Well you gotta snap a lot of pictures to get a few good ones. This is one that we liked a lot!
The Blue Angels Precision Demo Team in action!
October 2006
Miramar Air Show
We took over 800 pictures today at the USMCAS Miramar Air Show. Damsel’s camera is still downloading as I type this. It will take some time to go through them all, so I’m going to throw one of them up real quick to get a post on for today. This is the Blue Angels at the top of one of their spectacular maneuvers.
So, what did you do today?
Nukes NOKO Style
From Cox & Forkum:
MVRWC reveals the truth about the NOKO explosion. Click it – very funny.
Seriously, here we go again with the useless UN: China Reluctant to Impose Sanctions.
Tax Revenue “Gusher” Lowers Deficit
Why do Democrats keep calling for higher taxes when the President’s economic policies are working?
From Fox News/AP:
Federal Budget Deficit Falls to Lowest in Four Years
WASHINGTON — The federal budget deficit, helped by a gusher of tax revenues, fell to $247.7 billion in 2006, the smallest amount of red ink in four years.
The deficit for the budget year that ended Sept. 30 was 22.3 percent lower than the $318.7 billion imbalance for 2005, handing President Bush an economic bragging point as Republicans go into the final four weeks of a battle for control of Congress.
Bush called the 2006 outcome a “dramatic reduction” in the deficit which allowed him to fulfill his 2004 campaign pledge of cutting the deficit in half earlier than his original 2009 target date.
“These numbers show that we have now achieved our goal of cutting the federal deficit in half and we’ve done it three years ahead of schedule,” Bush told reporters at a Rose Garden news conference. “The budget numbers are proof that pro-growth economic policies work.”
The pledge to cut the deficit in half was based on the administration’s forecast that the 2004 deficit would hit $521 billion, a figure that proved to be too pessimistic by more than $100 billion. However, the administration has continued to use the forecast number as its benchmark for deficit reduction.
[more]
ISF Hits Terrorists in the Wallet
Who says that the Iraqis aren’t willing to shut down the insurgency? And right in Saddam’s old stomping grounds at that.
From CENTCOM:
BAGHDAD — Local police, supported by special Iraqi Army forces, conducted a raid Oct. 9 in Tikrit against a local hawala allegedly used by individuals and businesses to provide financial support to insurgent groups and detained 16 individuals.
The hawala, a local financial system for banking and money exchange, was allegedly being used by insurgents and criminals to hide money made through illegal activity and illegally funneled into Iraq. The daylight raid was based on tips from Iraqi citizens.
Iraqi Police and Army forces, with coalition advisers, shut down the suspected illegal financial activity which was directly supporting foreign fighters and the ongoing insurgency. This support was directly responsible for attacks targeting Iraqi civilians as well as Iraqi Security and Coalition forces.
No significant damage was done in the area and there were no civilian, Iraqi forces or Coalition forces casualties.
This operation is an example of the resolve of Iraqi citizens to stop the illegal and violent activity bringing harm to their communities and demonstrates the increased ability of the Iraqi Security Forces to target and combat insurgent activity.
Laws Paralyze Gun Owners – Ineffective Otherwise
Gun control laws only seem to target the legitimate gun owner. These laws place the burden upon those of us who follow the law while failing to address the real problem.
An individual by the name of Yehuda Akerman, brought a truckload of firearms in an RV to sell at a Southern California flea market; he sold 47 of them to ATF undercover agents. When they arrested him last week, they found 44 more firearms in his RV. The arrest came after a year long investigation by the agency.
The agents believed Akerman had been living in his RV while venturing across state lines to purchase guns at swap meets and other places in those other states. He used the local flea market as a base for dealing the illegitimate arms.
ATF opened an investigation in July of 2005. During the undercover operation, agents purchased the 47 firearms, including sawed-off shotguns, assault weapons, stolen firearms and a machine gun. They also purchased a large quantity of methamphetamine, cocaine base and Ecstasy. The agents think Akerman has been dealing for about two years. They do not know how many weapons he sold nor to whom.
Akerman was not alone in the operation. Also arrested were these five accomplices:
- George Dominguez, 23, of Los Angeles on suspicion of distributing controlled substances
- Genaro Castillo Fuentes, 42, of Downey on suspicion of distributing controlled substances
- Jeronimo Guzman Nunez, 41, of Torrance on suspicion of being an alien illegally in the United States in possession of a firearm
- Salvador Uribe, 54, of Gardena on suspicion of dealing firearms without a license
- Guillermo Robles, 22, of Los Angeles on suspicion of distribution of controlled substances
It’s interesting that among those arrested there were a couple of illegal aliens. It makes one wonder how many illegal firearms are in the possession of illegals, drug dealers and other unsavory thugs.
State gun controls, with all their strict provisions, did nothing to prevent this man from illegally importing and selling guns to other criminals. The state’s gun laws that paralyze the legitimate gun owner have no effect on those willing to bring illegal weapons to the black market.
Reference Daily Breeze article Gun seller arrested.