पोत्शोट्स अत १०:19

Due to a shortage of highly-trained snipers and the need for "accurate, long-range fire" in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the ground services are making members of infantry squads "designated marksmen." There will be one designated marksman per fire team, and the tool of their trade will be the beloved M-14 rifle, the rifleman's rifle.

For the full story, see New Lease on Life for the Beloved M-14 at Military.com.

Recommended Reading For Anyone Advocating Military Intervention in Somalia
Experts Say Army in Crisis at Military.com.

This one line caught my attention:

"The Army is forced to pull soldiers from the ranks who have not graduated college and send them to OCS."

Folks, it's that kind of lowering of the gold bar that had college dropout William Calley leading a rifle platoon in southeast Asia in 1968.

Sure, the pirates are bad. But, there are folks that get paid big bucks to deal with such waterborne vermin: Maritime Protective Services, Inc..

Attention GOP
Aside from one vote when I was too deep in my cups and too immersed in the heady incense of the cathedrals of Academia to know what was good for me, I have voted GOP in every Presidential election since I have been eligible. I was the first in my family to break from Democrat ranks. Even though I wasn't old enough to vote yet, I proudly wore my "Haig for President" button because I believed Reagan would be too soft on the commies. But, I swear, if I get one more "robo-call" telling me that Jim Martin has "the ghey" and supports mandatory first trimester abortions performed by union-run clinics, then I'm going to write in "Al Franken" on every ballot I ever get.

Knick-Knack Kerouac

Blue Hipster bleeds retro. As a fan of Kerouac's The Subterraneans, I really dug this piece. If Dan Stivers's attornies ever send me a cease-and-desist, I might have to pawn grandma's snuff box to commission me a new header.