Snakes On A Plane

Samuel L. Jackson has a message for me.

Sounds as if I had better pay attention. In the words of SWMBO: "I'm low on Estrogen, and I Have A Gun!"

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Moving along in this Flying Geek theme, Paramount Television is panting to sell you the U.S.S. Enterprise (USS 1701, if memory serves me correctly.) Either that, or William Shatner's boots, if you have six thousand British Pounds rattling around in your pocket.

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I don't usually appreciate "bathroom humor", but I kinda chuckled at the story of the Council Bluffs, Iowa, woman who was glued to a toilet seat at the Mall of the Bluffs shopping center.

Maybe they'll rename it "Mall of the Buffs", 'cause (as the story quotes the victim):

"... the burns are painful and that the incident was one of the most embarrassing moments in her life.

I'll bet it was embarassing, sitting on the potty, panties around your ankles while all those fire-persons squirting fingernail polish remover to desolve the 'cement' which formed a bonding experience between her fanny and the toilet seat. That's gonna leave an embarassing welt, too.

I bet she shreiked and flew! (I would have.)

Maybe next time she'll consider using one of those paper gaskets hanging on the wall.

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Finally, in what may actually be a positive note in the U.S. Airline Industry, the Associated Press [hissssssss!] reports that "More Travelers (are) Getting Bumped Off US Airlines".

Why do I consider this a POSITIVE note?

In the wake of the 911 tragedy, most airlines were unable to fill all the seats on many domestic flights. Many declared bankruptcy, and we witnessed a drastic revision of schedules as 'feeder flight' routes and schedules were discontinued because the small airlines who serviced these routes were unable to continue flying between, for example, Spokane and Boise.

Civilian Airplanes were considered a good way to commit suicide (see my previous post), and passenger miles plummetted.

Now, it seems that potential passengers are no longer concerned that they will find themselves in a 12,000 degree bonfire inconveniently ignited in a New York Skyscraper. More pertinent, perhaps, to the day-to-day Frequent Flyer, we have become accustomed to the intrusive Home Security measures perpetrated upon the unwary air traveler.

We've lived so long with the Three Golden Rules of Air Travel (don't carry metal objects, don't carry cigarette lighters or sharp blades, and don't joke about bombs), we are no longer nonplussed by airport security procedures ... random invasive searches of your personal person when attempting to board an airplane on a domestic flight; the arbitrary confiscation of what may reasonably seem to be inocuous objects.

The air traveller has become blase' about all these things, and still wants to save time and money (especially considering the three-dollar per gallon toll at the gas pump) by flying rather than driving to visit Aunt Jane in Rancho Cucamonga.

Now that you and I are flying more, and driving less, the airlines are slowing down the convenience of air travel by continuing to book less flights. The resultant chaos, when people are 'bumped', is a fiscal boon to people who don't have to be 'there' on a schedule.

That will change.

Airlines hate to turn away customers, and they REALLY don't like to spend money (in terms of 'rewards', such as free tickets for a later flight).

This is a passing phase. You'll see.

Air Marshalls, Take Your Places.

911 Deniers?

Hot Air � Blog Archive � Video: “Loose Change” director chuckles over Flight 93



I've just spent an hour and a half looking at videos and reading commentary about people who are trying to make the case that the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and (include your personal favorite Washington DC Landmark, which attack was foiled when Flight 93 augered into Pennsylvania) were the intended consequences of (a) controlled demolitions, (b) an American Cruise Missile, and (c) the result of an attack on an American passenger plane by an F-16 out of Langley AFB.

No, I'm not talking about the French Twit who wrote a book shortly after 911 explaining how it was all a fabrication concocted by the Zionist Occupation Government and The Bushies. I'm talking about a bunch of American Twits who see a way to get a lot of attention and maybe a couple of bucks with their amateurish confrontational video journalism. (Think "Girls Gone Wild" with a political agenda.)



It wasn't my plan to address this subject quite so early. I thought I would at least get into September, perhaps nearer the five-year anniversary of 911, before I had to talk about this tragic set of Attacks on America. But the Conspiracy Theorists are ahead of the curve, so I'll make my obligatory comments now, just to bring your attention to Michelle Malkin's VENTs on HOTAIR.COM.

Most of the videos are on YouTube, which went down for scheduled maintenance just after I finished watching the 5-part (~50 minute) series which her article primarily links to.

But you should go "read the whole thing", and decide for yourself who makes the most sense. The NYPD Cops and FDNY firemen who are quoted by one side, who were at the scene at WTC, who lost friends in the attacks? Or a bunch of pimple-faced yahoos with an agenda.

Again, H/T to Michelle Malkin


UPDATE, August 04:
The news is filled today with stories of Conspiracy Theories. Here is one story which seems to disprove the "America Shot Down Flight 93" legend, in a very surprising twist. According to detailed analysis of audio tapes from NORAD's North East Air Defense Sector command, that plane augered into Pennsylvania three minutes before the US Military even knew it had been hijacked.

2006 USPSA MultiGun National Videos and Photos

While I didn't get to take as many photos and videos as I had hoped, I have a reasonably good collection on the Geek Video Shooting Gallery.

As nearly as I can tell, this is the worlds most comprehensive collection of multigun videos. Nobody else took as many pictures or as many videos of multigun (3-gun) national competition, although "Shooting USA" had a camera crew there. They mostly have video footage of The Super Squad, though.

They probably do an excellent job of depicting The Thrill of Victory. I doubt they will bother to show you The Agony of Defeat ... but I will.

You'll have to wait for months to see their film; here, you can see it right now.

No interviews here. Nobody wants to hear the winners crow about their achievements, and the non-winners would rather not talk about their foibles.

Here's the menu:

USPSA 2006 Multi-Gun National Championship Video Shooting Gallery Home-page.

Still Photos (sub-album including pictures of setup on Day 00, and stages where no videos are available.)

"The Stages" Album
Stage 01 sub-album (" Cakewalk" - CLOSE and FAR Rifle) - two videos (Main Range)
Stage 02 sub-album ("King of SAR" - Pistol, FAR Rifle, Shotgun) - one video available (Main Range)
Stage 03 sub-album ("Doors and Swingers" - Pistol 32 rounds) - no album. The stage had so much opaque vision barriers, you couldn't see the action. (North Range)

Stage 04 sub-album ("Perimeter Patrol" - Shotgun, CLOSE Rifle) (North Range)
Stage 05 sub-album ("Bunkerville" - Pistol and Shotgun) 1 video (North Range)
Stage 06 sub-album ("Pigeon Dinner" - Shotgun) (North Range)
Stage 07 sub-album ("Sands of Kandahar" - Rifle ) (EastRange)
Stage 08 sub-album ("Single UP") - Shotgun .. lots of videos! (EastRange)
Stage 09 sub-album ("Hot Potato") - Pistol, Shotgun - 5 videos (EastRange)
Stage 10 sub-album ("No Detour Allowed" - Pistol, CLOSE Rifle) - no photos available. (EastRange)
Stage 11 sub-album ("3 Ways" - Pistol, CLOSE Rifle, Shotgun) - no photos available. (EastRange)
Stage 12 sub-album("H L M" - FAR Rifle) - no photos available. (EastRange)

Oh Dude

I don't know about this one.

HT: GT

This video purports to depict an F16 dropping a bomb on Iraqi Insurgents in Fallujah.

Maybe so, maybe not.

From here, I can't tell if the "insurgents" are insurgents, nuns, women in Burquas, or penguins.

It is an interesting video, though, so I'll provide it for its curiousity value alone. I won't try to tell you what you're seeing, although I'll include the text that came with the video.

I won't include any "Hey, Dude!" commentary. I don't know what we're seeing here, so it's not my place to interpret.

Here's the commentary which accompanied the film:

You gotta love this one. Make sure you lock into the comments below before you lock into video. H
---
Our Air Force Brethren at their best -- Go Air Force.

This is a video from a F16 doing CAS during the recent fighting in Fallujah.

We have been bombing insurgent "safe houses" with some success recently. This F16 was on such a mission, to hit a building with an LGB.

After the weapon had been launched 30+ insurgents left the building en masse to hurry to a nearby engagement with US Marines. The fighting had been going on for hours.

The pilot communicates with the FAC either in the air or on the ground, and changes the flight path of the bomb while it is en route the target.

You can clearly see the "L" flashing in the MFD, and TGP is selected.

The high pitched "Darth Vader" sounds you hear are the pilot breathing. It is the pilot who says "I got numerous individuals on the road, do you want me to take those out?" The FAC says "Take em out!" By the way I love it when the FAC says "Oh, Dude!" at the end of the video chip.

Now I must put this in focus for you so you can get a glimpse into the complexities of the modern battlefield and the flexibilities of the modern U.S. war fighter.

You have a super-so nice high performance aircraft being driven by a single pilot who, under the tactical control of a FAC, launches a precision guided munitions (PGM) at a designated structure (building). The pilot uses the aircraft's laser guidance video display to guide the weapon to the target (precision). Remember, he is also flying the aircraft. The pilot sees the video on his heads-up display and notices a bunch of combatants leaving the targeted building, turning the corner and heading down the street towards an active firefight.

The pilot advises the FAC of the change in the status of the target requesting to target the combatants en route to the fire fight rather than hitting an empty building. Permission is granted and death and
destruction rain down.

Just in case the abbreviations are not part of your every day vernacular I have expanded them below:

CAS = Close Air Support
LGB = Laser Guided Bomb
FAC = Forward Air Controller
MFD = Multi Function Display
TGP = Terminally Guided Projectile