Browsing: Society

A Brief History On this holiday when thoughts of children are wandering to their Christmas and Hanukkah lists, for those among us that are hunters, law enforcement officers, military people, recreational or competitive shooters, interested in self defense and the preservation of liberty, or just into the history and technology of firearms, we present to you our “Bucket List” of guns we would like to own before we are too old to enjoy them. (Although some may be out of production, they are still out there for sale.)  Obviously, such a list is pure opinion and is not relevant to…

A Brief History On November 25, 1940, the feverish pace of developing improved warplanes during World War II culminated in the first flight of two of the most iconic twin engine medium bombers of the war, the British de Havilland Mosquito and the American Martin B-26 Marauder. Digging Deeper These 2 medium bombers had quite different roles in combat, with the B-26 operating as a conventional medium bomber, best employed from medium altitude.  The B-26 had impressive self defense armament of 12 X .50 caliber machine guns and could carry up to 4000 lbs of bombs.  The Mosquito was often…

A Brief History On November 22, 1988, one of the most costly of the Cold War high technology weapons was revealed when the prototype of the Northrup Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber was made public. Digging Deeper Development had started under the administration of President Carter, which was a major reason for Carter canceling the B-1 bomber.  Of course, the public was unaware of problems with the B-1 and the game changing technology that would be incorporated on the B-2, making Carter seem soft on military power.  During the 1980 presidential election, Carter felt compelled to make vague reference to…

A Brief History On November 21, 1986, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Oliver North, a member of the National Security Council of the Ronald Reagan administration, was busy shredding documents, destroying evidence of criminal activity of the Reagan administration as part of the Iran-Contra Affair. Digging Deeper North was assisted by his comely secretary, the auspiciously named Fawn Hall, who later traded immunity from prosecution for testimony against North.  Of course, Hall realized that the shredding of documents was illegal, evidenced by her statement that, “Sometimes you have to go above the law.”  This statement was exactly the sort of rationalizing…

A Brief History On May 23, 1901, the Attorney General of Paris, France, received an anonymous note that a woman was being kept prisoner by her own mother.  Police were dispatched to investigate and found a skeletal Blanche Monnier locked up in a small, windowless room in appalling mental and physical condition. Digging Deeper Blanche had been locked up in the tiny room since 1876, when her mother disapproved of Blanche’s choice for a husband (a lawyer, so perhaps the mom had reasonable cause…) and prevented the marriage by keeping Blanche prisoner. Of course, the mother was arrested, but died…