Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com The Barnyard

Friday, March 31, 2006

Friday Daydreamin"

AArrghh, I am sick of rain and tired of being serious all the time so tonight welcome to the Tiki Club on the shores of Jamaica. I have been there a couple times, once for the reggae Sunsplash Festival and for my honeymoon, I had a blast both times of course.
So after a day of snorkeling and sailing you find yourself at the Tiki club, beachside as the sun burns itself into the sea, a tall frozen beverage at your side. The sounds of latin gutar waft from inside as the breeze brings the smell of salt and the day's adventures to mind along with the tantalizing odors of the grill. A graceful couple has taken to the dance floor and is putting on quite a show, visible through the windows from your gazebo as you drift in reverie. A young man walks by hawking his fresh lobster catch, you make your selection and summon the waiter for its preparation......
The evening begins with Armik and moves through Ottmar Liebert, DiMeola and a few others. Armik is a new find for me and I am very impressed, and I am not impressed easily when it comes to the guitar, especially latin jazz, classical, bluegrass/folk and rock and roll. I love guitar music and by association all the stringed instruments.
The instrument that has the power to enchant me the most however is the human voice, I can't sing which increases my love for the beauty, a voice that stays with in its range with power and elegance.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Almost Friday

Sorry folks, I had a long hard day today, a good thing. Stay tuned for my ongoing interview from the al Anbar region with a Marine Sgt stationed there, good stuff. Soldiers Angels.com . is the place to go for hands on support of our troops, I am stoked to be helping .

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Memorial Day

We had a very nice gathering of folks today to memorialize our late boss today, good food, lots of friends and inside tales and jokes, a fitting remembrance of a good man.
I recently was linked to a Sgt. on the front in the GWOT through Soldiers Angels, this is an awesome group, get to know a soldier. Marine GySgt Sean is my contact, based outside Fallujah, this should be interesting, an eye behind the combat camera, OORAH ! To view some of his work and see some pictures go here. I implor all my readers to sign up with Soldiers Angels, I am glad Pero gave me the final nudge to do something I had been meaning to do for a long time.

Monday, March 27, 2006

An Odd Connection

John Fund has been following the story of of the Taliban student at Yale and his latest will add my odd connection on immgration. The connection involves the translator for Afganistan's most famous woman for a speech recently delivered at Yale. She is a political refugee that came here with her mother and siblings, works fifty hours a week and is studying to become a physician, not at Yale, at a local community college. Read the article.
This made me think about about work ethic and immigration, illegal trespassers being the hot topic on the Hill at the moment. I don't post on immigration much though I know it well after trying to build a PAC on the issue. We have freedom and jobs so people that want those things want to come here, I would. Why are they hired over americans? Work ethic, they are happy to have a job and work hard to keep it. Americans expect a job they don't have to work hard at, or work hard. They grew up in hard demanding systems where hard work was needed just to survive not thrive as our grandparents and parents did. My grandparents were sharecroppers, basically slaves to the landowner. Many years later on their own land I spent many a summer day bent in labor not playing or swimming with friends. I learned a work ethic, the harder you work , the more sweet the play.
I am a tradesman and growing number of us are immigrants, or 2nd generation, my family immigrated in 1623 so I don't count myself, most are eastern european, asian and latino. I hate to remind folks that most of the southwest was Mexico not so long ago so don't expect their traditions to disappear from your suburb.
My position is to secure the border by fence or National Guard patrol first and foremost, deal with the millions here already with an employer sponsered worker program, deport the criminals and those not sponsered and reenact the Brassero program which worked till the unions killed it. The unions are not as strong now so perhaps this is a way.
To be honest the only way to stop it is to teach a work ethic better than those that want to take your job, if they can do the same or better for less money, guess who gets the job. If that american teen doesn't want to get out from behind their x-box and work hard, I'll take the mexican standing in the rain with the soggy green card, if he is legal, he'll move on up if he works hard, he has to, to survive. American kids want experienced pay as entry level workers just because they sorta speak english and are hip in their crowd, it doesn't work that way, maybe in France but not here. Here you are free, free to succeed on your own merit and ability or fail for lack there of and free to pick yourself up and try again. It is work ethic, show up on time, do the assigned job to perfection no matter how dreary, be courteous, professional no matter the level of job, if you can't handle the work at the bottom of the ladder, you can't handle the work at the top.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Open Thread

Above the southern end of California's "Lost Coast" of Mendocino, an absolutely stunning region of nearly virgin coast and coastal highlands. It is time for a wine and wildflower camera tour of the Alexander and Russian River valleys just to the south.

A Sunny Sunday

Though it is hard to complain about rain in California, I am ready for it to stop long enough to get my early garden planted. It was gorgeous today but way to wet to get in the garden. I know the skiers are happy with 25+feet of snow at Squaw Valley and more on the way, they will be skiing through memorial day the way things are looking. It was nice to be able to get outside for a change, cabin fever is setting in.
Some further essays and interesting reading along the lines of last nights post can be found at the American Thinker including this three parter, here, here and here by JR Dunn, very good. Just to confuse you, here are some good pieces from the American Spectator. Quin Hillyer has a look at the caveman in us conservatives, hmmm. Morton C. Blackwell has some telling insight on power, politics, money and Jack Abramhoff . Lisa Fabrizio has some interesting comments on March Madness in the Swamp and Jed Babbin aims his pen at Rich Lowry of all people in a needed debate among conservatives and the direction of the GWOT or the Long War as it is now being called.
A couple more reasons why I visit the Officers Club on a regular basis can be found here and here, John and Charlie are on the money discussing liberal/progressive ideas.

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Weekend Rambler

Ah, springfever, and so many activities and chores to do, the golf course calls, so do the many miles of trails nearby and I can't skip the parties in the wine country. I can't wait to get back on the golf course, it is such a great game, besides it keeps my legs in shape for hiking.
On to more serious topics like the war and specifically what we are fighting. I have heard it called a clash of civilizations, it is more a war for civilization against a fanatic religious doctrine of Islam. I don't care what anyone says that tries to lessen that claim including the president. Islam is not peaceful, their own scholars scream for Jihad, holy war against the infidels, captured jihadis tell us, Usama and company have told us time and again. This Lebanonese Christian woman, Brigitte Gabriel can explain it much better than I in this must read speech transcript sent by a reader, a couple excerts:

The west has been wallowing in a state of ignorance and denial for thirty years as Muslim extremist perpetrated evil against innocent victims in the name of Allah. I was ten years old when my home exploded around me burying me under the rubble, drinking my blood to survive as the perpetrators shouted Allahu Akbar. My only crime was that I was a Christian living in a Christian town. I learned at 10 years old the meaning of the word infidel.
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As a victim of Islamic terror, I was amazed when I saw Americans waking up on September 12th 2001 asking themselves Why do they hate us? The psychoanalyst experts were coming up with all sort of excuses as to what did we do to offend the Muslim World? If America and the west were paying attention to the Middle East they would not have had to even ask the question. Simply put, they hate me and you because we are defined in their eyes by one simple word, infidels.
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We are fighting a powerful ideology that is capable of altering human basic instincts. An ideology that can turn a mother into a launching pad of death. A perfect example is a recently elected Hamas official in the Palestinian Territories who raves in heavenly joy about sending her three sons to death and offering the ones who are still alive for the cause. It is an ideology that is capable of offering highly educated individuals such as doctors, and lawyers far more joy in attaining death than any respect and stature, life in society is ever capable of giving them.
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And yet, there are still Americans who are unable or unwilling to recognize the nature or the extent of the threat presented by radical Islam. Whether motivated by naïve wishful thinking or rigid political correctness, they assert that Islam is a moderate, tolerant and peaceful religion that has been hijacked by extremists. They ignore the repeated calls to jihad, Islamic holy war, emanating from the government-controlled mosques of so-called moderate Islamic countries such as Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia. They refuse to accept that in the Muslim world, EXtreme is MAINstream.
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We are fighting an enemy that as much as it hides behind lies, it hides behind obfuscation. It is an enemy in disguise that doesn't wear a uniform. It is an enemy that hides behind political correctness and lives in our midst. It is an enemy that hides behind normal civility and the instinct of self-preservation that thrives to die just to kill us.

Read the whole speech, it is a stemwinder and hits the Islamic nail on the head. islamic sha'ria law and western laws and freedoms are heading for a show down and it ain't gonna be pretty as this is just the beginning of a very long war unless we all submit to Islam. Then which form of islam, they seem pretty adept at killing amongst themselves as well. Oh well, what can you expect from a religion that calls a desert pirate its prophet? Mohammed's, no peace to him, prophecy was death to those that didn't bow to him or pay him not to kill you and live in servitude. That is islam today, convert or choose between death and slavery. Muslims ran the African slave trade and still do and then I hear those idiots in the black community over here jumping on the islamic bandwagon, shameful lack of historical knowledge of islam's treatment of Africans.
I don't trust any of them unless islam can reform itself from within and that does not appear to be on the agenda alongside the destruction of Israel and the West, meaning us the US and our allies.
To further drive the point are stories like this from LGF about a jihadi doctor killing patients and in this chilling sermon or this missive from the nut in the SUV at the university in North Carolina. I know america better wake up or the coffee we smell will be a koranic blend and we'll be banging our heads on the floor five times a day, not me, I prefer the words of Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson and the father of our freedom George Washington. My Saviour is Jesus Christ whose teachings were based in Judaeism, formed millinia before Mohammed was a glimmer in his great gramma's eye. They are welcome to follow a desert brigand if they so choose, we also have the right to defend ourselves when they try to kill us or dictate to us what we can say or do.
A reader sent me this joke:
Three travellers meet at a crossover in Montana, one a cowboy, one an american Indian, and the other a radical muslim student. When this fact comes out an uncomfortable silence breaks out as the cowboy leans back and pulls his hat down low. After a few moments the Indian quietly offers,"Once my people were many now they are few, why do you think that is?
The muslim student sneers back,"Once my people were few now we are many, why do you think that is?"
The cowboy adjusts his toothpick and snorts,"We ain't played cowboys and muslims yet."
Michelle Malkin has been following the Abdul Rahman case closely and here, the afgani man on trial for his life for converting from islam to Christianity, she links to Mark Steyn's comments here, he is a must read.
Sunday Update: Charlie Munn over at the Officers Club examines it as well in this post. He is a student of the middle east so I take his analysis seriously, plus cool posts like this one.

Friday, March 24, 2006

Unfortunate Day Off

We closed the shop today for obvious reasons though life carries on. Normal blogging will resume this weekend.

Thursday, March 23, 2006

R.I.P. and God Bless


The boss passed on today, peacefully at home, lung cancer and chemo' took him down quickly. He was a good man and should be welcomed at St. Peter's Gate. I am proud to have worked with him and I learned alot from him, he will be sorely missed. May he rest in God's Grace!
His name is Larry if you wish to offer him up in prayer and lend some wings to his soul. I feel peace when I pray, I guess the Lord felt the need for a gifted artisan/craftsman

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

The Plastic Evil

I will be proud to say by this time next week I will be debt free, with the exception of my mortgage,4.75% fixed and in another year my equity will equal loan value. Don't ever fall into the credit card trap, I have escaped the jaws a few times now and expect myself to stay well clear. I was tought to save for what I wanted and need to return to that regimen. I have to add my use of credit wisely through the years enabled me to get a top rate mortgage with zero down, it has become the necessary evil of modern life, credit.
This is a great feeling, I encourage all to seek it plus planned home improvements will lead to at least 2/3s off utilities. It is about time to continue my' explore California' adventure. Its like a deep haze has lifted and the sun is shining once again. Time to rejoin a gym and hire a trainer to replace some of this soft winter tissue build up with muscle, I have big dreams for this summer. I want to add Shasta to my peaks list, it will be my highest yet at a little over 14,000 ft. Mt. Winchell in the Palisades is my highest so far at 13,775, a few summit pics have been published here.
The golf course awaits as well, I love the game and every aspect of it from the first tee to the nineteenth hole. It is a game of chances and options, personalities and egos, your very self will be revealed on the course, in every nuanced extreme, that is why so many business deals take place on the course and many lasting friendships. I am good enough to recognize a championship course and appreciate it and to have a blast at the local "hardhat" course. The thing about golf is the personal challenge, noone can swing that club but you and the rules are honor bound by centuries, committing both the athlete, the soul and the intellect in the negligible journey of placing a little white ball in a hole in the ground by means of fancy sticks. It combines the best of intellectual gamesmanship and physical talent in a unique way and teaches a gentleman's/ladie's etiquette along the way. I love the game, can you tell? It drove reconcilliation between me Pops and myself, we played in rain and snow and eventually refound each other. I miss those days as Pops has moved on. He taught geometry and vector trig and he approached a golf course the same analytical way, the money making way, keep the ball in play, quiet and conservatively. I am sure other golfers would agree, the analogy works for most anything in life, the risk/reward factor. I am always more than happy to discuss the philosophies, tenents and nuances of this great game.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Weekend Rambler

Blogger was down all day yesterday, I hope they have resolved the problem. It has been an awesome spring weekend here and thus the cleaning bug, long dormant has awoken though it is still to wet to get in the garden. Yes it is time to sweep the winter blues out the door.
Since blogger was down I caught a documentary on the French-Indian War and its place in our history. They have an interesting premise that this is actually the war that shaped america as our future leaders were trained in this war, George Washington learned how to defeat the British as they were routed time and again early on by the French and Indian forces. It was on PBS so look for it again.
I also today watched Al Gore's and President Bush's speeches from earlier this week as well as a sit down with Mitt Romney on Cspan's Q&A . It is hard to miss the seething anger in Al Gore as well as the escape from facts to pure rants. Bush was on his typical stump with more twist to the positive economy and back with his "flyboy" swagger. I am more and more impressed with Mitt Romney everytime I see him, unless things drastically change expect this page to be pro Mitt as my colleague has already shared.
Meanwhile on the war it seems the MSM way overblew our latest air assault in the Samarra region. It makes sense that we can transport more troops more swiftly, accurately and safely by air assault than ground deployed forces facing IEDS and poor roads and placing crack units on the spot almost instantaneously. Bill Roggio as always has tons of coverage at the Fourth Rail. Amir Taheri reports on Iraq and Iran. Victor Davis Hansen casts his glare towards Europe. Of course you must talk to the horse to get it from his mouth so visit, CentCom and Defend America to get the same press briefings the MSM so loves to distort and spin.
You just have to love the moonbats, they are so much fun when they are cranky.(hattip: Right is Right ).
Paul has a few interesting things to add to the conversation as well.
On the lighter side Karen has some cat tales and other fun stuff (this one is a must)

Friday, March 17, 2006

This is a summer shot of a favorite waterfall. I am going to have a look during the rainy season this weekend in the planned walkabout. The wild flowers are starting to bloom so it looks like a photogenic weekend.

A Happy St. Patty's Day To Ya

I stuck to green labels on a domestic ale, Sierra Nevada's fine IPA, thats india pale ale for the non-ale lovers. I like an IPA for its slight bitterness and ability to cut through a hard day's dust. I had not tried their IPA before, very good., slightly hoppy with a good twang to the finish, you are left wanting another one. Yes St Patty's Day is the chance for our Scots/Irish heritage to strut and drink, at which we can accomplsh handily. May the winds of good fortune fill your sails of hope, me lads and lassies and may God guide your course.
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Meanwhile, good reads floating around , here, here (more), here, on the war, also on the war and St. Patty's Day the Officers Club, a favorite watering hole,

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Spring, Election Year

The Patriot Post Founders' Quote Daily
"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined."-- Patrick Henry (speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention,5 June 1778)Reference: The Debates of the Several State..., Elliot, vol. 3 (45)
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Of course the pundits are all over the board on all sorts of topics, these two caught my eye. James Taranto has some interesting items on the populist vote effort in a move against the electoral college. The electoral college is a system by which the majority of states choose our president. We are not a true "democracy", we are a constitutional federalist republic. A majority in the majority of States gets to choose not a simple majority. I far favor the system we have now, with its simple flaws over any other. A simple democracy leads to mob rules and that does not cross well with freedom. This means conservatives, in all districts must vote in '06 and '08, even at the primary level, and uproot the RINOs and place good folks up there in congress,. We have done it before , we can do it again. I have zero problem with the people in charge of our protection snooping around for those that want to kill us or harm our children, so Feingold is a fool , we knew that already. Time to kick the free spenders out once again, and show our clout. There is a bunch of goofy stuff going on in the swamp, stay informed.
Other good reads can be found here and here.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006


One of my favorite areas, just outside Ridgecrest Ca., a great place to escape the fog of LA. If you like to rockclimb, as I do, it is heaven, the rock is a cross between the Buttermilks of Bishop and Joshua Tree granite, all tough face climbing and cracks, few caves, many unsent and sunrises and sets cannot be matched.

Rights of Religious Organizations--Catholic Charities as a Case Study

Recently, Catholic Charities of Boston announced it would cease its adoption services branch at the end of its current contract. The reason? The state of MA forces agencies licensed by the state to abide by its non-discrimination policy, no exceptions made.

Over the years, CC has placed over 700 children with couples, including 13 to gay families. However, after much reflection, Archbishop O'Malley decided this was in direct conflict with church doctrine and decided the Catholic organization could no longer participate in the adoption process.

While this is no doubt, a shame as Catholic Charities of Boston has been a great asset in placing children in need with families, I believe this entire episode speaks to a larger issue. That issue is freedom of religion.

In MA, any agency licensed by the state must not discriminate on any basis. The problem, however, is that in MA, the sole adoption licensing agent is the state. As a result, there can never be, as the system is currently structured, an exemption for religious based adoption services. It puts groups such as Catholic Charities in a horrible position. Abide by man's law and continue as an adoption agency, or abide by your church's law and close shop. Sadly, we know the decision that was made.

At the end of the day, I believe, as does my man Mitt Romney, that an exemption should be made for religious organizations so long as they do not take state money. As of right now, Catholic Charities only receives one million a year in state aid--a sum easily found in the coiffers of the diocese. The greater good is served by allowing Catholic Charities the right to place children with whom their hearts and their church dictates to be the best for young kids.
To me, this is only right.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Open Thread


Beauty can come from the most unlikely of places.
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Google earth is a very, way cool program to have on your computer, this is a special geologic tool beyond the old global models. Want to check out the Grand Canyon, or a route up a Himalayan peak, sit down with your topographic maps and have a napkin handy, you may drool. This a cool program to have, then you can eliminate the Jay Bennish's from your child's intellect.

Geography Nuts

Since I am one of those wierdos that thinks maps and geograghy is a good topic, and in a public education that should be the best on the globe with private pushing the stratospheres of personal achievement, I think I can comment. I grew up on a private high school campus, my dad was head of the math department. It is a shame I can't list the school here for security reasons, but if you want information on one of the best college prep schools in the country, located in the southeast, email me.
Back to geography and the teaching of it, let's see, 10th grade, we had to be able to fill in a blank map of the world, every country, capital, major river, valley and mountain range and a similar breakdown of the US, Canada and Mexico. We had our political banter, Carter years, but always in the compare and contrast level of debate. I had a good professor, really good, he would be all over the middle eastern conflict, covering every nook and bloody cranny. He would have shown the cartoons and even the beheading flicks, he is a liberal. A typical essay question modernized; Compare and contrast the reaction to the Mohammed cartoons to the religio-politico forces and socio-economic situation in Palestine and the West. He tought me alot of history and how to break it down and its impact is now showing a quarter century later.
Today's kids wouldn't know Sudan from Siberia, many can't even get our coastlines correct, let alone point out the country their teacher is squawking about, this incident recently getting so much flap is the norm not the anomaly. I have to draw maps to show a college student where a particular state is, so sad. I wish our teachers were freed from the politically correct, revisionist crowd. I support vouchers and oppose teachers unions, I am worried about where the kids will be in thirty years, not where their teacher' s pension will have the teacher playing golf. You, know like reading, writing and arithmetic, how to debate and converse in public and not appear a fool? I can be good at that, at least I admit it.

Monday, March 13, 2006

Mitt Romney, The Talk of The Town.

All the commentators were abuzz about the straw poll this weekend, even my local host,Eric Hoghue was harping on the mormon thing this morning, which has zero to do with his leadership abilities, my phone was dead so I couldn't call in. Eric did acknowledge that this represented a major win for Mitt. He went as far as saying Mitt actually won the poll. There were only a couple of callers negative to his Mormonism, and a couple wondering how same sex marriage got through on his watch. The rest were supportive, I will have plenty more chances to call in. Hugh Hewitt had Mitt on his radio show today and helped bring another root into the spreading grassroots that know this man can and should win.
Meanwhile Mike Spence has reignited the conservative fire that lead to the Gingrich revolution. My prediction is the seats that change will be through retirement or primary vote, not in the general election. I really don't see the dems retaking anything, they don't have a message, or a solution beyond more tax money for the the evergrowing beast or 'Bush whacking'. When you are are off trail in the backcountry, cut off from mankind, that is what I call bush whacking, pun intended. They are way off track and seem to have lost their moral compass. We will see.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Rambling On

I wish the rain would stop so I could play in my garden, oh well, it means a pretty spring. Bored and housebound I checked on Iraq and here are a few items I found.
From General Casey, courtesy of Defend America
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BAGHDAD, March 6, 2006 — The crisis generated by the bombing of the Golden Dome in Samarra has subsided. As I said last week, Iraq has passed a crucial test in their journey to becoming a democratic country. There is a terrorist threat here that will stop at nothing to undermine the formation of this constitutionally elected government, a government of national unity and a government that that represents all Iraqis. They tried to make the bombing of the Golden Dome mosque the straw that broke the camel’s back and it failed. Iraqis rose to the occasion. Have no doubt, there are still sectarian tensions that the Iraqis will have to work through. However, throughout this sensitive period the Multi-National Force - Iraq will continue to monitor the situation and support the government of Iraq.

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And this.
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By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, March 9, 2006 – The people of Iraq are rising up against an insurgency bent on derailing democracy in the country, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said today.
"The people of Iraq are uniting against the insurgency," Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said during a news conference from Baghdad. "Out in al Anbar, the terrorists and foreign fighters have become the enemy to the people."

People in that province have collectively turned against Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his network, Lynch said. Seven of Zarqawi's leaders have been killed in Anbar since September, and insurgent access to Ramadi has been physically blocked, he added

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We are also removing the means for jihadist murders to carry out their evil plots as reports from Centcom show like this one.
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THIRTY CACHES DISCOVERED IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS

Release Date: 3/10/2006

Release Number: 06-03-01PA

Description: BAQUBAH -- Over the course of 11 days, Soldiers with the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Brigade of the 5th Iraqi Army Division and the Patriot Military Transition Team with 1-68 Combined Arms Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Band of Brothers, have together discovered 30 hidden weapons caches.
Each discovered cache prevents anti-Iraqi forces from wounding or killing innocent civilians and military members. One of the caches was found after a detainee provided its whereabouts during an Iraqi Army intelligence interrogation. It also happened to come out of the same field the detainee was arrested from, which had already been searched and produced an earlier cache.
“This type of operation denies the anti-Iraqi forces resources. It costs them their money, it costs them their mobility and it costs them their time,” said Maj. Thomas Baccardi, the S-3 operations officer in charge for 3rd HBCT, 4ID, Task Force Band of Brothers. “Efforts in this regard disrupt their tempo and facilitates our ability to target their nodes.”

Total items seized from all 30 caches were:

Seven AK 47s
One Russian PKC machine gun
One Russian RPK machine gun
One Fabricated sniper rifle
One Rifle with a silencer
Seven Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers
Three 60 mm mortar systems
Two 82 mm mortar tubes
46 RPG anti-personnel rounds
21 RPG anti-tank rounds
14 60 mm mortar rounds
Four 82 mm mortar rounds
Two 120 mm mortar rounds,
20 SPG (anti-tank) nine rounds
Nine 90 mm rockets
Two 3.5-inch high explosive rockets
187 M6 mortar fuses
Seven MP6 mortar fuses
13 90 mm rocket primers,
Two 40-pound bags of propellant,
Five Assorted hand grenades,
Two Unknown rounds,
50 Rounds of PKC ammunition
1000 Rounds of AK ammunition
Nine Trip flares
Three Flak vests
Five Scopes,
Three License plates
35 feet of IED wire,
14 Assorted radios,
12 IED control boards,
Six IED timers,
10 Black brick 5 x 7 with batteries
30 AK 47 magazines
10 AK 47 ammunition vests
One RPG back pack
One Set of binoculars
One Vehicle periscope
One 60 mm mortar level (and)
One 60 mm mortar sight

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE AT EDWARD.LOOMIS@US.ARMY.MIL, JEFFREY.ALLEN1@US.ARMY.MIL, TERRY.L.WEBSTER@US.ARMY.MIL AND CHRISTOPHER.PEAVY@US.ARMY.MIL.

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Sounds like some fun stuff, speaking of guns I am looking for some opinions on which .300 mag. load is best. input on gun smiths is welcome as well. I like what I have learned of Dakota Arms above the traditional makers. If I have any historic carbine experts that happen to click on, I need some help IDing a .35 cal. carbine made on a browning patent , it looks like a browning shotgun from the chamber back, it has a double barrel design different from the sks, which is the closest match I can find so far. My dad's was stolen by his widow's son, water under the bridge, though I would like to find another one.
I have to close with the incomperable Mark Steyn.
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This week's Voldemort Award goes to the New York Times for their account of a curious case of road rage in North Carolina:
"The man charged with nine counts of attempted murder for driving a Jeep through a crowd at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last Friday told the police that he deliberately rented a four-wheel-drive vehicle so he could 'run over things and keep going.' "
The driver in question was Mohammed Reza Taheri-azar.
Whoa, don't jump to conclusions. The Times certainly didn't. As the report continued: