining themselves, but it is clear that the people have imposed profound limits on this government. Its ability to continue what is already being done has not been curbed, but its ability to do much that is new has been blocked. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , ,

No Comments

$50,000 Reward for AK-47 Bandit

The FBI is seeking the public’s help for information leading to the arrest of the AK-47 Bandit, who is wanted for robberies in California, Washington, and Idaho. Anyone with information concerning the identity or whereabouts of this suspect is asked to contact the nearest FBI field office or 911. Details

, ,

No Comments

TSA Procedures Need to Be Remade from Scratch

From RAND:

It is time for a new approach to meeting America’s next-generation aviation security needs, one that dodges the influence of politics and bureaucracies and relies instead on the resources and objectivity of independent researchers operating from a clean slate. This would enable the government to confront the need for cost-risk trades that agencies and Congress find so difficult to acknowledge and present to the public.

, , , ,

No Comments

One Rifle to Rule Them All…not

From James Yeager:

, , ,

No Comments

FBI Science and Technology Branch Website

Science and Technology

With about 4,500 highly trained professionals in a wide range of disciplines, the Science and Technology Branch supports the FBI mission—along with the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities—by creating, adapting, and deploying state-of-the-art tools and techniques to collect, analyze, and share information and evidence.

, ,

No Comments

The Expensive, Diminishing Threat of Somali Piracy

The Expensive, Diminishing Threat of Somali Piracy is republished with permission of Stratfor.”

By Ben West

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has dropped off dramatically in 2012. Successful ship hijackings have decreased from 31 in 2011 (and 49 in 2010) to only four so far in 2012. Attacks against ships have also decreased, falling from 199 reported attacks in the first nine months of 2011 to 70 attacks over the same span in 2012 — a 65 percent drop. However, diminished activity does not necessarily mean a decrease in the cost of sailing around the Horn of Africa. Somali pirates occupy a unique position, which is right along highly strategic global shipping lanes yet outside the reach of any national power. For international actors, it is politically and militarily easier to try to contain the Somali piracy threat than to eliminate it. But containment comes at a high cost. Read the rest of this entry »

, , , , , , , ,

No Comments

Drone Video Unencrypted

From Danger Room:

Four years after discovering that militants were tapping into drone video feeds, the U.S. military still hasn’t secured the transmissions of more than half of its fleet of Predator and Reaper drones, Danger Room has learned. The majority of the aircraft still broadcast their classified video streams “in the clear” — without encryption. With a minimal amount of equipment and know-how, militants can see what America’s drones see.

, , , , , , , ,

No Comments

Blue Press December 2012

Articles:

STI LS 9

Smith and Wesson Model 1

IDPA Classifier: Shooting While Moving

Try Shooting a Revolver

, , , , ,

No Comments

VEPR 12 Shotgun

, , , , ,

No Comments

Military Dog Monument

From Military Times

The first national monument to pay tribute to military dogs will be unveiled in California in just two months. The U.S. Working Dog Teams National Monument will honor every dog that has served in combat since World War II.

, , ,

No Comments

Long-Term Prospects for the Afghan Peace Talks

From RAND Corporation:

In the first few days of 2012, the Afghan Taliban confirmed in an email to media outlets what had been whispered about for weeks: that a tentative agreement had been reached to open an office in Qatar from which to engage in preliminary peace negotiations with the U.S.-led coalition. The move drew criticism for cutting the Afghan government out of the loop and for lending legitimacy and influence to the Taliban even as it continued carrying out serious attacks. However, it also represented the first important step toward the near-universally accepted reality that any resolution in Afghanistan would occur at the negotiation table and not on the battlefield.

, , ,

No Comments