Heroes?

Two posts in one day- a new record!
Sadly, this isn't an exuberant post or even a smarmy one. It's actually rather tragic. It deals with the magic of childhood heroes, and their fall.
Recently, a GOP congressman from California stepped down due to corruption. My thoughts on the subject ranged from non-surprise to anger at the Stupid Party for screwing up again. Given the current political climate, I don't think that it's terribly surprising. I let it be until I found out that the Congressman Cunningham of the scandal was formerly Commander Randy "Duke" Cunningham, one of two American Vietnam-war aces. Flying off the USS Constellation in 1972, "Duke" shot down the famous North Vietnamese Ace "Toon" after a fierce dog-fight. Earlier in the same flight, he had "splashed" two other MiGs. I remember reading about it during my youth. I studied the techniques of the various pilots- how the Vietnamese used American rules of engagement to draw the heavy F-4s into close-in dogfights that they couldn't win, and how "Duke" adapted to the situation and came out victorious.
That a man who held such lofty stature in my child-hood (and in the pantheon of ace pilots) could make such a colossal error is important. It is a reminder that everyone is fallible, even figures who seem larger than life. Also, there is the important lesson that "power corrupts" as it was famously put by Lord Acton. Despite what they might like you to think, politicians are not human beings of superior will or moral fibre. They are ordinary people, and thus they are just as likely to fall into the traps that threaten to ensnare us all. More to this, when they do err, the lot of the nation suffers greatly because of it. Only by developing a healthy conscience and scepticism towards politicians can a citizen of a democratic state hope to maintain a just polity.

Popish Progress

It seems that the Magisterium of the Catholic Church has decided to dump the medieval concept of "limbo" altogether. A panel of theologians discovered that the place was made up in the middle ages (rather like another non-Biblical locale invented by Catholic theologians in the late Roman Empire. Indeed, the old-style Anglican Church said that "The Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory...is a fond thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture; but rather repugnant to the word of God."
So much for whack medieval ideas, eh wot? Perhaps if the Catholic Church gets rid of some of Pius IX's decrees (i.e. Papal infallibility in matters of faith and the idea that Mary was not subject to Original Sin, decreed in the 1850s), Pope Benny's idea of a unified Christian Church can come closer to reality.

One Hundred

This marks the one hundredth post on this blog. It was established on the Twentieth of January, 2005. Given this, I've managed an average of one post every three days. The counter stands at 1439, which works out to 14.39 views per post. I'm moving up in the world!
It has been, and will continue to be a rather unpleasant week as I proceed to jump through the last few hoops thrown out by a desperate bureaucracy seeking to prove their necessity. The week-end will be filled with the joys of the LSAT. Monday evening is my Senior Thesis presentation, followed by a week of nothing.
In any case, it seems that big things are afoot up north in Canuckistan. The ruling Liberal Government of Prime Minister Paul Martin has lost a vote of no confidence, and new elections have been called for January. The three other major parties (the Conservatives, the Bloc Quebecois, and the NDP) all voted in favour of the no-confidence motion. This happened because of the Adscam scandal. There was nearly a no-confidence vote some time ago, which I wrote about. The motion was defeated when the ruling Liberal party used its clout to buy off several MPs with senate seats or cushy appointments. They weren't so lucky this time.
I also see that everyone's favourite Uranium-refining African Strong Man has "won" a large majority of seats in Zimbabwe's "new" upper parliamentary house, the National Assembly. To clarify as to how Mugabe "won" this one, it's hard to lose seats when you rig the polls and your opposition (mostly) boycotts the election. Regarding the "new" comment, Zimbabwe actually had an upper house, a Senate, until 1990. It was then abolished by Mugabe to help him gain control over the nation. The new upper house is being created to help Mugabe gain control over the nation. I sense a common theme here.
To complete the Foreign Affairs trifecta, current Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is said to have been surrounded by a heavenly light during his recent UN speech. Though no one knows if he really thinks this, it can't be good news if he does. Her Majesty's Armed Forces aren't nearly in the same shape as they were the last time someone decided that they were the Mahdi.

Religious Self-Criticism!

Shamelessly lifted from Divinely Wounded:

the Conservative You scored 42 out of 45 on proximity to orthodoxy!

Your theology is orthodox, mostly (you occasionally overemphasize one aspect or another). You believe in the supremacy of Christianity, but you don't preach hate. Your motto is "Love the sinner, hate the sin." You are conservative on social values too, although you believe in helping the poor and the oppressed. Gay people make you kind of nervous. You secretly enjoy watching "Sex and the City" but you feel bad about it. Jesus loves you! (But, you know, not in that way)

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 98% on orthodoxy

Link: The What Kind of Christian are You Test written by agape29 on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I must take issue with most of this test. For example, the Marian idol serving as an icon is not in line at all with my cantankerous Protestantism. As we learn from unimpeachable, non-partisan sources, Mary isn't an intercessor. OK, maybe Jack Chick does more harm to my argument than good, but nonetheless Mary isn't an intercessor or Co-redemptrix.
The "gay" remark is a bit off also, as I am on friendly terms with a number of gay people and bisexuals. They don't make me nervous, though the constant homo-erotic posturing of nominally straight people does. Besides, according to the Grand Inquisitor, I'm "gay" anyway (though I'm still not certain how that happened).
As a matter of record, I despise "Sex in the City," it being indicative of the great ridiculousness of modern society. It's the only show more predictable than Scooby Doo! Having suffered through only two episodes of it, I correctly predicted the outcome of the entire series! At least the ghosts were real in Scooby Doo, and Scoob and Shag got to hang out with Vincent Price. All that went on in "Sex" was a bunch of whining by Horse-face and company, with a few naughty scenes tossed into interest men forced to watch this atrocious crap by their girl-friends.
While we're on the subject, what sort of "orthodoxy" do I conform to? I certainly don't conform to the Popish model (denying the doctrines of Mary makes me automatically excommunicate from their Church, even though I never bothered to join). I might have fit in well with Elizabethan Protestantism (but that was screwed up by the Laudian prelates). I certainly detest that Blairite idiot Rowan Williams who attempts to run the Anglican Church (into the ground). I suppose "orthodoxy" is measured by one's conformity to the Nicene Creed. In that I suppose I'm orthodox, but the Nicene Creed is used by nearly every denomination. Except for those Gnostic types and Arianists, but they were big more than a millennium ago.

Armed Self-Criticism!

Machinegun You preferred a weapon with 43% power over speed and 94% range over melee.

You use a Machinegun. Phenomenal range and rate of fire more than make up for the lack of mobility that a full machinegun warrant. Though a machinegun lacks the punch of heavier artillery, it is still an exceedingly potent infantry weapon and can fire continuously for a long time. Your enemies will run for cover as you pepper the landscape with bullets.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 49% on power You scored higher than 99% on range

Link: The What's Your Signature Weapon Test written by inurashii on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Surprise, surprise? I think not. Though, to be fair, I'm not much of a fan of the MG in the picture. A better choice would be the estimable HK MG3. I must also state that I like accuracy as well as volume of fire, so either the superlative AR-15 rifle or the battle-proven L1A1 SLR. Automatic fire isn't nearly as effective as aimed shots.
Needless to say, even the least adequate firepower is superior to a great-sword of any pattern. I should like to see any Popish Brigand attempt to get the better of a stout bulldog when he's armed with an L1A1. If said Bulldog was to be stuck with the awful SA80/L85A1, I'd give the Papist an even chance.

Sarko posts?

It's a star-studded Thanksgiving in the Blogosphere. It seems that the French Blogosphere has been the site of a high-profile debate. It all started when French Cinema Star Matheiu Kassovitz (known to some as Fr. Riccardo, the Jesuit priest, in the excellent Amen) posted an attack on French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy (English Version, the original is in French) on his blog. He accused Sarkozy of being a "little Napoleon" ("Nicolas SARKOZY est certainement un petit Napoléon", literally "Nicolas Sarkozy is certainly a little Napoleon"). He also says that Sarkozy would have helped Dubya in the War on Terror ("Il aurait engagé la France auprès des Américains dans la « chasse à la Terreur » de Bush. J’en suis convaincu."), which is a serious charge in French politics. Mostly, it's moralistic prattling (odd a man who hates the idea of absolute truth) about how "violence begets violence" ("La haine attise la haine"). Of course, Mssr. Kassovitz doesn't deign to imagine his own response to the riots that recently engulfed France (and are still smouldering, by the way). He only says "true problems" must be addressed ("et qui se permet de menacer ouvertement toute une partie de la population française sans adresser les vrais problèmes."). To really drive the point home, he compares Sarkozy's response to the riots to the Israelis ("L’Intifada des différentes banlieues parisiennes ressemble effectivement aux affrontements qui ont opposés les enfants de Palestine armés de pierres, aux soldats d’Israël armés d’Uzis.", or "The intifada (?) of the various Parisian banlieues effectively resembles the confrontations between the children of Palestine armed with rocks and the soldiers of Israel armed with Uzis").
There are some great responses to Mssr. Kassovitz's non-dialogue. One of my favourites is "mathieu vous etes d'une demagogie a toute epreuve" ("Mathieu, you are a demagogue by any standard").
The best comment comes from none other than Nicolas Sarkozy himself. He has a rather long response and even-handed response, criticising Mssr. Kassovitz for his overly-sharp words. He also points out that Mssr. Kassovitz has no time for anyone who was victimised by the rioters-
"Pourquoi n'avoir aucun mot pour ceux dont la voiture a brûlé, les privant ainsi d'un outil de liberté et de travail durement acquis ? Pourquoi ne pas évoquer ces jeunes dont les gymnases ont été réduits en cendres et ces enfants dont l'école est détruite ? Pourquoi, par ailleurs, n'avoir aucune pensée pour les 110 policiers blessés, les pompiers caillassés et les médecins injuriés ?"
("Why don't you have a word for those whose cars were burned, and were thus deprived of a tool of freedom acquired through hard work? Why do you not evoke the youths whose youth centres (gymnasiums) were reduced to ashes and the children whose school was destroyed? Why, in addition, do you not have thoughts for the 110 policemen hurt, the calloused firemen and the injured doctors?")
He tells Mr. Kassovitz that he (Kassovitz) is ready to "accept the unacceptable," but all said, the tone of his missive is fairly respectful. Though it cannot be said with certainty whether this is Sarkozy speaking or not, I cannot help but admire him. Much unlike the sentimental fluff on Margot Wallstöm's blog, Mssr. Sarkozy gets directly to the point without becoming arrogant or condescending. He ably presents the other side of the story.
There are few things I like seeing more than a politically active entertainer (even a good actor, like Mssr. Kassovitz) put in his place by someone knowledgeable. I'm tired of "personalities" who no more understand the vagaries of morality and ethics than quantum physics. What makes it more intolerable is that these prattling idiots attempt to create policy from their child-like understanding of ethics. "Hate is bad, and using force to dispel rioters is hate, so we shouldn't do it." Then what should we do? Dispelling rioters isn't always an act of hate, and rioters are usually filled enough with hate as it is. It is the social conditions brought on by France's "superior" social model, along with their so-called "multiculturalism" (which looks to me a great deal like segregation) that filed away these poor foreigners in these banlieues and kept them from integrating into the larger society. They don't have jobs, and they're radicalised. The prattling of an actor won't stop these problems. Only serious debate over the future of the social model and the lives of these immigrants as a part of greater French society will begin to tackle the problem. In the meantime, civic order must be kept, and people who don't have real solutions for the problem should stop acting as if they do.

Small Arms Review from Iraq?

There's been an interesting document making the rounds on-line as of late. It claims to have the "unvarnished opinions" of the soldiers serving in Iraq regarding their small arms. Entitled "what worked, what sucked", this little gem is being bandied about in acrimonious discussions amongst small-arms devotees everywhere. Here's my take on it.

"1) The M-16 rifle : Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the talcum powder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. Jordan says you feel filthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They like the ability to mount the various optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picattiny rails, but the weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the 5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure common over there and even torso hits cant be reliably counted on to put the enemy down.

Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents shows a high level of opiate use. "

I've heard about jamming problems with sand, but that's a common occurrence with any tight-tolerance machine. The standard 5.56x45mm service ammunition is also getting panned due to its lack of "stopping power." Then again, the M1 Garand rifle in .30-06 was criticised during WWII for this same short-coming, as was the L1A1 SLR (British FAL) during the Falklands conflict. Killing someone in one shot depends on getting hits in the right places. One-shot stop power is largely mythical outside of anti-tank rockets. I also hear that the new Mk 262 Mod 0 and Mod 1 ammunition for 5.56mm weapons works quite well. I don't know about the opium bit.

"2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon): .223 cal. Drum fed light machine gun. Big thumbs down. Universally considered a piece of s***. Chronic jamming problems, most of which require partial disassembly.(That's fun in the middle of a firefight!)"

No such weapon. There is an M249 SAW, which is a 5.56mm belt-fed light machine gun, which is a derivative of the FN-Minimi. It's usually considered very reliable. Then again, I'm not in the theatre, so I can't say. However, this is sounding rather phony.

"3) The M9 Beretta 9mm: Mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in desert environment; but they all hate the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm: Bad guys hit multiple times and still in the fight."

I'd heard quite the opposite- the military procured cheap magazines with "crinkle" finish on the inside and as a result the Berettas refused to work in sandy environs. Not the pistol's fault, but the weapon has garnered a bad reputation as a result. From what I hear the Beretta is nearly universally reviled, as is the 9mm cartridge.

"4) Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun: Works well, used frequently for clearing houses to good effect."

The main shotgun in US inventory is the M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun, which is a Benelli M4 Super 90. I've heard good things about it. There might be some individual Mossbergs in service, but it's not standard-issue kit.
There are some further reviews on heavier weapons, but there's another bit that caught my eye.

"Bad guy weapons:
1) Mostly AK47's The entire country is an arsenal. Works better in the desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably. PKM belt fed light machine guns are also common and effective. Luckily, the enemy mostly shoots like s*** Undisciplined "spray and pray" type fire. However, they are seeing more and more precision weapons, especially sniper rifles. (Iran, again)"

Lots of things wrong with this one. AKs don't shoot .308, they shoot 7.62x39 M43. The .308 is 7.62x51mm. There's quite a difference. Furthermore, the PKM is a medium MG that shoots a completely different cartridge (7.62x54R). Anyone trying to load a full-power .308 into an AK won't get far, as it won't even fit in the magazine. I've heard that the M43 has wounding problems- it's little more effective than a .38 Special at range.

A lot of people think that this is a hoax. I'd generally agree- I'm no serving soldier, I'm just some guy with a cursory interest in small arms. If I can spot errors in this document, then there are some serious issues that need to be resolved.
Here's a gem from the comments at Defense Tech's entry:
"im going into field artillery and i dont particularly like the m-16a1 carbin or the regulare m-16. i want to know if i could buy a difrent gun or if i would be able to trade it in or what because iv had some problems with jamming in the gun range and i would rather have a better gun. Plus the .223 round isnt going to bring sombody down unless you hit them above the torso. so write back and tell me if you know anything.

futer marine,
andrew bozza"

A domino factum est et mirabilis in oculis nostris

In 1558, a young Elizabeth Tudor stood under a tree and received the news that her half-sister Mary I ("Bloody Mary") had died, and that she was now Queen of England. Her response, the title of this post, translates as "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes." She was crowned on this day in that year, and she would reign for many years thereafter, becoming perhaps the greatest queen in history (thought some people might disagree).

Back to normal?

Glenn Reynolds thinks that Europe is now "the Sick Man of Europe." I must agree with him. However, straightening out Europe would require "strong-man" management of a sort that's not easy to stomach. It seems the French have grown comfortable with more than 150 cars burned each night, and have decided that the riots have gone away.
The Catholic Church has just lost one hundred arbitrary points. It turns out that they're considering beatifying Robert Schuman, one of the "Founding Fathers" of the European Union. There has also been talk of Sainthood. Let's review some other Saints in comparison to Schuman.
St. Maximilian Kolbe
-Was imprisoned in Auschwitz in 1941 for sheltering Jewish refugees
-Smuggled bread and wine to hold mass for the prisoners
-Took the place of a young, married man in a starvation chamber
-Ministered to his nine fellows for three weeks of starvation and dehydration
-Martyred by carbolic acid injection after the Nazis got tired of waiting
St. Thomas More
-One of the most learned men of his age
-Chancellor of State under King Henry VIII
-Fired, exiled, and imprisoned for his courageous stance
-Beheaded because he would not commit perjury
Robert Schuman
-Was briefly detained by Gestapo
-Was religious
-Prime Minister of France (for less than a year)
-Convinced Germans to join Monnet's "coal and steel community", now the EU
-Died in his bed at the age of seventy-seven
Could someone Catholic kindly explain to me how Schuman belongs in the company of More and Kolbe? From where I stand, it sounds to me like the Church is beatifying people based on politics, not merit. It seems that the charges made by Protestants about that practice aren't so spurious after all.

Self-Criticism, Volume III

Here's the latest self-critical examination, lifted from Murdoc Online.

You scored as Batman, the Dark Knight. As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own code and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause. Batman, the Dark Knight 79% Maximus 67% William Wallace 63% Neo, the "One" 63% Captain Jack Sparrow 50% James Bond, Agent 007 50% The Amazing Spider-Man 46% Lara Croft 38% The Terminator 38% El Zorro 33% Indiana Jones 29% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

I certainly I don't end up like certain other installments of the Bat-man series.

18 Brumaire II: Napoleon Strikes Back

As we left the intrepid First Emperor of the French, he had herded all seven hundred and fifty members of the French National Assembly into the Chateau Saint-Cloud, under his "protection," in order to elect a new government to replace the corrupt Directoire. All did not go as planned. Twenty hours after debate began, the deputies continued to argue. Most of them were of the Jacobin party, and they supported the old government (and hated Bonaparte). After waiting for this long, Napoleon decided that it would be a good idea to pay a visit to the deputies while they were in session, armed with an escort of Grenadiers, or heavy infantry. He first swung by the Council of Elders, telling them that "the Revolution is over" and that the constitution was moot. Having thus impressed them, he went to the considerably more rowdy Council of Five Hundred, of which his brother Lucien was President.
It seems here that Napoleon's impetuousity got the better of him. The Five Hundred attacked Napoleon as soon as he entered the chamber. They managed to injure him somewhat before Lucien ordered the Grenadiers to escort him out. This gave Napoleon and Lucien the pretext to summon the soldiers waiting outside. Lucien told the soldiers that a "desperate faction" of men with daggers threatened the assembly, and that they had to disrupt the meeting to ensure the safety of the deputies. He then produced a dagger himself, and pointed it at Napoleon's chest, proclaiming that he would "stab him...if I suspected of violating the rights..." Thus encouraged, the troops cleared the chamber. The deputies, thus cowed by military force, submitted to Napoleon's new constitution. Napoleon became First Consul of France. Seiyes and Roger-Ducos were replaced on December 31 of the same year with more pliable consuls. In 1804, Bonaparte declared the French Empire, and became its emperor.

18 Brumaire

On this day in 1799, Bonaparte, with the backing of government officials Sieyès and Roger-Ducos, moved the French Assembly to the Chateau St-Cloud with the aim of overthrowing the previous and very corrupt Directoire. Sieyès and Roger-Ducos were members, and their resignations, combined with that of Barras, the President of the Directory, necessitated the formation of a new, non-Jacobin government. The two legislative assemblies, the Five Hundred and Council of the Elders (les ancients) were moved to Saint-Cloud for "protection". In reality, Napoleon wanted to "convince" them to vote for his proposal by surrounding the deputies with his troops under the command of his loyal (sort of) Marshal, Joachim Murat.
Why 18 Brumaire instead of 9 November? Well, the intolerable Metric System was only one of several efforts by the French Republic to over-throw the previous system. The new calendar (metric calendar) of the Revolution was based on agricultural events and natural phenomena rather than the old Roman calendar. Each month was thirty days, and consisted of three weeks of ten days each. This meant it was easy for the simple peasants to calculate things (and it also meant that the government would only lose one day in ten to rest, rather than one in seven). The day was broken into ten "hours" (2.4 real hours) divided into 100 "minutes" (1.44 real minutes or about 86 seconds), and these were further divided into 100 "seconds" (0.86 real seconds) . The calendar started at the Autumnal Equinox, and measured years from the 1792 birth of the Republic. The months were named after natural things- Brumaire refers to fog. Another famous month, Thermidor, refers to heat (and appropriately enough, the heat was applied to Robespierre, who got the chop in the coup of 9 Thermidor, Year II(27 July 1794). Further months included Fructidor, the month of Fruit.
It broke with tradition well established since Roman times (much like the metric system- the system of feet and miles was a universal measurement established by the Romans) and ended up confusing a lot of people because it was more or less arbitrary (I see many parallels here). It was designed to completely remove all traces of the old life and thus represented the totalitarian nature of the French Revolutionary government- they were so self-important that they thought history should be measured from their foundation.
This calendar was quite appropriately abolished by Bonaparte in 1806. Not only did it screw over the workers, the Autumnal Equinox changes dates each year, providing a "fantastic source of confusion for almost everybody." It was briefly resurrected along with a host of other equally bad ideas in the Paris Commune of 1870.

Fun times in France

Contrary to even my expectations, the riots in Paris have reached their tenth day. Last night (like each night before it) was the worst, with 1295 vehicles burned and 312 arrests throughout the country. As I understand it, even Normandy is being hit by these riots. Thirty-two cars were burned inside the city limits of Paris itself, with four burnings near the Place de la République, former site of the Bastille. French police also managed to shut down a bomb-making factory in the suburbs while some youths crashed a car into a McDonald's. Rioters are also shooting at police and civilians with the guns they couldn't possibly get.
And what is top of the news pages? Why, a tornado in Indiana! Foolish of you to ask. I spoke with my esteemedcolleaguee Dr. Fujiyama on the subject, and he said that European news has more or less buried the issue. Before the mighty tornado, they focused on the abortive Free Trade meeting, which was derailed thanks to the good offices of Hugo "Fidelito" Chavez.
I'll readily admit that I'm a pessimist when it comes to Europe, yet even I continue to be shocked by the scale of these riots. I thought that the French government could overcome its bureaucratic inertia and deal with this. They have yet to do so in a serious way. By Tuesday morning, if the riots continue, they will have lasted longer than the Watts and '92 LA riots combined.
Speaking of delicious irony, I'm reading a Harvard Institute of Economic Research paper from September 2001 entitled "Why doesn't the US have a European-style welfare state?". Their answer? Listen to this-

...differences appear to be the result of racialheterogeneityy in the US and American political institutions. Racial animosity in the US makes redistribution to the poor, who are disproportionately black, unappealing to many voters. American political institutions limited the growth of a socialist party, and more generally limited the political power of the poor.
Translation? We don't have a welfare state because Americans hate black people. Apparently the only reasons to oppose the welfare state are racism and being an evil rich capitalist. Perhaps this failure to engage in self-criticism is why leftist policies are so prone to spectacular failure. As we've seen lately, the welfare state has as much of a poverty problem as we do, if not more so. Unemployment in the Paris ghettos is much higher than the rest of the country (where it's still outrageously high). Perhaps the Paris riots will inspire the political left to take a long, hard look at the failure of their policies as exemplified in Europe. Or, in a more likely scenario, they'll come up with increasingly juvenile insults to fling at their opponents and ignore the problem.

Chirac n'aimez pas les personnes noires

Or, "Chirac doesn't care about black people."
It seems that the rioting in the suburbs of Paris I wrote about some time ago is continuing and indeed increasing in ferocity. On November Second, day six of the riots, 250 cars had been burned in the entire riot up to that point. Over the last night, more than four hundred cars had been torched along with three warehouses. The French media has apparently decided to start down-playing the riots. The BBC reports that over five hundred vehicles were burned, and that the riots are spreading all over the country.
Where's the scandal? Apparently the Manchester Guardian is more concerned about Interior Minister Sarkozy referring to the looters as "scum". It also seems that the French Youths have managed to open fire at police with real guns, which are banned in France. So much for gun control laws.
The other big news (thought trumpeted by the media with much greater gusto) is the fact that apparently we're all doomed thanks to the birds. This may or may not be a huge public health risk. In any case, given the utterly uninformed state of most media coverage, I recommend highly the FluWiki, which has a great deal of real information about the bird flu problem.

Aimez-vous une petite émeute?

It seems Mssr. Chirac has a slight problem on his hands. Rioters have been at it for six nights in a suburb of Paris. It seems that these rioters are young North African Muslim immigrants. Two young North African boys died while being pursued by French police (who, one must admit, are very committed and thorough, perhaps too much so in this case). The French, being inspired by a spirit of dialogue, decided it would be a good idea to fire tear gas into a Mosque. The riots are spreading into other parts of Paris. For comparison, the infamous Los Angeles Riots of 1992 and the Watts riots of 1965 both lasted six days. This new one shows no sign of stopping soon. Given the month-long 1968 student riots, I won't be impressed until the government calls a general election.
It also seems that some people are less than thrilled with the recent anniversary of the Reformation. They will pray to their various Popish Saints for the conversion of the world. They can do that as much as they please, but it shall change nothing! Bwahahahahahaha!
Finally, a bit of good news. The US Army and Special Operations Command have teamed up to find a replacement handgun for their use. Here is the specification below:

The USSOCOM intends to issue a solicitation to obtain commercially available non-developmental item (NDI) Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) system, Caliber .45 (ACP). The Program will use full and open competition to fulfill the JCP requirement. The JCP will be delivered in accordance with specification entitled "Performance Specification Joint Combat Pistol" to be provided with issuance of the solicitation.
What does that mean? It means the Army is replacing the Beretta M9 with a .45 caliber pistol, type unknown. The specifications call for an "external safety" option, a specification that eliminates Glocks and many other modern pistols. My recommendation? I'd thoroughly recommend a high-capacity 1911 (such as the fine Para-ordinance P-14, with a fourteen round magazine) or the tough HK USP Tactical, .45 ACP. The latter better fits the specifications, as it has a threaded barrel that allows it to accept silencers. The problem with these guns is that they are eeeeeevil foreign designs. Many people complain about the lack of domestic-made hardware. I must point out that the US Army has used many "evil foreign" designs quite successfully- the Krag-Jorgensen rifle was Danish, the M1903 Springfield was a copy of the German Mauser 98, the M1917 US Enfield was a British design, the M1 Garand was designed by Canadian John Garand, and the M14 was based on Garand's earlier design. There's nothing wrong with using foreign designs so long as they are produced domestically (so that we won't be dependent on supply lines in time of war).

Small Arms fun-time!

It seems that nearly all of the "future military" projects of the 1990s have been cancelled in the wake of several real wars. Cool-sounding theories that were advanced during that time are being shown to be pure nonsense. Yester-day, even the most successful of these theories was struck down by reality.
Via Murdoc Online, the following document made its way to the Admiralty yester-day.

AMENDMENT SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT
Solicitation W15QKN-05-R-0449, OICW Increment One
Amendment 002
The purpose of this Amendment is to CANCEL Solicitation W15QKN-05-R-0449, OICW Increment One.

This action has been taken in order for the Army to reevaluate its priorites (sic) for small caliber weapons, and to incorporate emerging requirements identified during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Government will also incorporate studies looking into current capability gaps during said reevaluation.

What does this mean? It seems that the famous XM-8 Rifle Programme has been cancelled. The XM-8 was the descendant of the nineties OICW programme, which involved sticking a 20mm smart grenade launcher on a new 5.56mm rifle. The resulting assembly weighed almost twenty pounds (6.8 kilo-pretend units of measurement) loaded. For comparison, the extremely heavy M1 Garand, standard issue in WWII, weighed 9.5 pounds. A fully loaded machine gun M249 with full kit and tools weighs 15 pounds, and that is considered excessive. The current-issue assault rifle comes in a bit under nine pounds. The French also tried their hand at a version that was considerably more awkward (scroll down).
The XM8 was born when they took the assault rifle portion off the assembly and made it its own rifle. The result, based off of the successful G-36 system, was very reliable and light. However, it seems that real-world experience got in the way. The XM8 was chambered for the same cartridge as the M16/M4 series- the 5.56x45mm NATO. However, because of this cartridge's small calibre (about .22), it depends on extremely high velocity to create fatal wounds. This is no problem out of a standard 20" barrel M16, which pushes the bullet to a velocity of over 3,000 feet per second. This gives it an effective range of over 200 yards (~200 French Revolutionary nonsense measurements). However, most soldiers want reduced barrel length. The 14.5" barrel of the M4 carbine currently in use, combined with the newer M855 ammunition that is heavier (but slower), reaches out to less than 100 yards effectively. The XM-8 was to have a twelve-inch barrel, which means that the weapon wouldn't have been effective even at point-blank range.
What's the solution? It seems that the military is considering changing calibres. The current system is, at best, effective out to 300 yards. This leaves a large range where enemies cannot be hit reliably. Hence the "capability gap" mentioned earlier. Some gun gurus want to bring back the old M-14 rifle in the potent 7.62x51mm chambering. However, the M14 is heavier than the current system, and is nearly uncontrollable in fully-automatic fire. It was a failure as a service rifle, being replaced after only seven years' service by the M-16. It was out of date as soon as it was fielded.
Instead, I propose an intermediate calibre. The 6.5mm Grendel cartridge delivers best among the current crop of possible replacement rounds. The 6.5mm Grendel has superior ballistics at range than the 7.62x51mm. It's also light enough to carry easily and it lacks recoil. Best of all, current M-4 weapons platforms can be used as the basis for the new one- the Grendel system only requires replacement of the upper receiver assembly, which can be done in the field by soldiers without tools. It would also serve as a sniper round (it is extremely accurate at range, and the AR-15 is an extremely accurate platform), and as a standardised machine-gun round (given its hitting power). Logistics would be greatly simplified as a result, and magazines from any weapon could be inter-changed with any other.
At least we're not talking about using .17 calibre ammunition, which was quite the hot idea in the nineties. Yeesh. I often wonder how we got through that decade as well-off as we did.