Posted on 01/13/2009 6:52:44 PM PST by Free ThinkerNY
Snipers or assassins could be spotted in their nests before even firing a shot thanks to laser surveillance technology to be unveiled in Britain.
European and U.S. companies are accelerating research into anti-sniper defences in response to threats in Afghanistan and Iraq and at home.
But most systems use acoustic or thermal sensors that depend on waiting for the first shot.
An alternative developed by the European aerospace group EADS aims to warn of attack and pinpoint the sniper before he pulls the trigger by bouncing light off his telescopic sight.
'It is the same principle as 'cat's eyes' in the middle of the road,' said Peter Talbot-Jones, research team leader at EADS Innovation Works at Newport in Wales.
'Cat's eyes' behave like the retina of a cat by reflecting light from a car's headlamps to illuminate lines on the road.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Of course, probably all the best troops in their prime are probably going to be on the gov’ts side. But again, the insurgents could probably cause chaos, but could they actually defeat and overcome the army or just lead them a merry dance? The taleban is doing a good job of leading the coalition forces a merry dance, but it can’t actually take the fight to them and defeat them.
I might check that book out if I can get it of Amazon, it does sound interesting...
“I know this, winnable or not, it’s better to die on your feet as a free man than live on your knees as a slave. But.... Maybe that’s just me.”
Well, the thing is, it isn’t likely that the government is just going to go all out for blatant tyranny, complete with a boo-hiss hate figure twirling a thin black mustache and going ‘muhahahahaha!’ Remember that even when the the Revolutionary War broke out, the colonies were still probably the freeist and most lightly taxed society in the world, except for the lack of parliamentary representation. Some took the view that the Crown’s infringements justified rebellion, wheras others believed the rebellion was wrong and/or that the rebels were a dangerous threat to the freedoms they already enjoyed (without the benefit of hindsight, many of them would have viewed Washington as a new Cromwell)....
All those are just hunks of metal if the clerks and secretaries don't process the paperwork that keeps them supplied with fuel and spare parts. And the clerks and secretaries are subject to persuasion to quit from their fellow citizens.
Ping.
Easier still, just send freeper Travis McGee a freepmail and he'll tell you how to get them.
There are no more like the militia of 1775, Not in sufficient numbers. 90% of the "warriors" who look fierce and growl: From my cold ... dead ... hands ... will roll over and show their bellies when their families are facing armed squads of jack booted thugs and life in the camps. So out of 100 million gun owners you still get a pool of about 10 million hard core patriots. Many of them current and former military. Many current and former LEOs and a huge chunk of those groups having already seen the elephant or smelled the cordite. 10 million. That is a pretty hefty force. Bigger than the Taliban. Fighting on ground more hospitable than the Afghan mountains for combat. More room to maneuver, too, than in the Afghan mountains.
Targetting the secrataries wouldn’t do much to undermine the image of you being terrorists, which would increase support for the government, also, the government could buy weapons and supplies from foreign governments, who would be all to willing to support your government, because watching the US collapse into civil war and anarchy isn’t exactly in anyone else’s interest, and they would want to see any meaningful revolt crushed as quickly as possible so that business could go back to normal...
Just as an example, the IRA in Northern Ireland often murdered any Catholic they saw as being a ‘collaborator’ with the government, not just police officers, but canteen workers at police stations, and even census officials. That lost a lot of support in the Nationalist/Republican community because of the violence and fear in which they held their community....
Don't bet the farm on that one. I know for a fact that at the upper levels of army special operations back in the mid 90's there was a real discourse among army special operations officers as to when might the time come for troops to stand by the people and against the government? That is after all, one of the main missions of army special forces: To train indigenious militia into an effective force to accomplish regime change. What happens if the military splits along idelogical lines? What happens if whole units from state national guards decide to side with the people and bring their inventory with them? It's happened before. At the outset of hostilities for the War between the States, many cadets at West Point left to fight for the south. So did many of their instructors.
But again, the insurgents could probably cause chaos, but could they actually defeat and overcome the army or just lead them a merry dance? The taleban is doing a good job of leading the coalition forces a merry dance, but it cant actually take the fight to them and defeat them.
There are dang few terrorists who can lay credible proof that they know how to lead in combat. As for the Taliban, NONE of those bozos that can make a claim to being a trained leader, whereas the American military is full of them. We have the only military force in the world (aside maybe from Israel) that teaches leadership to the lowest enlisted levels. If a unit gets wiped out of officers and sergeants, then the private first class (pfc) with the most senior date of rank knows how to take over and what to do. Charlie Tango Mike: Continue The Mission. The task isn't really defeating the military in detail all over the country. Let me ask you, how do you kill a snake? Cut the head off. In a den of vipers you may have to cut the heads off quite a few. But in the end, once the brains are dead the body will stop twitching. See?
That's why the Taliban have no chance of ever truly defeating us. To do that, means they have to come here and cut the head off. Not likely. But a war fought on our home territory with the head of the threat here and a viable target, along with the senior planners and assistants? You betcha!
What many folks fail to grasp is that a military has an easier time rotating troops into a distant country like Afghanistan, than they ever would occupying their own country against the will of a significant percent of the people.
Overseas, relatively fresh and mission-oriented troops live on secure firebases, and only leave for missions. Their families are safe, thousands of miles away.
At home, occupational troops must face years or decades of fear. Their families live with them, and could be “collateral damage” or worse. The parking lot at target would be a dangerous place. Fishing or golfing or jogging? Forget it, forever, while you live hunkered down.
You get the idea...
10% of gun owners is still between 8 and 10 MILLION folks. Most of 'em former LEO or Military. Most of 'em armed with more than just .22LR or .38 Specials.
If the SHTF, the Government doesn't stand a chance.
I wonder if anyone has ever done a study on how many fighters would be required for a unit to resist neutralization (defined as encirclement and defeat in detail) by the average local law enforcement agency?
The Hollywood bank robbers walked rough-shod over the locals for quite spell if i recall correctly, and there were only two of them.
“As we’ve already shown in Iraq and Afghanistan, large concentrations of enemies are almost certain to be destroyed. “
Let’s see, 5+ years later and we are still at it in a small region of the world about the size of California with only a few cities against many who can’t even read.
Here in the US you have millions of educated and military experienced Americans who are extremely well armed and scattered across an entire nation. Good luck with that attack against us.
My answer would be 8 people. Two fireteams. One set as lookout and ambush for LEO response, the other for cover and extraction of "assets".
You might get away, but more than likely with an Op that big someone would get caught and squeal.
Better to buy CD's and commodities. Better ROI and you get to keep it.
What you said.
That debacle was 99% the fault of the cops on the scene. They let the battle rattle of full auto rattle them. When they couldn't bring down the perps with sidearms or shotguns, they raced into nearby sporting goods stores and "borrowed" AR15s. That was the mistake. Should have gathered the scope sighted deer and elk rifles. Even without a proper zero, one shot could have done the job on each nicely. Any 30-06, .308 or 7mm magnum would do a fine job with a headshot or throat shot.
Some people can’t think in dynamic terms.
“If just 1 or 2% of gun owners went active”
Why wait until they are in action? They are our neighbors and I can’t imagine they would sleep well knowing that they have angered us.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.