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D,
thanks for the info

Board,
Concerning how many have commented on the boyfriend/soon to be husband on how he acts/looks: I remember a big deal being said in the Peterson case on how he acted. If he acted like he did not care, or did not look worried-heck he was guilty as sin because he has no remorse over her loss.

ON the other hand, if he cried like a spring shower, he was covering up his diabolical scheme with dramatics that did not fool anyone-hang him high.

Do the British even allow the use of polygraph? The US, along with only two or three (or so) countries even allow the polygraph to be used AT ALL! Most realize the machine has way to many faults to be of any real value. Unfortunatly, here in the US many believe the machine to be an honest dectector of truth-which could not be farther from the truth!

Whether he passes any such test or not has little to do with the real use of the machine-the police use it to get as much info out of you as they can to ease their investigation-that is the real value of the machine to police.

I agree with you, the polygraph is a interrogation tool, not a "lie-detector", hence why the GBI does not want it videotaped. On the best of days, those things are only 50/50 and very subjective. Nonetheless this whole case does have a Scott Peterson ring to it.

The ever present creep of socialism and communism-achievement is a threat to the utopian dream. Can't have any go-getters out there making the masses look like what they are-lazy free riders.

This is another one of those "we are ENTITLED to the tax payer dime, no strings attached". Socialist thinking, pure and simple.

To copy another FR poster "you take the king's shilling, you do the king's bidding". No one forces these schools to take this money, and if the college goes out of business b/c they don't take govt. funding, well that is one less socialist crap-hole out there corrupting the minds of our youth.

What, you say that private colleges are unaffordable to most of the public? There goes that socialist thinking again, who said college attendence is a entitlement or right?

The new armor vests, first used by the Rangers, is indeed "bullet-proof" when the ballistic plates are installed in the vest (they are removable-see "Black Hawk Down"). Most of us CS and CSS, along with ALO 2 CA active and reserve units still use the Kevlar vest from the 70's, with only fragmentary protection. Still better than nothing, and the wear of protective gear is strongly enforced in Iraq. Many lives saved by both. I'll take a wild guess and say the KIA numbers would be double or even more had the junior leaders not strongly enforced their use.

This article does sound like another anti-military hit-piece, though. The US military goes way out of it's way to ensure troop safety, we could do better (better armored convoy vehicles, body armor, the like) but no one else in the world does nearly as well!

Clear!

Unfortunately, I believe the path to peace in the ME will eventually fill the oceans with the blood of many more dead than we have yet seen. The biggest foolishness of modern ME diplomacy is to assume there are moderates who will come to the bargaining table from BOTH sides. While both have their militant crazies, only the Israelis have made any real proposals for peace.

IMO, this mess began with the UN, and is one of it's first failures. If you look at the UN website, they have maps of the original UN mandates on how Israel would be established. Never a more disjointed and ill-designed piece of international folly was ever designed-no continuous borders, enclaves of Arabs right in the middle of Jew areas, ect. and so forth.

While I have no idea what the solution is-it isn't a economically non-viable entity such as the Palestinian "State", I doubt the fence will solve anything.

Thanks for the post, take care.

Sorry Mark, I think your choice of comparison is poor. I don't think you meant the following, BUT:

I hope you don't mean to equate the American Indian, fighting for survival against a government and people that engaged in every immoral and unjust activity to strip their "Creator" given rights by acts that can almost certainly be called near genocide, to the Palestinians, a people who are bent on self destruction, worship the cult of suicide, revel in the death of innocents and are slaves to their "leadership" are you?

The US govt. and citizens of the day acted with utmost disregard for the rights of the American Indian; while the Israeli govt. is by no means free of innocent "Palestinian" blood, they are not engaged in a system of genocide against them, either.

You sound a little like COL. Chivington "nits make lice". The Palestinian peoples CAN be saved from their mad cults of death with time, education and a little occasional help of the cold steel to rid them of the cancer that resides in their midst.

No offense is intended, I hope you meant something else. take care

Sorry for the incorrect info on the M-56 and USMC Ontos-see poster "archy" revisions. I had a picture of the M-56 in a book with a modified version with 4 recoiless rifles right next to the normal 90mm tank, I thought that was the Ontos.
sorry again

When I was in the 82nd in the early 90's there was a battalion of these Sheridans attached to the division. I don't believe they are still there, though-last time I saw an MTOE (in a Tom Clancy book-Airborne) they had been removed from the list, so I guess now they only serve as OPFOR vehicles at NTC/JRTC and so on. Talking to the crews and such, they seemed quite pleased with them. I had a chance to see them in action when they were tested against the Armored Gun System in '95 at FT. Pickett, VA (I was on detail manning radios, pulling guard for the test site, serving coffee, the like...). The AGS had a 3 person crew with an 105mm autoloader. It had some of the same problems that the Soviets had with their autoloaders on some of their tanks (I believe T-64). Anyways, the crews still preferred the Sheridan to the AGS-which has yet to be adopted.

Again, thanks for all the great info posts

Hey, great info, thanks for the pictures and corrections, all good stuff. I could only find info on the Scorpion, so I figured they were copies of one another.

Have to disagree with you on the STUG III series-the Germans fielded it with the sole purpose of infantry support-hence why the early models had low velocity guns with primary loads of HE shells. The tank destroyer/killer role evolved later after combat experience taught what you pointed out in your critique-it was poorly suited for such support ops. Hence the later versions with the longer 75/76mm AT guns.

If you live anywhere near VA., go check out the Army transpo museum at FT. Eustis-they have a Vietnam era gun truck on display-seriously up armored and heavily armed-again a perfect anti ambush weapon.

Again, great info, thanks for posting it, take care

"Giving weapons to REMFs is about as effective as a mosquito net condom"

As a former 11B and now a REMF officer, you are, unfortunatly, correct. I am hoping that one of the AAR lessons from Iraq is a change in CS/CSS basic training to include full training of small arms. Most new troops show up to units unable to even battlesight zero their weapon on the qual range-forget SPORTS or any such activity.

Our pre-range PMI classes turn into all day weapons training exercises, in CA land you just went to the range, drew ammo, shot, and went home. Not so here. And since we only shoot about twice a year-you see where this leads. Hopefully a more full weapons training course in basic will instill the weapons knowledge and confidence so PMI's don't turn into: "now this is the M-16, you put your eye hear, and look down the rear sight, see, squeeze that trigger...."

If you care to know, your speaking of the M-56 Scorpion. The original version mounted one 90mm gun, but the USMC version fielded 4 recoiless rifles. It was the US version of the German WWII STUG III series of "assault guns". Very handy, we could use one over there for immediate fire support and suppression of ambushers. 4 90mm flechette rounds would end an ambush real quick.

take care

You forgot-Shinseki is gone-this is the doing of others now. I can tell you that most convoys provide their own escorts/gun vehicles in Iraq these days-not enough MP's.

Stryker would be a great convoy escort gun truck.

Indeed this term is used by just about every one of the soldiers I've met who has returned from Iraq. It is not meant as disrespect, just an easy term to describe the otherwise nameless mass they drive past everyday.

ON a similar note, I have a neighbor who served with Saudi and Kuwaiti doctors in the first Gulf War. He was referred to as "Infidel" and "Unbeliever" on a daily basis by his gracious hosts, who were no doubt expressing their gratitude to him for his service saving their country(s) from the armies of Saddam. (sarcasm indeed)

I believe Greyhound armoured cars (I believe 6 wheeled with a 37mm gun in a turret and coax) were a mainstay of US cavalry formations in WWII.

I've lived, worked and played with Germans for the past 3 years: The average German "Hans on the Strasse" is quite sympathetic to the US, but may not agree with our govt. tactics. In my short visits to France, "Jacques in the cafe" is not a fan of Islamic facism, either.

The German police are some of the best law enforcers in the world, and are quite adept at controlling their civil affairs. (they are less hampered than US law enforcers, though)

We supplied weapons, cash and logistic support to both Saddam and assorted Islamic terrorist groups (when we found them useful fighting Russians) in the not too distant past. Using your logic....

Bottom line: the Germans and French, while not loving our foreign policy, still offer flowers at US military post gates on 9/11 anniverseries and the Bundeswehr still guard our posts to free up troops for duty in war zones.

Sorry I don't-but it is some of the best music on the web:)

And while I'm on a roll...the more money a local PD takes from the govt...the more "indebted" they become to the fed. Hence that local PD is now more interested in pleasing the fed than they are their local citizens.

I know PD's have to play the game with the fed to get ahead these days, but beware-the hand that feeds you expects obedience in the long run.

Oh, and I forgot...
LET THE CITIZENS DEFEND THEMSELVES-ALLOW THEM THE RIGHT THE CONSTITUTION GIVES THEM.