Typhoon Up Close

Here is a shot from the RAF that will curl your hair.

11th Marines Land In Kuwait

Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit disembark Landing Craft Unit 1635, which ferried them from the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1). Operations in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility are focused on reassuring regional partners of the coalition's commitment to help set conditions for security and stability. U.S. forces maintain a naval and air presence in the region that deters destabilizing activities while safeguarding the region's vital links to the global economy. Photographer: Petty Officer 3rd Class Bryan Niegel, Navy Visual News Service

Obama And Guns

Here is all you need to know about Obama and gun rights. Typical left wing gun grabber, pander to the hunters while screwing the general public. Also remember that Obama supports whole heartily the D.C gun ban that should be killed off later this year by the Supreme Court. Obama’s U.S. Senate career has already seen him vote against a bill (S.397) to protect the firearms industry from those who seek to sue manufacturers, distributors, and importers for the criminal misuse of firearms by criminals, an idea akin to suing car manufacturers for damages caused by drunk drivers.Why do leftists and Marxists always want to take the guns? Because those with the guns make the rules. Our founding fathers were smart men, they knew sometime in the future the government would get large, powerful and omnipresent and they wanted to be sure that the citizens still had a say.
Here are Obama’s answers to Project Vote Smart,http://votesmart.org/npat.php?can_id=BS030017

Indicate which principles you support (if any) concerning gun issues.
X a) Ban the sale or transfer of all forms of semi-automatic weapons.
X b) Increase state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
c) Maintain state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
d) Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
e) Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms by law-abiding citizens.
f) Favor allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms.
X g) Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks with firearms.
h) Other
Also more from Pajamas Media , Click title for Link

B-2 Spirit Down On Guam, Crew Safe

It finally has happened, A B-2 Spirit crashed on take-off at Anderson AFB Guam earlier this morning. If the information is accurate it was AV-8 serial number 88-0329, The Spirit of Missouri Both crewmembers ejected and are reported in good condition. This takes the number of airframes down to I believe 20 aircraft in the active fleet.
I wonder what they were thinking when they know they had to pull the handles on what is deemed the most expensive aircraft ever built.

The last 4 weeks have not been good for the USAF, Earlier this week a mid air of two F-15C’s south of Panama City FL, both A/C lost 1 pilot dead, A HANG F-15D down Feb 1 off Oahu with the pilot rescued, and an F-16C down Jan 16 off Key West with the pilot rescued. It will be interesting to see if there is a common thread in the B-2, HANG and F-16 crash and what if anything ACC releases publicly next week.

Obama In Left Field

I have not commented on the Democrat primary because both candidate are Marxists at heart but tonight Sen Obama just lost it or is pitifully not informed. With comments like these how can anyone take this inexperienced Senate back bencher seriously as Commander in ChieF of all U.S. Armed Forces

Obama claims US soldiers in Afghanistan are capturing Taliban weapons because this was easier than getting weapons from the government.
You've got to be kidding?

Pentegon Brief Of Shoot Down

U.S.S Lake Erie Downs Sattelite

Late Wednesday night the USN successfully engaged and shot down the dead spy satellite 130 miles up over the Pacific. The satellite posed a life threat due to the amount of hydrazine fuel that was still on board. The U.S.S. Lake Erie fired a SM-3 surface to air missile to bring down the errant satellite.

Two Eagles Down Off Florida Gulf Coast

Two F-15C Eagles from the 58th FS, 33rd FW, Eglin AFB FL had a mid air collision 35 miles south of Panama City FL. Both pilots successfully ejected and were rescued by USCG search and rescue personal. Unfortunately the Air Force announced last night that one of the pilots died from the injuries he received in the crash. A formal accident investigation board will be formed to determine the cause of the accident. Most of the time in midairs it end up being pilot error with a loss of situational awareness. We will not know for sure until the board releases its finally report down the road.

Where Eagles Fly

KOSOVO Recognized Independent State, Why?

I’m not sure what is going on in Kosovo and why the U.S. and certain NATO allies have gone ahead and recognized what will be a fundamentalist Islamic state in the heart of old Europe.
Kosovo is a province in Serbia made up mostly of Albanian Muslims. Over the years the Albanian majority and the Serbs lived somewhat peaceably with a lot of welfare like subsidy from the Yugoslav government. In the winter of 1998 with the Balkans falling apart NATO claimed that the government in Belgrade was oppressing the Kosovo Albanians with over 100,000 killed. This all led to NATO bombing on March 24th 1999 civilian and military Serbian targets because, it claimed, this was the only way to stop widespread ethnic cleansing against Albanians by the Yugoslav government.
Many observers say it must be true the Serbs committing genocide because of the huge rush of Albanians fleeing during the spring of 99. What they fail to explain is the 100k plus Serbs who also fled and reports that the Albanians were being forced out by the terrorist KLA. What it really looks like was Serb forces cracking down on Islamic terrorist KLA who are allied and supported by Al Qaeda. We were bombing the wrong people,
I have read many articles from both sides and have failed to find any hard evidence that ethnic cleansing by the Serbs in massive numbers was true. In fact with Milosevic who was locked up for a war crime trial at the Haque, I have not found anything where NATO can point to one Albanian murdered in Kosovo by Belgrade forces. What there are is many acts of aggression by the KLA terrorists against the Kosovo Serb minority. What also is fact is that the Kosovo Albanians, who were a minority in Serbia, but a majority in Kosovo, and where in control of all Kosovo institutions, including the government, the police, the educational system and others were persecuting the Kosovo Serbs, who were a minority in Kosovo. Another interesting fact is that during WWII there was an alliance of the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo with the German Nazis against the Serbs, Jews, and Roma (Gypsies) of Kosovo. While on the other hand Marshall Tito’s communist Partisans who won the civil war in Yugoslavia where mostly Serbs. Serbs on balance fought against the Nazis, whether as Partisans or Chetniks. The Chetniks were politically and morally ambiguous; they were guilty of gruesome atrocities in reprisal to those committed by the Ustashe, and though never truly allied with the Nazis they did not consistently oppose them either, which eventually caused the Allied powers to switch their support to the Partisans who, though having the handicap of being communists, were nevertheless attractive for being staunchly and actively anti-Nazi. The Partisans were also multi-ethnic and had a dogmatically explicit ideology of ethnic tolerance. Even at the end of the war they were also mostly Serbs.

So with the recognition of the new independent state we will not win the hearts and minds of the Islamic horde as they are sworn to Jihad but we have angered all the orthodox Christians in the area and the Russians.

DEFINITION OF A VETERAN

A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard, or reserve is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The “United States of America”, for an amount of “up to and including my life.”
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
- Author Unknown

Imad Mughniyeh Dances With The Devil

Imad Mughniyeh Hezbollah terrorist kingpin who was responsible for numerous terrorists strikes around the world against both U.S. and Israeli interests tonight dance with the devil. He was assassinated by a car bomb in the terrorist city and state Damascus, Syria. While the Israeli government denies any connection, government spokesman expressed satisfaction at his death. I for one am glad he is gone, final justice for our murdered Marines. Below is a short list of attacks that he was connected to.
—April 1983: suicide bomber at U.S. Embassy Beirut, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans.
—October 1983: Barracks bombing Beirut, killing 241 U.S. Marines, and 58 French Paratroopers
—March 1984 Kidnapping and killing of Lt. Col. William F. Buckley
—March 1985: Associated Press chief Mideast correspondent Terry Anderson kidnapped and then held for more than six years.
—June 1985: Hijacking of TWA Flight 847 heading from Athens to Rome, and killing of U.S. Navy diver Robert Stetham,
—March 1992: Israeli Embassy bombing in Argentina killing 29 people.
—July 1994: Bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, killing 95 people.

Photos Top, Dead scumbag
Bottom, Beirut Memorial, Jacksonville NC, home of Camp Lejune, Semper Fi

UPDATE: Berkeley CA and Harry Reid (D) Nev. Stand With Code Pink And Against Marines

The latest travesty in Berkeley, CA and the usual from Harry Reid, the worst Senate majority leader ever, traitor to the core.

From Michelle Malkin and Move America Forward:

Berkeley Police Watch “Peace” Freaks attack Patriots.
Berkeley erupted in violence Tuesday morning when the Communist, terrorist-supporting anti-war group crossed into Martin Luther King Park and assaulted pro-troop individuals. Riot police stood by, but did not stop the assaults. Police agencies did not respond to calls for help.
Move America Forward, the nation’s largest pro-troop organization, received permits from the City of Berkeley to hold a daylong demonstration in MLK park against the City Council who passed three outrageous resolutions calling U.S. Marines “unwanted intruders.”
“It is mayhem on here,” MAF communications director Danny Gonzalez said from the park early Tuesday morning.
Code Pink was permitted for across the street. The two sides were to stay separated, according to rules laid down by the city. But the city has a history of giving Code Pink special preference. The City Council gave free parking permits and a free noise permit to the radical group, which has helped fund terrorist families in Iraq with a $600,000 gift. MAF Exeutive Director Catherine Moy attempted to get help from the Berkeley police as the mayhem unfolded, but an officer hung up on Moy. Moy asked the California Highway Patrol to help in the emergency, but the CHP refused. “I have never in my life experienced such inaction in the face of an emergency, “Moy said. “I will ask the Federal Government to investigate, as well as the State Attorney General. It is one thing to give free parking places to the City Council’s special interest anti-war groups, it is another to take sides and endanger the lives of others.”
Move America Forward and other pro-troop organizations will stand in support of the Marines all day Tuesday until they can enter the City Council chambers to address the City Council.

And Harry latest madness via The Hill

Senate Democrats left two days of legislative business officially open last week, hobbling GOP efforts to bring up a bill punishing a liberal California city for scolding Marine Corps recruiters.
The process of recessing is very unusual in the 110th Congress. The only times the Senate went into recess were on Sept. 12 and before and after a number of quick “pro forma” sessions held late last year and in early January, in a tactic to keep President Bush from making recess appointments.
When the Senate adjourns, a legislative day officially comes to an end. To bypass committee consideration of a bill, a senator can request that a bill be placed on the Senate calendar two legislative days after it is introduced.
Once a measure is on the calendar, a senator can request the Senate to approve a bill by unanimous consent, or force at least one member to object to its passage.
But on Feb. 6 and Feb. 7, Reid and Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) closed the chamber’s doors by recessing until the next day, a move that, unlike adjourning, does not change the legislative day.
That tactic effectively delayed an effort by DeMint and five other conservatives to bring forward a bill, introduced on Feb. 6, that would strip Berkeley of $2 million worth of earmarks inserted into the $516 billion omnibus spending bill Bush signed into law at the end of 2007. According to three GOP aides, DeMint signaled on Feb. 6 that he would request that the bill be placed on the legislative calendar before the decision was made to recess, rather than adjourn, for the night.
“Berkeley needs to learn that their actions have consequences,” DeMint said.
Republicans said Democrats clearly wanted to avoid being forced to choose between the Marine Corps or Berkeley, Calif., known for its liberalism and fervent anti-war positions.
Instead of adjourning at the end of a day as usual, the Senate “recessed” twice, a move that, under Senate rules, slows the process of adding new bills to the calendar. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) did not adjourn until last Friday, effectively pushing back floor consideration on the GOP bill until Tuesday — the same day that the city council is likely to tone down its call for Marine Corps recruiters to leave town.
“The only reason to recess is to block something, and the thing that got blocked by Reid’s stall tactic was the Semper Fi Act,” said spokesman Wesley Denton, referring to the bill introduced by his boss, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).
“Democrats have chosen not to defend the Marine Corps, but to pander to anti-war protesters and Berkeley officials that are actively trying to impede military recruitment.”

Just Because Rep. Jack Murtha (D) Ohio Is Still A Dirt Bag

Blast From The Past F-105 Thunderchief (THUD)

A great airplane that carried out the bulk of what amounted to strategic bombing in route pack six during Vietnam. The THUD was the largest single engine fighter that the USAF has ever operated. It was developed during the mid 50’s with the first prototypes coming into service in 1954. The THUD was typical of the Air Force’s preference in fighters during this era. With its high wing loading the THUD was designed with high speed in mind instead of maneuverability, one of its primary missions was to deliver a single nuclear weapon at low level. During Vietnam the THUD D model flew over 20,000 sorties as our primary strike fighter in the north and the two-seat G model armed with the AGM –45 Shrike was used extensively as a Wild Weasel to suppress enemy air defenses. The Thud even had success against North Vietnamese Migs, shooting down 27.5, 24.5 with the 20 MM cannon and 3 with the AIM-9 Sidewinder. After Vietnam the THUD that had suffered 397 combat and operational losses was rapidly withdrawn from active service and transferred to the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. The last ANG G models flew in the 128 TFS, Dobbins AFB, GA until 1983 and the last Reserve aircraft flew with the 466 TFS, Hill AFB, UT retiring the type in Feb1984
For a great book on the Thud in combat and a view of why the Air Force Air Staff is what it is check out Thud Ridge by Col Jack Broughton.
"YGBSM"

For A great THUD web site check out http://www.burrusspta.org/thud.html

F-105 D/G Specs
Crew 1 D, 2 G
Length 64 ft 4 inches
Height 19 ft 8 inches
Wingspan 34 ft 11 inches
Empty Weight 27,500 lbs
Max Weight 52,546 lbs
Power plant Pratt and Whitney J-75 afterburning turbojet, 26,600 lbs thrust in A/B
Max Speed Mach 2.08
Armament 1 20 MM Vulcan cannon, up to 14,500 lbs of ordnance, Aim-9 Sidewinder