Jurassic gator caught on film...

How did two genders suddenly become 60?

Thanks to Collin for the link!

This German MP trolled a diversity bill by addressing 60 genders and it took him two minutes #Germanyhttps://t.co/fOFDeI3c5w

— IN THE NOW (@IntheNow_tweet) June 23, 2016

I've been flabbergasted by the LBGTQ thing that was brought up when talking about the Manning sentence commutation.

Little did I know that "alternate" sexual identity is now a thing.  Little did I know that there are more than 60 different terms for how people suddenly identify themselves.

This ladies and gentlemen is a sign of the end times.  Don't get it twisted cause I'm far from a bible thumper but this is societal madness. 

Side note.  Can someone grab a liberal and ask them why this is a thing?  Why has being "other than" male or female suddenly become so damn popular?

UK Prime Minister calls for clean break from EU.

via Times

She confirmed that Britain is determined to regain control of migration from the European Union and rejected the supremacy of the European Court of Justice. That stance is anathema to the European Union, which has made the free movement of people — as well as goods, capital and services — one of its bedrock principles and which relies on the court to arbitrate.
“Let me be clear,” Mrs. May said, acknowledging the differences. “What I am proposing cannot mean remaining in the single market.”
She said that she hoped to complete a final deal with the European Union by March 2019 and that it would be voted on by both houses of Parliament. She was not clear about what would happen if Parliament rejected the deal, though some speculated that a rejection would result in the sort of chaotic, “cliff edge” breakup that she and Britain’s bankers and business leaders hoped to avoid.

 Follow this link and make sure to watch the video.  What does May emphasize?  No more MASSIVE payments to the EU, they will take control of immigration and they want skilled labor---not massive numbers of unskilled, and that they will not accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

Brexit is real.

President Obama has commuted Chelsea Manning's sentence

via NY Times

President Obama on Tuesday largely commuted the remaining prison sentence of Chelsea Manning, the army intelligence analyst convicted of an enormous 2010 leak that revealed American military and diplomatic activities across the world, disrupted the administration, and made WikiLeaks, the recipient of those disclosures, famous.
The decision by Mr. Obama rescued Ms. Manning, who twice tried to commit suicide last year, from an uncertain future as a transgender woman incarcerated at the male military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. She has been jailed for nearly seven years, and her 35-year sentence was by far the longest punishment ever imposed in the United States for a leak conviction.
Now, under the terms of Mr. Obama’s commutation announced by the White House on Tuesday, Ms. Manning is set to be freed on May 17 of this year, rather than in 2045.

Become a member of the US Army.  Steal secrets.  Declare yourself a female even though you were born a male.  Then get your allies in the LBGT community to get your sentence commuted.

Only in America. 

CAPT Gene Cernan is dead. Another great passes away...

via Scientific American

U.S. astronaut Gene Cernan, who as the commander of the final Apollo lunar landing mission in 1972 became known as the "last man on the moon," died on Monday (Jan. 16). He was 82.
NASA confirmed Cernan's death on its website and social media channels, noting he was surrounded by his family at the time he died. The cause of death was not stated, but he was known to have been ill in recent months.
"We are saddened by the loss of retired NASA astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon," NASA wrote. "A captain in the U.S. Navy, [he] left his mark on the history of exploration by flying three times in space, twice to the moon." [In Pictures: Astronaut Eugene Cernan Remembered]
Cernan was chosen with NASA's third group of astronauts in 1963. His first spaceflight, Gemini 9A, came three years later, after he and Thomas Stafford replaced Elliot See and Charles Bassett in the wake of a jet crash that claimed the original crew members' lives.
As the pilot of NASA's seventh Gemini Flight — a three-day mission in Earth orbit that rendezvoused but failed to dock with an unmanned target vehicle, Cernan became only the second American astronaut to go out on an extra-vehicular activity (EVA). The two-hour spacewalk though, nearly cost him his life.

Make sure you read the entire article here, what I find mind blowing is that crazy, dangerous, Murphy was out to get him with the long knives space walk that CAPT Cernan went on.

This is another man of an earlier generation that had the right stuff and of the type that our nation will miss.

Oh and besides being an astronaut he was a Naval Aviator.

We're living in weird times.  I see so many so called "leaders" that are well past their sell by date that are holding onto whatever power and influence they have with both hands while others that are/were truly accomplished have simply faded into the background.

2017 looks to be picking up right where 2016 left off.

China 10 DF-21C Ballistic Missiles Salvo Launch

Trump scares EU/Nato leaders!

via Washington Post.

European leaders grappled with the jolting reality of President-elect Donald Trump’s skepticism of the European Union on Monday, saying they might have to stand without the United States at their side during the Trump presidency.
The possibility of an unprecedented breach in transatlantic relations came after Trump — who embraced anti-E.U. insurgents during his campaign and following his victory — said in weekend remarks that the 28-nation European Union was bound for a breakup and that he was indifferent to its fate. He also said NATO’s current configuration is “obsolete,” even as he professed commitment to Europe’s defense.

Trump’s attitudes have raised alarm bells across Europe, which is facing a wave of elections this year in which anti-immigrant, Euroskeptic leaders could gain power. Most mainstream leaders have committed to working with Trump after his inauguration Friday, even as they have expressed hope that he will moderate his views once he takes office. His continued hard line has created a painful realization in Europe that they may now have to live without the full backing of their oldest, strongest partner. The European Union underpins much of the continent’s post-World War II prosperity, but skeptics have attacked it in recent years as a dysfunctional bloc that undermines finances and security.

Wow.  Is it bad that an article gave me a woody?  Of course the Europeans are trying to sound tough...the idea that they will "go alone" is almost laughable.  But this is signalling that they will have to do more than ride the cart...they're finally gonna have to get out and push.

Ignore the "defense establishment" pushing troops to Europe and conducting all kinds of exercises.  I expect (hope) that all this forward basing of troops around the globe will be reversed.

America first.  We have no empire so bring our forces back from the frontier! 

Last Boy Scout reviews Hudson H9 @ Shot Show

I still don't get it.  Steel frame in a full size handgun?  You're not getting much muzzle flip if you're shooting 9's anyway!  Full size steel frame handgun?  If you're doing physical activity then you're gonna wish it was Polymer! You do enough sprints and that thing hanging off your hip will have you fully understanding how a steel frame handgun equals more front sight drift!  Last Boy Scout did a quick Shot Show review but I'm gonna wait till we see a full scale, popping a box or two rounds downrange before I even begin to change my mind on this weapon.

The competition is too tight.  For the price they're asking I can get a G34, FNS, and even a couple of custom/modded handguns.

Germany’s Leopard tanks prove vulnerable in Islamic State fight

via Stars and Stripes

The reputation of Germany’s vaunted Leopard 2 tank, which forms the mainstay of NATO’s armored forces, has taken a pounding in battles with Islamic State militants in Syria.
At least 10 of the 60-ton main battle tanks have been destroyed during a Turkish attempt to recapture the strategically important northern town of al-Bab, located just 15 miles south of the Turkish border, media reports have said.
The Turks have deployed several thousand soldiers in the operation, which began in September. But despite airstrikes by Russian warplanes in support of the advancing troops, they have been unable to take the town in the face of determined opposition.
Several dozen Turkish soldiers and local allies have died in the combat. Germany’s Die Welt newspaper said at least 10 Leopard 2s were destroyed and many others damaged in street fighting on the outskirts of al-Bab. The rebels are said to have used both U.S.-made TOW and Russian Kornet anti-tank missiles in attacks on the tanks.

The above is bad enough...but this part has me twisting....

Turkey’s leaders have criticized the Obama administration last month for not providing strike support to their units engaged in the al-Bab operation.

Let's put aside Turkish arrogance and their demand for support when they have one of the largest air arms in the Middle East (why they need outside support is beyond me...maybe that purge went deeper than we thought and is actually affecting the quality of their armed forces....could the Kurds actually beat them on the battlefield now????).

Why is the Leopard 2 getting taken apart?

Oh and put aside thoughts that the Turks have export models without the latest armor for the version they're operating.  They're a NATO member so they don't get detuned gear.  Its full up, go to war models they're operating.

The answer is simple.

The Leopard 2 is overrated. 

Open Comment Post. Jan 16, 2017

Donald Trump meets with Martin Luther King III

via Daily News

President-elect Donald Trump met with Martin Luther King III on Monday, as the country observed the holiday honoring King's father.
The two were seen shaking hands in the Trump Tower lobby following the early afternoon meeting, which was supposed to address voter participation and "the legacy of Dr. King," Trump's Sean Spicer said on NBC's "Today."

Do you get the significance of this meeting?  John Lewis calls Trump's election illlegite and the son of the civil rights icon essentially gives his blessings?  We're seeing the destruction of the so called black leadership and others within the community vying for power.

This is a good thing and the divide strategy is something that I've always wanted but never thought I would see.  This is brilliant!

M1A2 SEP V2 Main Battle Tanks Live Firing Operation Atlantic Resolve 2017

Last rites to photographer Dickey Chapelle, (the first female war correspondent to be killed in Vietnam)

via Historium Tumblr Page.

Chaplain John McNamara of Boston makes the sign of the cross as he administers the last rites to photographer Dickey Chapelle, (the first female war correspondent to be killed in Vietnam), South Vietnam November 4, 1965 by Henri Huet
Chapelle was covering a U.S. Marine unit on a combat operation near Chu Lai for the National Observer when she was seriously wounded, along with four Marines, by an exploding mine. She died in a helicopter en route to a hospital. She became the first female war correspondent to be killed in Vietnam, as well as the first American female reporter to be killed in action. Her body was repatriated with an honor guard consisting of six Marines and she was given full Marine burial.

I wonder how she rated a full military burial?

A Civil Rights Great passes and I hear about it from the NRA!

via NRA.

America lost a civil rights icon and a true free thinker with the death of Roy Innis on Jan. 8. For the NRA, his departure was personal. Mr. Innis served on the NRA’s Board of Directors for nearly 25 years and was a friend to many within the organization. For the nation at large, he was a champion of freedom who exemplified the courage of a man who follows his own convictions.Born June 6, 1934 in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Roy Emile Alfredo Innis moved with his mother to New York City in 1947 (his father, a police officer, died when Roy was 6 years old). From ages 16 to 18, he served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged. He went on to study chemistry at the City College of New York. Innis became active in the civil rights struggle during the tumultuous 1960s. Although he claimed he initially joined the Harlem Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) to spend more time with his girlfriend, he distinguished himself as a member and became the organization’s national director in 1968. He would continue to lead CORE until his death.Roy Innis’s views on the best path to equality and achievement for African Americans often diverged from other civil rights figures of his day. After two of his sons were murdered with firearms in New York City – Roy Jr., 13, in 1968, and Alexander, 26, in 1982 – he became an advocate for self-defense and an opponent of gun control. 

Why would Black America turn its back on a Civil Rights Icon?  Because he didn't follow modern liberal orthodoxy.  He recognized quite clearly that law abiding Blacks are being preyed upon by the lawless.  Other Blacks in the community and by govt bureaucrats that perpetuate the despair found in the inner city.  Check out this portion of the article, it states his views quite clearly...

By disarming law abiding citizens the government aids and abets crime, he explained to the New York Times.

So we have a whole community suffering because of something approaching a religious belief than a careful analysis of what's going on in the inner city.  Innis saw thru this and spoke out.  Because he did all the hardwork that he had done has been forgotten.

What really pisses me off, has me punching walls and makes me want to scream at the sky?  I found out about his passing from those so called racist at the NRA!  I monitor all types of social media and NO ONE EXCEPT FOR THE NRA acts like the man even existed.

Just plain sad.

Open Comment Post. Jan 14, 2017.

This pistol has everyone talking...I don't understand why...

Pics and description via gunrunnerhell

Hudson H9
One of the most talked about new products for SHOT Show 2017 is the Hudson Mfg H9; a cross between a 1911 and a Glock. Using a striker fire system, the block-like appearance is due to their unique recoil system that reduces muzzle flip and recoil. It appears to have little to no polymer parts, something it doesn’t share with the Glock but pulls from the 1911. It has a slight cyberpunk, almost Ghost in the Shell silhouette. (GRH)

I don't quite get this one. Everyone is excited and talking about this pistol because of its design features.  I personally don't like it.  If it doesn't deliver on perceived recoil (which is rather anemic anyway in a 9mm) and muzzle flip then all they're delivering is a fat, blocky and probably overly heavy pistol that doesn't have a thing on other competitors.

The gun community is going the way of the fitness industry.  Image is taking over substance.  Effectiveness is taking a backseat to "looking" effective.

We'll see what we see with the Hudson H9 but I'll be watching this one carefully.  You know a civilian model will be produced and I wonder how many will bite just because of looks.

Saab JAS 39 Gripen crash in Thailand.

Thanks to Super Rhino for the link!

MBT 3000 VT 4 Main Battle Tank Up Close

1 Platoon, Alpha Company (A Coy), 1 Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (1 PPCLI) range day (pics)

My good buddy Mike Yeo has the info on the Japanese 8x8!

Mike writes for Defense News and you can follow his tweets @The Base Leg!

via Defense News.

 Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has unveiled a prototype eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier (APC) as part of a research project for a new class of modular vehicles. 
The project, known for now as the Wheeled Armoured Vehicle (Improved), will eventually lead to a new vehicle type to replace the Type 96 eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier in use by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). 
The new vehicle will feature improved protection against a variety of threats such as improvised explosive devices, versatility and room for future growth in capabilities compared to the Type 96 it is replacing. It will also be fitted with a more powerful engine and a strengthened suspension to cope with the increased weight and payloads. 

Just a tease...head here to read the rest of the article. 

Defense News got a great guy with their hiring of Mike.  More than most defense writers these days he covers a broad array of defense related subjects (not just an another so called aviation expert) and has his nose to the ground when it comes to armor issues and trends...especially in the Pacific region.

I've been a follower of his for quite awhile now.  If you're not then you're missing out!