And in the News Here...

[aggienaut]

   Sitting in the little eatery where we just had dinner, there was a TV mounted on the wall where I could see it but I couldn't hear it. It was on a news channel. First they interviewed a dozen Iranians who were opposed to sanctions on Iran and in support of Iran's nuclear program. Then it showed Kofi Annan meeting with President Ahmadinejad, then they showed people getting tear gassed with the headline "REVOLUTION IN BAHRAIN," and then there was a lengthy bit titled "UNITED (POLICE) STATES," which appeared to be about the Dept of Homeland Security ordering hollow-point bullets, and alternated between pictures of watermelons exploding from being by such bullets and pictures of occupy protestors being tear gassed. This included intreviews with about four persons who were all either wearing tie-dye occupy movement t-shirts or listed as the editor of some anti-government sounding magazine. Then footage returned to Annan and Ahmadinejad.
   These stories seemed to be... a bit less than unbiased reporting. I think there may have been another story as well that seemed similarly themed. I thought the Bahrain story was particularly amusing since a story about a "revolution" usually shows people joyously waving flags, not being teargassed by government troups. Sure enough a google news search of Bahrain right now and the fifth result down is mob violence in Bahrain. Someone's a bit overeager to make it sound like there's been a revolution there.

   And also, sure enough, looking up "PressTV," the name of the program, I see it is run by the Iranian state media agency. And apparently people watch it over dinner here in some places. At least they didn't burn me in effigy. Though apparently homeland security DID put in a large order for hollow-point ammunition...

Comments

[hosticle-fifer.livejournal.com]

What's really worrisome is the volume they're buying. OK, the fact that they are buying up that many hollow points specifically is also troubling, but not for the reason one might immediately think.

Hollowpoints are actually excellent police and home-defense rounds. Because they mushroom on impact, they cause grievous soft-tissue injury, but have remarkably poor penetration. That's the key - once they enter a body, they transfer all their energy to the target, and don't leave again to cause collateral damage. Misses that hit a wall or car door don't penetrate as well, hopefully limiting the exposure of unintended targets behind.

But here's the rub. Hollowpoints are illegal in international warfare, banned by the Hague Convention of 1899. That means that a government agency who purchases hollow point rounds is buying them explicitly for domestic use. That in itself would not be alarming, could be written off as a policework expense, were it not for the purchase of four hundred and fifty million rounds. That is an airplane hangar full of ammunition that can only legally be wielded against the American populace.

We could explain it as a stockpile that is meant to be used for years to come, or we could strap on our tinfoil hats and begin with the conspiracy theories! :)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

:-O