 Not the MSM you're used to |
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May 23rd, 2005 Lileks & Newsweek - James seems to think that criticizing Newsweek is akin to slouching towards the Reichstag:
No James, criticizing Newsweek for disgracing the flag of their country of origin is not the way to Brownshirts & bookburning. This is. We lose sight of human dignity when we lower some humans from their pedestal of life because of their birth status. We lose sight of national dignity when we lower the nation's symbols from their pedestal of respect because of poorly informed notions of the nation's values. To suggest that boycotting Newsweek is the way to ruin free speech is like suggesting that boycotting southern bus companies is the way to ruin transportation. The key difference between Germany and the US is who is advocating the boycotting. This brings us to the press briefing from last week (I know, I know, always behind the curve am I). The problem the press exhibited was a refusal to accept correction - the pride of thinking they don't need to change. In the US the President can exercise his right to free speech and suggest that perhaps Newsweek should do, you know, actual research before they publish a story that denigrates the US. His opinion carries equal weight with the Newsweek magazine, and no force of law behind it in this case. The key difference is that Hitler's word was law, a change to which would be so reviled in the US as to invoke riots. No, we are not degrading like that. At least not when it comes to free expression. Guns - The Type 95/97 assault rifle of the People's Republic of China:
It fires a new cartridge, a 5.8x42 mm bottleneck cartridge. Like the FAMAS, it can't be fired by left handed people, since it ejects the spent cartridges directly into the shooter's shirt. The idea the Chinese had was to create a battle rifle that shoots a more potent cartridge than NATO forces and is more modern & deadly than the AK-74 of Russia and the M16 of the US. They have apparently subscribed to the US school of small calibers, as the 5.8 mm bullet is only marginally larger than the 5.56 mm bullet in both diameter and weight (the Chinese bullet weighs almost 66 grains, where the US bullet weighs 55 or 62 grains, depending on loading). Unlike the M16, though, it uses a gas piston to operate the rotating bolt. Apparently the M16 only influenced the cartridge size, not the internal mechanisms. Fire control is safe, single shot, and burst, controlled by the small dial located to the rear of the magazine on the shooter's left side. The rifle was first observed in public in 1997, when Communist China took jurisdiction over Hong Kong from the British. It consists of a common receiver, around which is built one of many rifles - carbine, standard rifle, light machine gun, or sniper rifle. This is very similar to the still-developing XM8, though the XM8 takes it one step further - the weapons can easily and quickly be converted between types, whereas the PRC weapon cannot be converted. The similarity with the FAMAS should come as no surprise, as the French and the Chinese have been collaborating militarily for some time now. The Type 97 differs from the 95 in the cartridge and receiver. The 97 shoots the 5.56 NATO cartridge, and the receiver can take the STANAG standard magazine used with the M16. |
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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