I've moved

New blog:

http://resolutedefender.wordpress.com/

Basically, since starting The Defender several years ago, I have experienced a shift in the goals for my blog and how I want to run it. Plus, I now like WordPress better than Blogger. So head on over there and start keeping a watch for new stuff.

Blogging a Book: The PIG Guide to American History

If Congress can employ money indefinitely to the general welfare, and are the sole and supreme judges of the general welfare, they may take the care of religion into their own hands; they may appoint teachers in every state, county, and parish, and pay them out of their public treasury; they may take into their own hands the education of children establishing in like manner schools throughout the Union; the may assume the provision for the poor; they may undertake the regulation of all roads other than post-roads; in short, everything, from the highest object of state legislation down to the most minute object of police, would be thrown under the power of Congress.

- James Madison, 1792

Arguing against the idea the the "general welfare" clause of the Preamble grants power of itself.

Long time, no post.

Well, life has been very busy for the past several months, and blogging has taken a back seat on the priority list. With school out for the summer, I intend to renew the auld acquaintance and hopefully provide some thoughts that will edify, enlighten, and yes, entertain. Y'all be looking, I should have some new posts up shortly.

Combat for Dummies: Murphy's Rules, Part III

-The problem with taking the easy way out, is that the enemy has already mined it.
-Never worry about the bullet with your name on it. Instead, worry about shrapnel addressed to 'occupant'.

-The enemy is anyone who is going to get you killed, no matter what side he is on.

-All battles are fought at the junction of two or more map sheets --- printed at different scales.

-All battles are fought uphill.

-All battles are fought in the rain.

-Logistics is the ball and chain of armoured warfare.

-Boldness becomes rarer the higher the rank.

-Never reinforce failure. Failure reinforces itself.

-Only 5% of an intelligence report is accurate. The trick of a good commander is to isolate the 5%.

-Tactics are for amateurs; professionals study logistics.

-When a front line soldier overhears two General Staff officers conferring, he's fallen back too far.

-It isn't necessary to be an idiot to be a senior officer, but it sure helps.

-No captain can do very wrong who places his ship alongside that of the enemy.

-Always know when it's time to get out of Dodge.

-Always know how to get out of Dodge.

-There are two kinds of naval vessels: submarines and targets.

-A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost.

-Surprise is an event that takes place in the mind of a commander.

-All warfare is based on deception.

-A little caution outflanks a large cavalry.

-If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will have more than your fair share to take.

-Perfect is the enemy of good enough.

-Mine fields are not neutral. They attack anyone.

-Your mortar barrage will put exactly one round on the intended target. That round will be a dud.

-The mortar team will always have the correct number of safety pins to prove they armed all the rounds. To ensure this, the mortar team carries extra pins.

-Artillery adds dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl.

-If at first you don't succeed, call for artillery.

-When artillery doesn't work, call for an air strike.

-Overkill works.

-When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy.

-Military intelligence is a contradiction of terms.

-If it flies, it dies.

-The buddy system is essential to your survival.  It gives the enemy somebody else to shoot at.

-Cavalry doesn't always come to the rescue.

-Radios will fail as soon as you desperately need fire support.

-Things that must be together to work usually can't be shipped together.

-The most dangerous thing in a combat zone is an officer with a map.

-There is nothing more satisfying than having someone take a shot at you and miss.

-If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy,

-You'll only remember your hand grenades when the sound is too close to use them.

-Smoke and loud noise don't kill.  Only hits count.

-The faster you shoot the bad guys, the less shot you will get.

-If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs, you may have misjudged the situation.

OK, my mistake . . .

So Bushmaster did not actually release the ACR.  Only a media page of some sort.  After going back and reading my January newsletter from Bushy, I see that the rifle itself is scheduled for sales release the 1st of March.  This rather important notation is in somewhat smallish print, and I completely missed seeing it the first time I read the letter - maybe I was distracted by the giant heading, "Announcing the Bushmaster ACR." 

As I had previously seen the great big countdown clock on the new ACR page on Bushmaster's webpage, I excitedly assumed the rifle was to be released in a mere matter of days . . . alas, I was in error.  My apologies for the false alarm.

Oh well, at least we have a definitive date.

Hang in there, y'all, I have some ideas for actual, written posts . . . just have not made the time to get them written.  In the meantime, I'd like to know what y'all thought of Col. Crockett's view of economics.

Bushmaster to Release ACR

Tomorrow.  Finally.  Check it out here.

Combat for Dummies: Murphy's Rules, Part II

-If your attack appears to be going really well for once, it’s an ambush.   

-The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

-“When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.” --U.S. Marine Corps 

-If it's stupid but works, it ain’t stupid.

-Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you can't get out.

-A Purple Heart just proves that were you smart enough to think of a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive.

-Don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last and NEVER, EVER volunteer to do anything.

-The quartermaster has only two sizes: too large and too small.

-“Five second fuses [are guaranteed to] last three seconds.”  --Infantry Journal 

-You are not Superman (Marines and fighter pilots take note). 

-A sucking chest wound is Nature's way of telling you to slow down. 

-If you are forward of your position, your artillery will fall short. 

-Never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder. 

-The enemy diversion you're ignoring is their main attack. 

-No OPLAN ever survives initial contact. 

-There is no such thing as a perfect plan. 

-There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole. 

-A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping

-Friendly fire - ain’t. 

-Recoilless rifles - aren't. 

-Suppressive fires - won't. 

-Protective fire - don't. 

-Perfect plans - aren't. 

-The important things are always simple. 

-The simple things are always hard. 

-If you're short of everything except the enemy, you're in combat. 

-No combat-ready unit has ever passed inspection.

-No inspection-ready unit has ever passed combat. 

-Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support. 

-When both sides are convinced that they are about to lose ... they are both right. 

-All weather close support doesn't work in bad weather. 

-The bursting radius of a grenade is always one foot greater than your jumping range. 

-The only terrain that is truly controlled is the terrain upon which you are standing. 

-The law of the bayonet says the man with the bullet wins. 

-The best tank killer is another tank. Therefore tanks are always fighting each other ...& have no time to help the infantry. 

-Precision bombing is normally accurate to within +/- one mile (...or so). 

-“Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs are guaranteed to always hit the ground.” --USAF Ammo Troop 

-The side with the fanciest uniforms loses. 

-Armored vehicles are bullet magnets; a moving foxhole that attracts attention. 

-Expending material in combat is easier than filling out Graves Registration forms -- Ammo is cheap; your life isn't. 

-Just because you can't see the enemy, don't for a minute believe they can't see you. 

-When you have secured an area, don't forget to tell the enemy. 

-"Aim towards the enemy." --Instruction printed on U.S. Rocket Launcher 

-"A slipping gear could let your M-203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what's left of your unit." --Army's magazine of prevention maintenance 

-"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."  --U.S.  Air Force manual
-"Tracers work both ways."  --U.S. Army Ordnance 

-"Any ship can be a minesweeper....once." --Anon 

-"Never tell the platoon sergeant you have nothing to do." --Unknown Marine Recruit

 -"If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him." --USAF Ammo Troop

-“Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.” - Gen. MacArthur

-You, you, and you . . . Panic. The rest of you, come with me. (Marine Gunnery Sergeant)

Combat for Dummies: Murphy's Rules, Part I

-Have a plan. 

-Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.

-If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a big weapon and a friend with a big weapon.

-In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived and who didn't. 

-If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running. 

-In combat, there are no rules, always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose. 

-Use cover or concealment as much as possible. The visible target should be in FRONT of YOUR weapon. 

-Don't drop your guard. 

-Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.

-The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

-Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, - deterrence, and de-escalation.

-Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a ".4."

-Never be the idiot who shows up armed only with a knife.

-Bring an automatic weapon.  Better yet, bring two.

-Bring all your friends, with all their automatic weapons.  Get them to bring their friends, with all of their -automatic weapons.    

-Bring lots and lots of ammo -- it's cheap life insurance.

-Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Life is expensive.

-Only hits count. Close doesn't count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss. 

-If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough, nor using cover correctly. 

-Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.) 

-Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting is more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the weapon.

-Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours. 

-Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

-Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one. 

-Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

-Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).

-When in doubt, empty the magazine.

-Someday someone may kill you with your own weapon, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

-“If the enemy is in range, so are you.” --Infantry Journal 

-Incoming fire has the right of way.

-Don't look conspicuous: it draws fire.

-Teamwork is essential - it gives the enemy someone else to shoot at.

-"Don't draw fire; it irritates the people around you." --Infantry Journal

-Never share a fox hole with anyone braver than yourself.

-Anything you do can get you shot. Including, doing nothing.

-The easy way is always mined.

-“Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo” --Infantry Journal 

-Professionals are predictable - it's the amateurs that are dangerous.

-The enemy invariably attacks on one of two occasions:
a. When you're ready for them.
b. When you're not ready for them.

Or

a. when they're ready

b. when you're not. 

-If you can't remember, “Front Towards Enemy” really means “This side the heck away from you.”    

-Mines are equal opportunity weapons.