Jay's Blog

WTF ??? Pt.2

Hi,

What a weird day...

The snow that was here this morning is now gone, replaced by about eight inches of rain and freezing cold.

I am looking at the news with the events unfolding in Virginia.  Normally I would ask if there is a full moon out, but the opposite is true.  The moon is at 1% and is barely visible.  I am not going to even try and comprehend what would possess an individual to go and murder thirty two people, but it is safe to say the shooters were not all there...

The news anchor on MSNBC is discussing gun law and how easy it was to obtain the weapons.  Is there a time for change in the gun legislature?  Sure, but it is a little late for that.  More gun control legislation now would be a knee-jerk reaction to the crisis in Virginia.  I am for complete gun control, for sport and for defense.  That is a wide specification for a legal criteria. Don't get me wrong, I love shooting.  I was in the military and did very well as a marksman.  I also think everyone should at least learn the basics of marksmanship, that way everyone will observe safety with a firearm.  The public does not need assault rifles, does not need machine guns, and does not needs pistols, or easily concealed firearms.  A shotgun is perfect for home defense.  Other nations can live in peace without laws arming their citizens, why can't we?

I guess in the end, no matter how many laws are passed, it is next to impossible to keep weapons out of the hands of criminal.  My point is that gun violence is easier to pursue when one can walk-in to a gun store, present a driver's license and buy a gun.

My heart and sympathies go out to the family and friends of the victims.

/F

WTF ???

Hello,

What is going on out there?  It is April 16th and there is snow outside!  For those who are not in the Delaware Valley it has been pouring rain for the last thirty six hours.  When I got up this morning I saw snow everywhere.  Since the time I lived in the Northwest, had I to remove snow from my vehicle in the middle of April.  One thing is for sure, there are a whole bunch of farmers that are figuring out how to save their crops this morning in the Delaware Valley...

   == Tech News ==

Apple delays the release of Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard":   The claim is that the company has had to focus the development resources on the up-coming iPhone.  My suggestions is hire more people.  It is not like Apple does not have the money...  All being the same, I would rather wait and have a stable and solid OS, that have a "spotty" version now.  This effectively makes Apple the biggest retailer of vapor-ware online...

Vista's first security vulnerability found:  We all knew this was coming.  The product is not an official piece of Microsoft software without a few security holes...  The holes do not bother me as much as the three months it took Microsoft to acknowledge and fix it.  Listen Microsoft, this is your product (at least that is what one would surmise after reading the Vista EULA), you are pitching it to the consumers up and down, left and right.  The responsibility to patch holes as they are discovered is yours.

Ubuntu 7.04 "Feisty Fawn" Beta:  I have been using the beta release of Ubuntu's forth-coming update to Ubuntu Linux.  The cool thing out of the box, is I was able to upgrade a version of "Edgy Eft" to feisty over FTP!  Feisty is slated to go public on April 19, 2007.  Trust me folks, download it and install it.  If you are bandwidth impaired, Ubuntu will send you a disk, free...

/N

What Happened?

Hello,

Exactly how did the British Royal Navy personnel get captured? Details on the web are disparate and sketchy at best.  The best and most consistent source of information has been the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).  Iranian sources are highly censored, and motivated by religious/political means.  The video content on the web and television show a bunch of Iranian Revolutionary Guards in motor boats, armed with Kalashnikov’s and heavy machine guns.  Formidable to you and me, but this should be no challenge to the Royal Navy.  The actions almost speak to the British not fighting back against the Iranian ambush.  Additionally, how did the Iranians manage to best a helicopter with boats and machine guns?  The only possible reason, that is even if the RN helicopter was shot down, is a “ManPad”.  Man-portable air defense, shoulder-launched missiles are a big problem for modern aircraft.  Manpads are impossible to detect and nearly impossible to evade, especially when flying at low-levels.  Unfortunately for the Royal Navy and air arms world-wide, manpads are cheap and easy to come by on the international arms market.  A moderate skill level is needed to effectively use a manpad, and for the most part, they are “point and shoot” weapons. 

So…  What kind of fight, if any, ensued during the attack?  Were the British taken completely by surprise? Quite possible, if they were inside the freighter and out of radio contact.  The sound of motor boats approaching may not be as apparent on the open sea as it is in a still harbor.  If the British did see their aggressors coming, were they outnumbered and outgunned?  Perhaps, but does that justify surrender and capture?  Maybe the British attempted to negotiate with the Iranians prior to capture or action taking place.  It is really difficult to say without being there, and knowing full well that no combat scenario ever goes as planned. 

Will the British pursue a military option in securing the release of their servicemen and woman?  I would like to think so, but given the tense nature of the whole region and with Iran particularly it may not happen.  Iran is not a typical “rogue nation”.  The Iranian military is well versed in operations and exercises regularly.  I do not see the Iranian military lying down in the event of escalation to conflict.  The British do not have the capability to extract the hostages on their own.  The Royal Navy’s offensive capability is not enough to penetrate Iranian defenses and affect their resolve.  The British SAS are the most professional and effective special operations group I have ever worked with in my military career, rivaling the US Navy Seals.  The SAS alone are not enough.  Unless the US or the coalition intervenes on a military operation, political avenues must be taken.  I just hope the British sailors make their way home safe and soon.

/N

Iran or Iwalk?

Hello,

If there were one thing in the world I could have it would be peace in the Middle East.  The tension in that area of the world has far reaching and global impact. 

The actions involving Iran and sixteen British sailors in recent weeks serve to escalate the tension in the gulf region.  Who is wrong?  Iran or Britain (Coalition Forces)?

The British were inspecting a ship presumed to be exiting Iraqi waters.  Iranian forces attacked and captured sixteen Royal Navy and Marine personnel.  Photographs taken aboard a Royal Navy helicopter show a GPS over the suspect ship with coordinates within Iraqi waters.  Whether or not the photo is actually from a Royal Navy helicopter is unclear.  The photo does show a GPS being held by a hand in a helicopter over a ship.  The background does resemble what could be the door-way of a Royal Navy Lynx Helicopter, a type Iran does not operate.

It is clear that Iran is upscaling or fabricating this event to further their own political agenda. The Iranian prime minister is rattling cages in an attempt to fire up the west into a preemptive strike, thus further vilifying the US-led coalition.  In short, and in my opinion...

          Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a punk, who believes his own press.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , a legend in his own mind with the attention of a nation, and now the world.  Further more his government has committed to the development of nuclear weapons. A fact that no nation on Earth can rest easily against.  It is every nation's right to possess the best defense for itself, but Iran will take it a step further and use them.  Ahmadinejad has already publically wished for Israel to be "wiped off of the map".  My question is what's keeping Israel?

I think it is time now that the powers that be make an effective preemptive strike against Iran's military industrial complex.  The people of Iran are not to blame, nor should they be held responsible for their government's actions.  We must destroy Iran's capability to harm the rest of the world and undermine the chance for peace in the middle east.

/N