Don't feel much like blogging lately, gang. I've been neglecting Fleshploitation lately, too. Priorities and such.
Posting will be sporadic until around the 4th or so.
stay tuned?
Uncle Jimbo has got something to say to all those politicians '06ing for a federal flag burning ban: Flag Burning can be fun for everyone
[...] [C]ut the electioneering BS and do something useful like securing our borders, or cutting spending, or abolishing the Dept. of Education.Someone raised the issue with me today and suggested that it is O.K. forHey while you clowns are itching to do something, why don't you just decriminalize beating the crap out of flag burners? I mean everybody wins there, the hippies get to show the depths of their disgust for Amerikkka, the rest of us get to lay down some serious beatdowns, and the media gets an excellent, video-friendly story. I told you I was a uniter, and a decider.
Ouch.
AP: Iraq Insurgents Offer to Stop Attacks:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered to halt attacks on the U.S.-led military if the Iraqi government and President Bush set a two-year timetable for withdrawing all foreign troops from the country, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.Of course, by "insurgent groups" -- this group in and of itself is not all inclusive. Other kids decided not to play.
Meanwhile, Ace hits it in stride:
I've got news for these idiots. If they weren't attacking US troops and Iraqi citizens, we'd have been out of there a year and a half ago. Their attacks and terrorism aren't driving us out of Iraq; they're keeping us there.Just waiting for some Dhimmicrats to say, "See, we have a point to this whole timetable thing."
Bush jogs with wounded soldier
WASHINGTON - President Bush took a jog Tuesday with a soldier who lost part of both legs in Iraq, following through on a bedside promise even the president had doubts about at the time.This is not merely another accurate depiction of the President's character. More importantly, it is the character and perserverance of SSG Bagge that should be emphasized.Despite a slight drizzle, Bush and Staff Sgt. Christian Bagge took a slow jog around a spongy track that circles the White House's South Lawn. About halfway through their approximately half-mile run, Bush and Bagge paused briefly for reporters.
"He ran the president into the ground, I might add," Bush said, as the two gripped hands in an emotional, lengthy shake. "But I'm proud of you. I'm proud of your strength, proud of your character."
The president met the soldier on a New Year's Day visit to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where Bagge had been recuperating from his injuries for months. Bagge, now 23 and a native of Eugene, Ore., was in a convoy hit by roadside bombs a year ago in the remote Iraq desert south of Kirkuk.
Bagge's left leg was amputated just above the ankle, and his right leg ends just above the knee.
I believe Matt (Blackfive) said it best in his post about SFC Mike McNaughton, another wounded soldier President Bush jogged with a few years ago:
By the way, I am not impressed with the President keeping his promise. It's what a Soldier would expect of his Commander-In-Chief. It is great that they went for a run together. As Phil points out, it's not everyday that you can say that you had a jog with the President.Exactly.What's really impressive is that SSG McNaughton is able to run at all.
I thought Vinny was goint to Orlando on vacation?
Little did I know, he was taking the clan to Orlandoberg: BEER WE GO
Germans fear weii going to drink them dryJust substitute "Eric" for "English" and "Britons" and there you have it. ;) hehe
By Jeremy ArmstrongENGLAND's massive army of World Cup fans is drinking Germany dry, it emerged yesterday.
Breweries warned beer could run out before the final because of huge demand from our supporters.
In Nuremberg, organisers revealed 70,000 England fans who flooded the city drank 1.2MILLION pints of beer - an average of 17 pints each.
Astonished bar keeper Herrmann Murr said: "Never have I seen so many drink so much in such little time."
His bar at a fans' tent in the city ran out after they drained all 32 of his 50-litre (11 gallon) barrels.
Herr Murr calculated Britons were shifting beer at a staggering rate of 200 pints per minute.
City official Peter Murrmann said: "The English proved themselves world champs. They practically drank us dry."
In Cologne, where England drew with Sweden, bottles and barrels of the local K?lsch beer ran out because so many English took them to campsites and parties.
Stuttgart bar chiefs said an extra 900,000 pints were sunk last weekend where 60,000 fans partied before and after our 1-0 win over Ecuador.
The Veltins brewery also revealed it has produced a record 418,000 gallons in a bid to keep up with demand.
A spokesman said: "It is incredible how much is being drunk but the hardest thing for the breweries is keeping up with the thirst of the English."
In Dortmund, where most fans for England's Gelsenkirchen clash against Portugal on Saturday are staying, the giant DAB brewery is bracing itself by ferrying in extra supplies to boost production.
I've been meaning to post on this story I got from Ace's who got it from Real Clear Politics who got it from Charles Krauthammer (phew! Talk about playing telephone!): Why I Love Australia
It is surely the only place where you hear officials speaking plainly in defense of action. What other foreign minister but Australia's would see through "multilateralism,'' the fetish of every sniveling foreign policy grub from the Quai d'Orsay to Foggy Bottom, calling it correctly "a synonym for an ineffective and unfocused policy involving internationalism of the lowest common denominator''?I love it.
...That bravery breeds affection in America for another reason as well. Australia is the only country that has fought with the United States in every one of its major conflicts since 1914, the good and the bad, the winning and the losing.
Why? Because Australia's geographic and historical isolation has bred a wisdom about the structure of peace -- a wisdom that eludes most other countries. Australia has no illusions about the "international community'' and its feckless institutions. An island of tranquility in a roiling region, Australia understands that peace and prosperity do not come with the air we breathe, but are maintained by power -- once the power of the British Empire, now the power of the United States.
Australia joined the faraway wars of early-20th-century Europe not out of imperial nostalgia, but out of a deep understanding that its fate and the fate of liberty were intimately bound with that of the British Empire as principal underwriter of the international system. Today the underwriter is America, and Australia understands that an American retreat or defeat -- a chastening consummation devoutly, if secretly, wished by many a Western ally -- would be catastrophic for Australia and for the world.
When Australian ambassadors in Washington express support for the U.S., it is heartfelt and unalloyed, never the "yes, but'' of the other allies, perfunctory support followed by a list of complaints, slights and sage finger-wagging. Australia understands America's role and is sympathetic to its predicament as reluctant hegemon. That understanding has led it to share foxholes with Americans from Korea to Kabul. They fought with us at Tet and now in Baghdad. Not every engagement has ended well. But every one was strenuous, and many quite friendless. Which is why America has such affection for a country whose prime minister said after 9/11, "This is no time to be an 80 percent ally,'' and actually meant it.
Normally I'd bold certain lines to highlight cool points, but in this case, the entire article almost would be in bold.
HANOVER, Germany (AP) -- Zinedine Zidane's farewell tour with France keeps on rolling. Spain's World Cup agony never ends.Alright Brasil, let's not choke this time.Zidane sent in a late free kick that Patrick Vieira headed off a defender to break a 1-1 tie Tuesday, then the retiring French captain finished off a brilliant night with a goal of his own to cement France's place in the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory.
France faces Brazil on Saturday, a rematch of the World Cup final in 1998, when the French won 3-0 on two Zidane goals.
West Point takes in its first Iraqi cadet
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The U.S. Military Academy is welcoming its first cadet from Iraq, a 19-year-old who wants serve his country's army after witnessing violence in Baghdad.Smart kid! ;)Incoming Cadet Jameel acknowledged Thursday that attending West Point posed potential dangers to him and his family in Iraq. But he said it was worth it for a chance to serve at the school, which he called "the best military academy in the world."
Jameel was interviewed on the condition his first name be withheld and no pictures were allowed. West Point officials said the conditions were set by the U.S. Army to provide security for the cadet and his family.Talk about dedication!"If you live in Iraq, you get this determination with everyone you see dying in front of your eyes and every child slaughtered," said Jameel, whose school in Iraq was once struck with an improvised explosive device.
"You are at risk when you're walking down the street," he said. "It's better to die holding a rifle than to die walking down the street as a civilian."
[...] Romans said Jameel was one of four Iraqi candidates but the only one admitted. Jameel, who comes from a family steeped in military service, said his parents supported his choice.
He risked his safety during the application process by routinely traveling to a U.S. military compound in Baghdad to work on a training regimen of running, push-ups and sit-ups, Romans said.
Jameel plans to major in engineering and join the Iraqi military after graduation. He also hopes to someday meet President Bush, whom his family considers a hero after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein.::rubs eyes::
Call me crazy, but I think he just credited BusHitler as being a hero for liberating his homeland from a murderous dictator...
"I'm going to help rebuild the Iraqi army because most of the officers now in the Iraqi army, they are not very well qualified," Jameel said. "I'll try to transfer what I learn here."May God bless you, Jameel, and may He protect your family and loved ones back home.
c/p @ vince aut morire
This line just gets me: Why Senate Iraq votes matter for '06 and '08
But Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., a likely contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, had a very different take on the debate. Speaking to reporters after Thursday's vote, Biden acknowledged, "We may have our divisions ... there is some disagreement in the Democratic party," but, he said, "the Republicans are totally united inThat's like saying, "Oh yea?? Well, at least I don't smell! Smelly heads!"
a failed policy."
I can almost imagine Mr. Biden sticking his fingers in his ear with his tongue out while saying this.
Israel 'will ensure Hamas govt toppled' if soldier slain
Israel will work to ensure the Hamas-led government falls if a soldier kidnapped by Palestinian militants is not released alive, a high-ranking security official said.Them's sounds like fightin' words..."We will make sure that the Hamas government ceases to operate if the kidnapped soldier is not returned to us alive," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
As much as we'd all love for the Hamas "government" to fall, I'd rather it not be done at the expense of an IDF's soldier's life.
Pray for his release.
c/p @ vinceautmorire
Tony Snow on Al-Qaeda Intel Depot the New York Slimes (man, I can't seem to type their name correctly today...) and their loose lips:
'The New York Times and other news organizations ought to think long and hard about whether a public's right to know in some cases might override somebody's right to live.'Well said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Peter King isn't afraid to use the dreaded "T" word:
King, R-N.Y., said he would write Attorney General Alberto Gonzales urging that the nation's chief law enforcer "begin an investigation and prosecution of The New York Times _ the reporters, the editors and the publisher."c/p@Vince Aut Morire"We're at war, and for the Times to release information about secret operations and methods is treasonous," King told The Associated Press.
Bush: Hungarian revolt should inspire Iraq
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) -- President Bush on Thursday acknowledged Iraq's turbulent transition to democracy, but said Hungary's decades-long struggle to break the grip of Soviet oppression underscores the power of freedom.I'm glad President Bush stopped in Hungary after the U.S.-EU Summit and that he and the First Lady placed a wreath at the memorial."The lesson of the Hungarian experience is clear," Bush said in the courtyard of Buda Castle where he celebrated the coming 50th anniversary of Hungary's bloody revolt against communist rule. "Liberty can be delayed, but it cannot be denied," the president said.
Bush noted that Hungarian soldiers are helping to train Iraqi security forces, and played a vital role in Operation Iraqi Freedom by providing security and delivering food and medical supplies to coalition forces. In Afghanistan, Hungarian soldiers have rebuilt schools and a medical center, and have helped train Afghan police, Bush said.
"This is important work," he said. "By supporting these two young democracies, you are strengthening two new allies in the war on terror and you are bringing hope to millions of people in a vital region of the world."
Earlier, Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom also paid tribute to his country's difficult emergence from behind the Iron Curtain, yet he gently nudged Bush to make sure that the U.S.-led fight against terrorism doesn't stomp on human rights.
"This fight against terrorism can be successful only if every step and measure taken are in line with international law," Solyom told Bush in a gilded room at the Sandor Palace.
Bush's commemoration of the 1956 uprising was more than four months early.
Communists seized control of the Hungarian government in the late 1940s. In 1956, the Hungarian people revolted against the communist oppression, but Soviet troops crushed the revolution. Pro-Soviet forces fired on a crowd of 100,000 peaceful protesters and killed more than 500. The following month, armored Soviet divisions rolled into Budapest, brutally crushing the revolt and leaving thousands dead in the fighting.
Secretary Rice and the State Department were wonderful this past February.
Random factoid: Didju know, that a Hungarian officer, Colonel Michael de Kovats, founded the US Cavalry? From wikipedia:
Hungarian born noblemen, he became officer in Hungarian Cavalry under Maria Theresa, later captain in the famous Prussian Cavalry under Frederick the Great. After hearing about the American uprising, he offered his sword to the US Ambassasor to France, Benjamin Franklin. The US Congress made him Colonel-Commander of the legendary Pulaski Legion. He recruited, trained, organized, and led into battle the first ever American Cavalry.He's even got a statue.
Cool.
Presbyterians [PCUSA!!!] 'Receive' Policy on Worship
The divine Trinity _ "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" _ could also be known as "Mother, Child and Womb" or "Rock, Redeemer, Friend" at some Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) services under an action Monday by the church's national assembly. [OVER-emphasis mine, because I don't want people to just associate Presbyterians with the PCUSA --ed.]Why? Because Big Guy is getting sick of you repeating the same old crap all the time.Delegates to the meeting voted to "receive" a policy paper on gender- inclusive language for the Trinity, a step short of approving it. That means church officials can propose experimental liturgies with alternative phrasings for the Trinity, but congregations won't be required to use them.
"This does not alter the church's theological position, but provides an educational resource to enhance the spiritual life of our membership," legislative committee chair Nancy Olthoff, an Iowa laywoman, said during Monday's debate on the Trinity. [What??]
[...] A panel that worked on the issue since 2000 said the classical language for the Trinity should still be used, but added that Presbyterians also should seek "fresh ways to speak of the mystery of the triune God" to "expand the church's vocabulary of praise and wonder."
Keep it real, kids.
One reason is that language limited to the Father and Son "has been used to support the idea that God is male and that men are superior to women," the panel said. [er... --ed.]All they are doing is selecting various names for the Trinity from references throughout the Bible (or they just stared at this poster for too long).[...] Besides "Mother, Child and Womb" and "Rock, Redeemer, Friend," proposed Trinity options drawn from biblical material include:
_ "Lover, Beloved, Love"
_ "Creator, Savior, Sanctifier"
_ "King of Glory, Prince of Peace, Spirit of Love."
Early in Monday's business session, the Presbyterian assembly sang a revised version of a familiar doxology, "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" that avoided male nouns and pronouns for God. [You're kidding me... --ed.]Amen, Dorothy.[...] [Dorothy] Hill reminded delegates that the Ten Commandments say "the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name."
The PCUSA: It's all about options.
CNN just spoke with a U.S. military spokesperson in Iraq who gave scant details regarding whether or not the bodies were truly those of the 2 missing soldiers, Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas Tucker, pending proper DNA identification and notification of the families.
A news briefing is scheduled for 8:30 AM (EST)
Update: Fox News, about 2 mins. after CNN brought the story, are using different language, citing Iraqi officials, specifically Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed, confirm the bodies are Pfcs. Menchaca and Tucker, yet official U.S. confirmation is still pending.
This doesn't look good.
Please pray for the families of Private Menchaca and Tucker.
Paul @ Wizbang reports (thanks to a tip from Talksmack and Newsbusters) that Ken MacKenzie, uncle of Army Pfc. Kristian Menchaca's full sentiments are not being conveyed in their entirety...
That lovable scamp, Ace, on "tats":
I'm anti-tattoo. I'm generally anti-fad, and I was really anti- this particular fad. I don't want to knock people too hard for having them, but they really made my life annoying during my twenties. Every time I was at a party people would begin having their "tatt talk," explaining how and when and why they got this particular Celtic-knot-circumscribing-a-dragon-biting-down-on-the-Chinese-character-for-entropy tattoo, or what this particular interlaced-barbed-wire-and-rose-vine-around-their-ankle might say about their personality.That line cracked me up.
A week or so old, but Dubya still deserves props for this: Bush creates world’s biggest ocean preserve
WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday created the world's largest marine protected area — a group of remote Hawaiian islands that cover 84 million acres and are home to 7,000 species of birds, fish and marine mammals, at least a quarter of which are unique to Hawaii.Halliburton could not be reached for comment.At a White House ceremony, the president designated the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands the United States’ 75th national monument. The islands have been described as “America’s Galapagos” and as the most intact tropical marine region under U.S. jurisdiction.
“To put this area in context, this national monument is more than 100 times larger than Yosemite National Park,” Bush said. “It’s larger than 46 of our 50 states, and more than seven times larger than all our national marine sanctuaries combined. This is a big deal.”
[...] "It's the single-largest act of ocean conservation in history. It's a large milestone," Lautenbacher said. "It is a place to maintain
biodiversity and to maintain basically the nurseries of the Pacific. It
spawns a lot of the life that permeates the middle of the Pacific
Ocean."[...] Roger Rufe, president of The Ocean Conservancy, agreed the area was on par with Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon. “Teddy Roosevelt is largely considered the father of our national park system,” he added. With this national monument, “President Bush may be securing a similar legacy in our oceans."
Finally. 'I'M AN ENVIRONMENTAL HYPOCRITE'
Campaigning RADIOHEAD frontman THOM YORKE has confessed he is a hypocrite, because it's impossible for him to be a world-travelling rock star without damaging the environment. Yorke is a vocal ambassador for the charity Friends Of The Earth, but admits he isn't "flawless", since big concerts, tours and festivals rely on fossil fuel and create tons of unrecyclable waste. He says, "I don't drive a big car, but I don't come out of it dirt-free. "The whole apparatus of big festivals is not cool. If we could go to them and say, you can only use paper cups, you can't use generators, you have to use solar panels. "You technically can't make it happen. That stresses me out, because I am a hypocrite. As we all are."
Honesty is so refreshing.
Via Stevin @ ionetic:
The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either.He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.
He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm howitzer.
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.
He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark.
He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.
He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.
He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all.
He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime.
He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them.
He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.
He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking.
In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.
Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom.
Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years. He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.
And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.
I'm not going to bother blogging about the rest of this article found on Drudge, but this one line really stood out to me regarding the Marine who won in the North Dakota primary elections: N.D. PRIMARY ELECTIONS: 'Ooh-rah!' It's Mac
"Not that Mac, as he is often known, didn't have advantages of his own being both a local media celebrity - he's the host of "Mac Talk" on KNOX radio - and a Marine in a time when the military enjoys the most prestige it's had since World War II."Say what?
Man, you sure wouldn't know it these days!
Via Matt (B5), via Richard (a DOD contractor) via Seamus:
We ALL got that SOB.Sweet.
Some grandmother somewhere in America works in a factory soldering wires to a harness that will connect to a little square box containing a little projection camera for an F-16 Heads Up Display.A young man or woman a year removed from high school pulled pins from 500lb bombs on a hot desert tarmac.
Another kid in America works in a foundry pouring hot aluminum alloys which will eventually find its way to the compressor stage of the F-100 engine that will power an F-16 from a runway.
Someone in America sang in a church choir on Sunday, and on Monday was holding a rivet gun, helping build another warplane, which will help keep us free.
Some group of brave men in the darkness, shined a little laser beam against a building.
Some geeky American, known for his/her math skills wrote a little program that turns numbers into coordinates.
Some young American decided to become a pilot after watching the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels put on a show.
Some American you or I will never meet, had an idea, which became GPS.
Some kid who last year was dancing at a Prom pulled the chocks.
Some kid wiped the canopy that a year ago was wiping car windshields in their summer job at the local car wash back home.
Someone working in a rubber factory had no idea that his or her work product was tucking itself into its bay as the pilot brought up the gear 20 ft off the deck.
Some little American girl who years ago was all about MTV and CDs gave a vector, cleared hot.
Some pilots did their job.
SHACK, baby.
AMERICA got that son of a bitch.
Every damn one of us.
All I can say is that before he died, I hope it hurt like hell.
This one's for Nick Berg.
VAM blog compadre, and postaholic, the Dread Pundit Bluto, shares his ideas for how football soccer might gain a respectable fanbase comparable to that of say, oh, ice hockey: Saving Soccer
[...] allow each team to have one sniper behind the goal, armed with a paint gun. Anyone shot by the sniper sits out for two minutes (five minutes for a head shot), giving the other team a power play opportunity. This should help stop the boring forty minute waits between shots on goal, and enliven the whole game.Meanwhile, I had to choose between cutting off my right hand, and my left hand... as Mexico played Iran in a Round 1 match.
If Iran won, the would be 3 points closer to progressing to Round 2, and thus, beckoning Hitler II to grace Germany with his presence.
If Mexico won (which they did, 3-1), it would be a victory for countless cheering Mexican illegals sitting in restaurants like La Tolteca and El Jefe --- who would be cheering for the WRONG COUNTRY, rather than the United States (who, by the way, plays the Czech Republic tomorrow morning at 11:55am).
Why would I care that they are rooting for the "wrong country" you may ask?
We all know average Joe America would rather watch a hockey team from the Carolinas play a CANADIAN team in the Stanley Cup on a SATURDAY NIGHT than a bunch of guys kicking a ball back and forth for 90mins with little to nothing to show for it.
Therefore, we need Jose Mexico (and todos su primos) to cheer for the U.S. on Joe's behalf.
Or else the Americans' ranking as the FIFTH (5th) BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD will be meaningless.
So sayeth the kyer.
...snuffin' out Kid Jihadi with a THOUSAND POUNDS OF PRECISION GUIDED JUSTICE!
There's nothing like seeing GI Joe Iraqi raise the roof, officially-issued assault rifle in hand, parading around the rubble. (Man, I wish I had screen shots from the television coverage!)
That, combined with the 'Canes whompin' the Oilers 5-0 = a GOOD MORNING.
¡Palabra a sus madres, los cabrones!
P.S. Fellow Munuvian, CalTechGirl, was the first to break the news on the Blogosphere, but alas, trackbacks are non-operational.
UPDATE: The transcript of the President's remarks can be found here.
One of my favorite parts:
Now Zarqawi has met his end, and this violent man will never murder again. Iraqis can be justly proud of their new government and its early steps to improve their security. And Americans can be enormously proud of the men and women of our armed forces, who worked tirelessly with their Iraqi counterparts to track down this brutal terrorist and put him out of business.The operation against Zarqawi was conducted with courage and professionalism by the finest military in the world. [Yea! --ed.] Coalition and Iraqi forces persevered through years of near misses and false leads, and they never gave up. Last night their persistence and determination were rewarded. On behalf of all Americans, I congratulate our troops on this remarkable achievement.
Sneakin' in a quick post: Special forces to use strap-on 'stealth wings' (make sure to check out the image in the article link)
Elite special forces troops being dropped behind enemy lines on covert missions are to ditch their traditional parachutes in favour of strap-on stealth wings.How freakin' cool is that?The lightweight carbon fibre mono-wings will allow them to jump from high altitudes and then glide 120 miles or more before landing - making them almost impossible to spot, as their aircraft can avoid flying anywhere near the target.
The technology was demonstrated in spectacular fashion three years ago when Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner - a pioneer of freefall gliding - famously 'flew' across the English Channel, leaping out of an aircraft 30,000ft above Dover and landing safely near Calais 12 minutes later.
Wearing an aerodynamic suit, and with a 6ft wide wing strapped to his back, he soared across the sea at 220mph, moving six feet forward through the air for every one foot he fell vertically - and opened his parachute 1,000ft above the ground before landing safely.
[...] Resembling a 6ft-wide pair of aircraft wings, the devices should allow a parachutist to glide up to 120miles, carrying 200lb of equipment, the manufacturers claim.
Fitted with oxygen supply, stabilisation and navigation aides, troops wearing the wings will jump from a high-altitude transport aircraft which can stay far away from enemy territory - or on secret peacetime missions could avoid detection or suspicion by staying close to commercial airliner flight paths.
The manufacturers claim the ESG wing is '100 per cent silent' and 'extremely difficult' to track using radar.
Once close to their target landing zone, the troops pull their parachute rip cord to open their canopy and then land normally.
Weapons, ammunition, food and water can all be stowed inside the wing, although concealing the 6ft wings after landing could prove harder than burying a traditional parachute.
ESG claims the next stage of development will be fitting 'small turbo-jet drives' to the wings to extend range even further.
I'm waiting for Taliban-loyal tribes in Afghanistan to report "Batman sightings" any day now...
D-Day June 6 1944:Vinny has the post.
I'm back from Mississippi but will have limited to no access to the internet this week at work so blogging will be light to non-existent both here and at Fleshploitation for the next week or so.