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March 21st, 2005 I'm Back - The trip to Flagstaff was good and restful, though cold. It snowed right before we arrived and right after we left. If you're ever in the area I recommend the Arizona Mountain Inn for a good night's getaway. Skiing, sightseeing, and shooting are all minutes away. By the way, last week's banner was a reference to the trip. Lowell Observatory is located on a hill near town, and is where Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto. We had a chance to see Saturn through the 24" Clark refractor, which is now the largest refractor I've ever seen anything through. Reforming the UN - So Kofi Annan has a plan (MyWay, Fox News) to 'reform' the UN. Let's examine the major points.
This is a plan to go nowhere, fast. A Human Rights Council is useless if members can be elected that do not themselves abide by and protect human rights. Expanding the Security Council is useless if it means other nations can stop the body from enforcing resolutions. Redirecting GNP into a bureaucracy is laughable when the fundamental accountability questions raised by the Oil-For-Food scandal remain unanswered. A force to implement resolutions is going to be spineless if the chain of command is not established, or is established by a committee and is forced to report to a committee. It is time for the US to lead by forcing reform down the UN's throat. If it doesn't take, we should leave the UN. Good Men Doing Nothing - "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing", said someone famous. Terri Schiavo's life was represented before Congress early this morning in the form of a bill that gave jurisdiction to a particular court to hear case's pertaining to her. According to the roll call there were 174 representatives not voting. One of them was Representative Raul Grijalva, Democrat from Arizona's 7th. He's my representative, though I use the term loosely, as he typically votes against my interests. He refused to take a stand on an issue of particular importance to dignifying life and protecting innocents. This is a disgusting non-position. I've asked him to explain himself in an e-mail to his office, but a reply is expected to be below reasonable expectations and matching my expectations of him. Let's get rid of him as a representative. The Brit's Medal of Honor - The highest military award in the United Kingdom is the Victoria Cross, awarded in the same manner as the Congressional Medal of Honor; that is, for extraordinary gallantry under combat. The UK MoD announced on Friday the first award of the medal since the Falklands War in 1982. Private Johnson Gideon Beharry was the honored recipient, and the first recipient in 40 years to be alive to wear it. The medal itself is cast from the iron of cannon captured from the Russians at Sevastopol during the Crimean campaign. Read the citation. Wow. See also The Guardian's report. Fedora Tip: LGF. Brit Guns - In honor of our Redcoat Chap, we present the British SA80, the standard rifle of the Royal Army.
It comes in two versions, the LA85A1 & A2 (the soldier's standard rifle) and the L86A1 LSW (Light Support Weapon, similar to the US Squad Automatic Weapon). Here's a Small Arms Review PDF on it. It shoots the NATO 5.56 mm cartridge (bad) but uses a piston to actuate the bolt (good), which is the same one as found on the M-16. Magazines are compatible too. The design is known as a bull pup, which simply means the grip and trigger are in front of the magazine instead of behind it, relative to the shooter. Curiously, the bayonet handle fits directly over the flash suppresser. When the weapon fires, the gases cause the bayonet handle to become has hot as the barrel itself - a nasty surprise when it comes time to remove the blade. |
Toys |
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This site is copyright 2001-2005 by Matthew Maynard. All rights reserved. All your trademarks, copyrights, insignia, and other distinguishing characteristics are belong to you. Sharks in suits make for good joke material. Don't leave a mess on your way out. Links to external websites are valid at the time of article authoring and may decay as time goes by. But we'll always have Paris. The opinions on this site are those of their author and do not represent anyone else's views. That is, unless and until you agree with them, at which point they become yours as well. Opinions expressed in the comments belong to the comment poster and may be edited for content. Play nice with others, since you want them to play nice with you. |
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