Ear Worm Wednesday–5/30/2012

Yeah, I’m glad I moved out into BFE for the small town story.  In Google News I have a feed for my home town.  This today just made me shake my head not to mention this from last week.  Overall, I really don’t miss my home town, it’s nothing like when I grew up there.

Eric Chuch – Homeboy

SSCC #339–Denver

He wore a badge and a gun. And when the Denver police officer demanded sex in the front seat of his squad car two years ago, according to Valerie Arend, she felt she had to comply with his demands.

Yeah, go read the story.  Sounds like a class A character right there.  She had every reason to be afraid, our sworn officers of the law get preferential treatment.  Don’t believe me, resist an unlawful arrest as you’re legally allowed to do and tell me how that ends up.

She could have used force to resist but his buddies who arrive on scene are going to pummel her face and no one will believe her.

Great how the system works isn’t it?

State Sponsored Criminal #339: Hector Paez

Because citizens should have the deck stacked against them so an officer always has the benefit of the doubt, no matter what he does.

Congratulations my boy!

You sir have found yourself a keeper!

ShesAKeeper

The good one’s always do.*

*Now I do realized the Netherland’s do not allow concealed carry in public.  I consider that a damn shame.  As I’ve said before I’d rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.  It appears this man’s girlfriend probably subscribes to the same philosophy.  I’m not normally one to support those breaking the law, but I’m not going to turn around and support criminals by saying victims should be disarmed either.  I’m hate victimless crimes with a passion and until such time as she pulls it and shoots someone or threatens someone that’s exactly what carrying concealed is.

Seriously son, keep your mouth shut and don’t screw it up.

Quote of the Day – Sebastian (5/29/2012)

Our opponents were used to a media environment where they could grab
hold of the narrative and drive it as far as they like, but that does
not work in the world we live in now. The funny thing is, no one can
control it for long, not even us. But for some reason that’s
strengthened our hand, and severely weakened theirs.

Sebastian The Narrative Slips Out of Control for Josh Horwitz

May 29, 2012


[I think Sebastian nailed this right on the head.  No one really has control of the narrative anymore, even as hard as some people might try.  No matter how hard people try, the truth eventually comes out.  Our opponents previously were able to win hard and fast because they could control the narrative.  They could pull at peoples heart strings.  Now though, they can pull at the heart strings at the beginning and then facts and logic will overtake random emotion.  People become upset when someone uses their genuine emotions nefariously and ultimately were made to feel sorry for someone who in the end turns out not to be the angel he was made out to be.

Just the same, we can not control the narrative either despite what our opponents may think.  We don’t control it, it’s just that we’re the ones presenting the truth with facts to back it up.  For the most part, that’s what the majority want, they want the truth.  It so happens that the truth, facts, and logic support our position.  All our enemy has is falsehoods to try and pull at people’s emotions.  Since no one controls the narrative, they can’t stop the narrative from changing from what they started to tug at peoples heart strings.  In the ends all they are left with is a group of people so emotionally invested in the narrative that they lack the ability to think rationally or freely.  So the question becomes, did we really loose any support from those people?

I didn’t think so either. -B]

SSCC #338–Duval County

Federal prosecutors say Duval County Sheriff’s deputy Ruben Silva took $5,000 in payment and planned to smuggle cocaine in his sheriff’s department vehicle from the Rio Grande Valley north through the Border Patrol inland checkpoint. He was arrested Thursday.

Yup, the “War on Nouns”, it’s nothing but a giant ploy so the government can create it’s own monopoly.  Prohibitions fail, period.  The “War on Drugs” just means that the smugglers who go and work for the state get preferential treatment and can do the inside jobs.

They only reason he’s facing punishment is because the DEA and ATF still have a black eye from fast and furious.  Besides, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen someone doing an inside job like this.

State Sponsored Criminal #338: Ruben Silva

Because you’ve been sworn to enforcing the law, means you can enforce it against others while breaking it yourself to make some money on the side.

via Bob S.

Who’s In Your Thoughts Today…

This pretty much speaks for itself.

On June 28, 2005, deep behind enemy lines east of Asadabad in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan, a very committed four-man Navy SEAL team was conducting a reconnaissance mission at the unforgiving altitude of approximately 10,000 feet. The SEALs, Lt. Michael Murphy, Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny Dietz, Sonar Technician 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew Axelson and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell had a vital task.  The four SEALs were scouting Ahmad Shah – a terrorist in his mid-30s who grew up in the adjacent mountains just to the south.

Under the assumed name Muhammad Ismail, Shah led a guerrilla group known to locals as the “Mountain Tigers” that had aligned with the Taliban and other militant groups close to the Pakistani border. The SEAL mission was compromised when the team was spotted by local nationals, who presumably reported its presence and location to the Taliban.

A fierce firefight erupted between the four SEALs and a much larger enemy force of more than 50 anti-coalition militia.  The enemy had the SEALs outnumbered.  They also had terrain advantage.  They launched a well-organized, three-sided attack on the SEALs.  The firefight continued relentlessly as the overwhelming militia forced the team deeper into a ravine. 

Trying to reach safety, the four men, now each wounded, began bounding down the mountain’s steep sides, making leaps of 20 to 30 feet. Approximately 45 minutes into the fight, pinned down by overwhelming forces, Dietz, the communications petty officer, sought open air to place a distress call back to the base. But before he could, he was shot in the hand, the blast shattering his thumb.
Despite the intensity of the firefight and suffering grave gunshot wounds himself, Murphy is credited with risking his own life to save the lives of his teammates. Murphy, intent on making contact with headquarters, but realizing this would be impossible in the extreme terrain where they were fighting, unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life moved into the open, where he could gain a better position to transmit a call to get help for his men.

Moving away from the protective mountain rocks, he knowingly exposed himself to increased enemy gunfire.  This deliberate and heroic act deprived him of cover and made him a target for the enemy.  While continuing to be fired upon, Murphy made contact with the SOF Quick Reaction Force at Bagram Air Base and requested assistance. He calmly provided his unit’s location and the size of the enemy force while requesting immediate support for his team. At one point he was shot in the back causing him to drop the transmitter. Murphy picked it back up, completed the call and continued firing at the enemy who was closing in.  Severely wounded, Lt. Murphy returned to his cover position with his men and continued the battle.

An MH-47 Chinook helicopter, with eight additional SEALs and eight Army Night Stalkers aboard, was sent is as part of an extraction mission to pull out the four embattled SEALs.  The MH-47 was escorted by heavily-armored, Army attack helicopters. Entering a hot combat zone, attack helicopters are used initially to neutralize the enemy and make it safer for the lightly-armored, personnel-transport helicopter to insert.

The heavy weight of the attack helicopters slowed the formation’s advance prompting the MH-47 to outrun their armored escort.  They knew the tremendous risk going into an active enemy area in daylight, without their attack support, and without the cover of night.  Risk would, of course, be minimized if they put the helicopter down in a safe zone. But knowing that their warrior brothers were shot, surrounded and severely wounded, the rescue team opted to directly enter the oncoming battle in hopes of landing on brutally hazardous terrain.

As the Chinook raced to the battle, a rocket-propelled grenade struck the helicopter, killing all 16 men aboard. 
On the ground and nearly out of ammunition, the four SEALs, Murphy, Luttrell, Dietz and Axelson, continued the fight.  By the end of the two-hour gunfight that careened through the hills and over cliffs, Murphy, Axelson and Dietz had been killed. An estimated 35 Taliban were also dead.

The fourth SEAL, Luttrell, was blasted over a ridge by a rocket propelled grenade and was knocked unconscious. Regaining consciousness some time later, Luttrell managed to escape – badly injured – and slowly crawl away down the side of a cliff. Dehydrated, with a bullet wound to one leg, shrapnel embedded in both legs, three vertebrae cracked; the situation for Luttrell was grim. Rescue helicopters were sent in, but he was too weak and injured to make contact. Traveling seven miles on foot he evaded the enemy for nearly a day. Gratefully, local nationals came to his aid, carrying him to a nearby village where they kept him for three days. The Taliban came to the village several times demanding that Luttrell be turned over to them. The villagers refused.  One of the villagers made his way to a Marine outpost with a note from Luttrell, and U.S. forces launched a massive operation that rescued him from enemy territory on July 2.

By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit and inspirational devotion to his men in the face of certain death, Lt. Murphy was able to relay the position of his unit, an act that ultimately led to the rescue of Luttrell and the recovery of the remains of the three who were killed in the battle.

This was the worst single-day U.S. Forces death toll since Operation Enduring Freedom began nearly six years ago.  It was the single largest loss of life for Naval Special Warfare since World War II.

The Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community will forever remember June 28, 2005 and the heroic efforts and sacrifices of our special operators.  We hold with reverence the ultimate sacrifice that they made while engaged in that fierce fire fight on the front lines of the global war on terrorism (GWOT).

-NSW-

OPERATION REDWING KIAs- On June 28, 2005, three of four SEALS on the ground (Murphy, Dietz, Axelson) were  killed during combat operations in support of Operation Red Wing.  ON the same say, a QRF of eight Navy SEALs and 8 Army Night Stalkers were also killed when the MH-47 helicopter that they were aboard was shot down by enemy fire in the vicinity of Asadabad, Afghanistan in Kumar Province.

Navy SEALs
SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

  1. Lt. (SEAL) Michael P. Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y. 
  2. Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson, 29, of Cupertino, Calif.
  3. Machinist Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Eric S. Patton, 22, of Boulder City, Nev.
  4. Senior Chief Information Systems Technician (SEAL) Daniel R. Healy, 36, of Exeter, N.H. 
  5. Quartermaster 2nd Class (SEAL) James Suh, 28, of Deerfield Beach, Fla.

SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2, Virginia Beach, Va.

  1. Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Danny P. Dietz, 25, of Littleton, Colo.

SEAL Team 10, Virginia Beach, Va.

  1. Chief Fire Controlman (SEAL) Jacques J. Fontan, 36, of New Orleans, La. 
  2. Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Erik S. Kristensen, 33, of San Diego, Calif. 
  3. Electronics Technician 1st Class (SEAL) Jeffery A. Lucas, 33, of Corbett, Ore. 
  4. Lt. (SEAL) Michael M. McGreevy Jr., 30, of Portville, N.Y. 
  5. Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SEAL) Jeffrey S. Taylor, 30, of Midway, W.Va.

Army Night Stalkers
3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Air Field, Ga.

  1. Staff Sgt. Shamus O. Goare, 29, of Danville, Ohio. 
  2. Chief Warrant Officer Corey J. Goodnature, 35, of Clarks Grove, Minn. 
  3. Sgt. Kip A. Jacoby, 21, of Pompano Beach, Fla. 
  4. Sgt. 1st Class Marcus V. Muralles, 33, of Shelbyville, Ind. 
  5. Maj. Stephen C. Reich, 34, of Washington Depot, Conn. 
  6. Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Russell, 31, of Stafford, Va. 
  7. Chief Warrant Officer Chris J. Scherkenbach, 40, of Jacksonville, Fla.

HQ Company, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.

  1. Master Sgt. James W. Ponder III, 36, of Franklin, Tenn.

            U.S. Navy SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Operations Command and the Navy’s special operations force.  The SEALs take their name from the elements in which they operate – sea, air and land. Experts in special reconnaissance and direct action missions – SEALs continue to successfully execute DoD’s most important warfighting missions in the GWOT.

Thank you to LT. Murphy, his team, all those who answered the call, and those like them who went before.  Men that will willingly ran towards the sound of the gunfire, not so much because we asked them to, but because they knew their brothers need help. 

Stories like this bear remembrance because it speaks volumes of the humanity and brotherhood of those who serve.  There are countless other names to remember, each with their own story.

Also, if you haven’t read it, I suggest reading Lone Survivor

So… Here’s my Varmint Rifle

I have a friend who’s currently building himself a varmint rifle and I told him I would take some pictures of mine and do a quick run down.

Varmint1

My varmint rifle, like all of my ARs are Rock River Arms.  I was apprehensive of getting an AR until I handled a Rock River.  I’m not too fond of guns that rattle when I handle them or shake them. A friend let me use his Rock River and there wasn’t any slop or slack in the rifle.  I said I’d give them a try.  Just prior to ordering this one I was seeing numerous failures of a few other brands while at the range.  I wasn’t exactly the most thrilled with the idea of finally getting a “Mattie Mattel That’s Swell” rifle.

Varmint2

I’m pleased to say though this rifle has NOT disappointed me though.  While I don’t burn nearly the number of rounds through it as I would the rifles I use for cleanup at Boomershoot, I used this as my primary rifle after leaving the far hill.  Shooting my .308 has almost gotten routine.  So I wanted to do something different.  So I moved to the 400 yard berm and started poaching.

Varmint_Boomershoot

For those who have never been to Boomershoot, poaching is where you take someone else’s target.  Now no one really owns a target, but usually people won’t go for targets that other’s are shooting at.  Just a mild courtesy, he’s expending ammo for it, let him have it.  Then there’s a group of us, many of whom I associate with, where the normal targets aren’t hard enough.  Where we have all reached the conclusion that the hill is fair game, shoot them as you see them.  For you see, when someone else is shooting at the same target you are, there’s now a time constraint.  You can go even further and start reading how close the person is to getting the boomer.  You eventually are able to tell, “That’s going to be gone in the next two shots.”

So why would I use a rifle like this to poach I hear you ask.  It’s quite simple really, lower recoil means if I’m in a proper position I can self spot.  Semi-auto means I can self spot, adjust, and immediately shoot again with a correction if I screw up, or I have moved far from my zero.  For instance if I shift from the left of the berm to the right of the berm my wind will shift slightly but my range will change by a about 10-15 yards.  More than enough to affect the point of impact when shooting at a 3 inch box.

So what exactly is in and on that rifle that allows that to happen?

Both the lower and upper are manufactured by Rock River Arms as I noted above.  So lets start with the lower.

The lower has the following:

  • Rock River Arms National Match Two stage trigger. 
  • The ERGO Tactical Deluxe Grip
  • Magpul PRS Stock

The Upper is even simpler:

  • A4 Upper
  • 24” Bull Barreled varmint barrel with a 1 in 8” twist.
  • Wylde chamber for both 5.56 and .223.
  • Hogue Aluminum Free Float Tube in Rifle Length.
  • A Leupold Mark IV 4.5x-14x Mil-Dot scope
  • Matching Leupold Rings

Notes.  Get decent glass and rings if you plan on building your own rifle.  I find nothing funnier than when someone drops a ton of cash on a rifle and then gets a 30 dollar scope and rings.  Then when the rifle can’t shoot they blame the rifle.  Sorry there sparky, my first guess is it’s a split between you and your cheap optics.

For those who do not understand, here’s a quick run down.  I’m not trying to be condescending, but there are a lot of people who don’t understand the basics of optics, much less how they are actually mechanical and why it matters.

Varmint3

You get what you pay for like any tool, and spending upfront is a wise investment when it comes to tools, especially ones that are going to be beat up.  Just because you don’t throw your rifle doesn’t mean they don’t get beat up though.  Each shot causes an impulse shot into the internal mechanism of your optics.  What mechanism I hear you ask, it’s just glass.  Ahh, but it’s adjustable glass.  Those knobs on the top and side cause the glass to shift is image in 1/4 minute of angle increments.  Read that as a single click moves it 1/240th of a degree.  That’s pretty dang small.  Now when you pull the trigger, you have caused a shock impulse to the system.  You need that optic to remain unaffected by that impulse.  For if it does change, you have just altered the zero (point of impact relative to the cross hair) of the weapon.  Just because you make the correction from the last shot doesn’t matter, you have a new error that is unaccounted for.

On top of that you get much better clarity out of better glass, this means a brighter image and better visibility in lower light conditions.  You don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on the scope and rings but you can’t skimp either.

This goes the same for rings.  Get good solid rings, preferably the kind that are split horizontally where the base of the ring that attaches to the rifle is solid.  Lap those puppies to keep excess pressure off the tube.  I also use a thin piece of double sided tape to hold the scope in place and provide extra cushion.  When you put the scope on, use a torque wrench.  Write down the settings and torque everything uniformly.  Use blue Loctite when you attach the tops of the rings to the base.  I torque to about 25 inch pounds at the joint between the rings.  The Loctite will help keep those screws from backing back out.  The base of the rings I torque to 65 in-lbs. using a pre-calibrated torque wrench specifically for my rifles.

Varmint4

First thing I do on taking the rifle out is hit those base nuts attaching the rings to the rifle with the torque wrench again.  I also go over and make sure nothing is rubbing on the free float, ensure nothing is loose including the stock.  Again, anything loose can cause changes in the rifles behavior between shots.  That’s bad, we want sub minute of angle, not barely sub minute of berm.

The grip and the stock actually help accuracy by making sure the shooter is in a more natural and comfortable state.  When you start muscling shots, that is when you start missing.

So there’s my varmint rifle.  She runs hot and fast and shoots straight.  She’s a fantastic rifle and not one that you can blame misses on the tool, it all lies on the operator.  That’s the way I like it.

Busy Today

I’m busy today, and probably the rest of the weekend on a pet project.  Talk amongst yourselves.

It’s a project we’ve been trying to bootstrap for a bit and we got a kick start from some friends.  The wife is finishing up the project we’re doing for them in the mean time I’m bootstrapping the website.

Hopefully all will be up and running beginning of July.

So instead, here’s a couple pictures from the Jet Boat Races…

DSC_1469

The following is a boat that was sunk the day before.  Yes that’s duct tape!

DSC_6213