[Red Rider]

Please don't lecture me about what military intelligence needs. Either get in the game - or stay on the sidelines and quit cheering against your home team. The idea that more funding for intelligence is a panacea for our problems is ludicrous. Intelligence at its best is a force-multiplier. We still must exercise that force to make it count, and that is with bullets and bombs. There is no diplomacy without the credible threat of force, as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have so aptly demonstrated. Part of the US problem is that we have not demonstrated that threat enough, as Bin Laden so gleefully pointed out after our Somalia withdrawal.

Though I do have to say in all my years as a spook, I was glad every time someone gave me more money!

Off topic: So do you ride with those kids that blast down the highways in Japan at night? The Banzai crowd? I used to love to race with 'em, as I was always crazier and would win. Always - a matter of good old American pride! They hated it, a gaijin kickin' their homogenic butts, but most were cool about it when they caught up.

[Big Ben]

I'm not cheering against the home team, I'm asking them to stop scoring own goals. You're not seriously suggesting that our intelligence services have all the money and resources they need, are you? And it's a lot easier to exercise the threat of force when your forces aren't bogged down in a misguided war.


About riding: If I had gotten into it a bit younger I might have gone the speed-demon route, but I mostly ride with Harley riders here, so it's more about enjoying the scenery on mountain roads and then relaxing with a beer. There's also a group of old Kawasaki Z 750 riders I hang with, but they're all in their 40s and 50s and have gotten most of the really fast stuff out of their systems by now. Going against the Bosozoku sounds like fun though.

[FLHTbiker]

CD, 06, 9mm and 223 stocked up


Red Rider: right on

I love to sit down after a long ride with a good brew and cigar.
Hmm, as a matter of fact my friend Vern and I did just that under a NW starry skies last Saturday night on a ride and camp-out trip.

[CD]

Originally Posted by Red Rider

Please don't lecture me about what military intelligence needs. Either get in the game - or stay on the sidelines and quit cheering against your home team. The idea that more funding for intelligence is a panacea for our problems is ludicrous. Intelligence at its best is a force-multiplier. We still must exercise that force to make it count, and that is with bullets and bombs. There is no diplomacy without the credible threat of force, as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have so aptly demonstrated. Part of the US problem is that we have not demonstrated that threat enough, as Bin Laden so gleefully pointed out after our Somalia withdrawal.

RR, very, very well put. I was part of the RDF at Moody during the Iran crisis. The C130's practiced landing there with no lights using NV (if I remember right). We had two squadrons of F4E's that were supposed to be part of the mission if needed. We practiced, practiced and practiced...many times we would actually simulate loading the C141's and C130's. We actually had the bombs and missiles in a temporary cantonment area nearer to the flight line in order to save load time. The SP's weren't real happy about 24/7 duty there.

Then we got news about the failed mission and one of Valdosta's best was killed. If Reagan would have been president, a lot of things would have been different. Carter should have stuck to peanut farming. Gawd, the military suffered those four years!

I recently read the book about the Delta force written by CMSGT Haney. It was a good read and I will get a hold of Beckwith's own book one day.

I never had the great misfortune of serving under BJ Bill and I would have retired ASAP when he did get in. To give you an idea of how bad it got, there were nine SNCO's in my shop when I retired. I retired for medical reasons (knees) and one other did about the same time. In less than one year I went to all seven remaining SNCO's retirement ceremonies...

[CD]

Originally Posted by FLHTbiker

CD, 06, 9mm and 223 stocked up


Red Rider: right on

I love to sit down after a long ride with a good brew and cigar.
Hmm, as a matter of fact my friend Vern and I did just that under a NW starry skies last Saturday night on a ride and camp-out trip.

Marc, did you see the buy on surplus 30.06 from CMP? I was able to get 950 30.06 rounds for under 2 bills. I aslo snagged 10x20 boxes of .223 tracer cheap.

[FLHTbiker]

CD, no I didn't where when and how? OK, who is CMP?

[CD]

Marc, here is the link.

http://www.odcmp.com/

They promote safety and sell mostly M1 Garands

[FLHTbiker]

Thanks CD, guess I would have join them to make an order. Is that old 06 ammo safe in a modern rifle? I know you have to worry about older M1 rifles. I remember when I was around 12-13 I bought a German 8 mm full stock Mauser. Still have it but its been all sporterized and still shoots good. I also have a sweet 30-40 Krag that I would really love to find a but& load of ammo for.

My favorite shooters are my hand built flintlock black power rifles. Now those are fun. Took my smooth bore single barrel 62 cal. out Turkey hunting for years. Got quit a few with it. God, what a kick they are to shoot.

[scooter]

Anyone knocked down a deer lately with their Garand?

I've been thinking about getting one from the CMP, and maybe tinkering with it to make it a good hunter.

Any input appreciated....

scoot

[chucktx]

Originally Posted by FLHTbiker

Thanks CD, guess I would have join them to make an order. Is that old 06 ammo safe in a modern rifle? I know you have to worry about older M1 rifles. I remember when I was around 12-13 I bought a German 8 mm full stock Mauser. Still have it but its been all sporterized and still shoots good. I also have a sweet 30-40 Krag that I would really love to find a but& load of ammo for.

My favorite shooters are my hand built flintlock black power rifles. Now those are fun. Took my smooth bore single barrel 62 cal. out Turkey hunting for years. Got quit a few with it. God, what a kick they are to shoot.

i have a house full of blackpowder guns also......i shoot with the greenwood longrifles down in brazoria county.....
i have one rifle that is built by pedroselli....it is a swivel breech...50cal/20ga smoothbore....i have researched and have not been able to find anything about it....lots of 50/50 but no 50/20.....
love my flinters also
chuck

[FLHTbiker]

Chuck, I shot and belonged to the Barlow Trail Longrifles. My flintlock rifles are all copies of originals. Got one that is a copy of one that Jim Bridger carried and another one is an exact copy of a Hawkins in 54 cal.

Hey, ever own a Tippee, dress in buckskins that you made from a deer or Elk you shot, throw a tomahawk in competition, build a fire with a flint and steel or go to a primitive Rendezvous? Participated in that for 20 years with my dad until he passed away. We even used to go to a Rendezvous riding our motorcycles. Shoot, bet you can't ride down the freeway in full buckskins with a rifle strapped to your bike anymore without either getting a lot of attention or some scared women in a mini van full of kids calling 911 and saying THERE IS A TERRORIST ON A MOTORCYCLE WITH A GUN ON THE HIGHWAY.

[CD]

Originally Posted by scooter

Anyone knocked down a deer lately with their Garand?

I've been thinking about getting one from the CMP, and maybe tinkering with it to make it a good hunter.

Any input appreciated....

scoot

Several of the members of the rifle club I qualified with so I could join CMP had scopes on M1's and were saying that once sighted in they were a good hunting rifle. They were pretty common when I was a kid my uncle used one for years.

[SK]

Originally Posted by FLHTbiker

Shoot, bet you can't ride down the freeway in full buckskins with a rifle strapped to your bike anymore without either getting a lot of attention or some scared women in a mini van full of kids calling 911 and saying THERE IS A TERRORIST ON A MOTORCYCLE WITH A GUN ON THE HIGHWAY.

I used to ride my Royal Star in full cammies (I do wear a bright all orange SF Giants ballcap when I hunt) and my shotgun sticking straigtht up strapped to the side to go out and meet some friends to go dove hunting in N.Calif. Definitely got looks from the other cagers on the road. The shotgun was in a green soft case..so it wasn't fully exposed, but certainly obvious as to what it was. I thought it was pretty cool.