Walking by the Danube in Bratislava, I discovered a couple of abandoned tanks, assault guns and military vehicles. Which fits my army best?

See also: The dirtiest room in Brăila

Infowars
August 31, 2009

The cops in Newport Beach, California, have joined countless other federalized and militarized police forces around the country with the introduction of “The Peace Keeper,” a 9,000-pound armored vehicle. “Here’s some advice from police,” reports the Daily Pilot. “When you see this thing rolling down the street, go inside and lock your doors.”

It’s said this combat vehicle is “just-in-case situations,” although no further explanation is provided. The vehicle “is capable of withstanding rifle fire. Theoretically, it can also withstand fragmentation grenades,” according to Joseph Serna of the Daily Pilot.

Fragmentation grenades? How many citizens have grenades? Do the cops in California expect us to believe gang-bangers and other assorted potentially violent criminals have RPGs and large caliber machineguns?

More likely, the police in Newport added a second armored vehicle — they also have a retrofitted Brinks armored truck — not to deal with crack dealers armed with Glocks or even Mac-10s, but to respond when angry mobs of citizens take to the street.

URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/another-police-department-gets-military-vehicle/

In Springfield, Illinois, the commoners will get acclimated in the coming week to the idea of the military on the streets. “A Springfield-based military police company will be training with a new armored vehicle in the area this week,” the Associated Press reports. “The Illinois Army National Guard says training with the new Armored Security Vehicles will start Thursday and run through Sunday.”

Staff Sgt. Daniel Becker said that people shouldn’t be afraid when they see the armored vehicles on the road.

No, they shouldn’t be afraid — they need to let the idea sink in that it is normal for armed troops to be on the streets. After they get used to military vehicles on the roads, they will need to get accustomed to military checkpoints like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Before “everything changed,” that is before the government used a bogus terror attack to increase the militarization of society, the military restricted its testing of equipment to bases and proving grounds.

Now they want you to understand you live in a banana republic.

URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/illinois-army-national-guard-puts-military-war-machines-on-the-streets/

Mercedes Benz Military Vehicles are apparently headed to Camp Pendleton? 

The Mercedes Bens G-Class was born initially as a military vehicle based on an order from the Shah of Persia back in 1970. And it just happened to become a civilian vehicle a decade later. But no matter what clothes it wears, it looks and works just right wherever it goes. Now though it’s going back to its roots by this fabulous 6×6 version made for the Australian army.

Three-axeled 6.5 tons monster, designed to accommodate up to 9 passengers with heavy luggage, the perfect tool for missions including unit transportation. The other half are long wheelbase 461 series with a huge cargo area which is 3.2 meters long and can carry stuffs up to nine tons. Mercedes G-Class 6×6 is painted in sand beige and looks truly striking.http://www.motorward.com/2009/06/mercedes-gclass-6×6-for-australian-army/  They are also referred to as Gelandewagen and similar vehicles can be found at http://www.army-technology.com/contractors/vehicles/mercedes-benz/.

Why are these “striking,” similar looking vehicles travelling down America’s highways.  Martial Law? Pandemic Emergency Preparedness? Government Requisition? Foreign Army Transport? NLE Practice?

“With GM’s restructuring complete,Steven Rattner, whose leadership and vision were invaluable to the Auto Task Force’s efforts, has decided to transition back to private life and his family in New York City….Ron Bloom will assume leadership of the Task Force’s activities as the government transitions its role away from day-to-day restructuring to monitoring this vital industry and protecting the substantial investment the American taxpayers have made in GM, Chrysler, and GMAC.” http://michellemalkin.com/2009/07/13/alert-car-czar-steven-chooch-rattner-is-leaving/

“There is no checking with the government,” he[sic Bloom]  said in relation to company leaders’ approach to running the businesses. Board members will not need to “look back” over their shoulder to make sure the government is approving all decision making, he said….The Treasury Department has committed over $60 billion in direct assistance to GM and Chrysler. Tens of billions more have been committed to Delphi Corp., GMAC LLC and suppliers.The Department of Energy has committed $25 billion in funding for auto makers to retool factories in order to develop and build fuel-efficient cars.”http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124873753926785139.html

In 1974, after a series of scandalous take-downs of pension and retirement funds during the Nixon era, Congress passed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.  ERISA says you can’t seize workers’ pension funds (whether monthly payments or health insurance) any more than you can seize their private bank accounts.  And that’s because they are the same thing:  workers give up wages in return for retirement benefits. http://www.alternet.org/workplace/140441/how_obama’s_’car_czar’_steve_rattner_is_bankrupting_gm/  Well, looks like you can under President Obama.

Somebody, some frigging place ought to look over our tax dollars and tell me why there is a Mercedes Benz Military Vehicle on a car hauler heading from South Carolina to California.  WTF?  Billions in auto bailouts and someone has the fucking audacity to order a fucking Mercedes Military Vehicle? Are they even U.S. Military?  From Delphi to GM people are loosing pensions- blatantly breaking laws, while our Constitutional lawyer President Obama makes statements about racial profiling.  X-CUSE Me but I think people looked blindly past your skin color when they voted expecting better than this. 

Maybe these vehicles have something to do with the upcoming NLE 09 exercises.  Yeah, that makes me feel all warm inside. 

I thought “This land is your land, this land is my land…”.words and music by Woody Guthrie

“In the squares of the city – In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office – I see my people
And some are grumblin’ and some are wonderin’
If this land’s still made for you and me.”  http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/this-land.shtml

This week in History on Sat., July 28, 1945 – In a ringing declaration indicating that America’s pre-World War II isolation was truly at an end, the U.S. Senate approves the charter establishing the United Nations.

If you are sitting down, “”Millions of men, women and children have died because nations took to the naked sword instead of the conference table to settle their differences.” The U.N. charter would provide the “foundation and cornerstone on which the international organization to keep the peace will be built.”  from This Day in Military History http://tdiumh.blogspot.com/2005/07/july-28.html

Keep the peace indeed–now get those Mercedes Military Vehicles off of my U.S. Taxpayer paid roads, built upon U.S. Soil with American blood, sweat and tears. 

Buy American, it is the very least you can do.

Cats love cardboard; people love cats doing cute and funny things. Combine these two principles and you have a creation like the Cat Playhouse Tank, Plane, and Fire Engine from SuckUK.

That’s right, you can order cardboard military vehicles and a fire apparatus for your favorite feline. It ships flat, so there is some assembly required – think of it as a bonding experience between the two of you.

Having three cats, we understand the mesmerizing and nearly magnetic draw that cardboard has on cats. Also having three cats we know how long cardboard lasts in an excited barrage of claws, teeth, and playfulness…usually not long.

The idea for these structures is great, and the designs are fun and entertaining. Best of all they used non-toxic ink, so your cat won’t look like he has a milk mustache of printed metal – and of course they are recyclable.

I took this photograph in 2000 at a gathering of military vehicles at Woodson Bridge County Park, near Corning, CA.

Camera: Nikon D1; Lens: Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6 ED; Exposure time: 1/250; F-stop: 8.0; ISO Speed: 200; Focal Length: 24mm.

Click image to enlarge.

Some may say it is overkill and a niche vehicle that isn’t needed.  I believe conquest vehicles saw an opportunity and may have hit the target.  The concept is being sold throughout the world and from my short discussion with the team and their CEO I would say there are only good things to come in the future.

I am stopping by their display at SEMA2008 tomorrow so check back.

Check out their press release.

Las Vegas, Nevada, November 4, 2008 – Conquest Vehicles Inc., the Toronto-based company that specializes in the design and manufacturing of fully armoured, ultra-luxurious, handcrafted sport utility vehicles has unveiled its flagship vehicle, the KNIGHT XV™ at the 2008 SEMA show in Las Vegas, announced William Maizlin, President, Conquest Vehicles, Inc.

Inspired by the Gurkha military vehicle,(built by Armet Armored Vehicles Ltd.) the KNIGHT XV™ is an ultra-luxurious handcrafted, Bio-fuel powered fully armoured SUV. The KNIGHT XV™ is powered by a V10, 6.8-litre engine and sits on a commercial class chassis. It provides 400 hp and 498-ft lbs of torque. The KNIGHT XV™ is priced at $295,000 USD. Only 100 will be made available as a limited first run. Each vehicle takes 1,500 hours to build by hand.

“Our goal with the KNIGHT XV™ is to deliver an ownership experience that is unrivaled in today’s marketplace. The KNIGHT XV™ offers the very best in security and luxury while ensuring that the environment is positively impacted when the vehicle is on the road,” said Maizlin. The KNIGHT XV™ offers interior appointments including Wilton Wool luxury carpeting; Andrew Muirhead leather; 6-way electric leather boardroom-style seating; Tandem sunroof glass with privacy shades; Personal side-mounted lap top stations; LED cabin lighting; Alpine AM, FM, CD, DVD navigation and Bluetooth equipment; TV Monitors; Night vision FLIR PathfindIR Thermal imaging Camera system (front and back), rear op camera system
and Playstation 3 (PS3). The cabin’s 283-cubic-foot interior is larger than the interior of the Hummer H2 and can comfortably seat six professional basketball players.

“We believe that the combination of the secure exterior appointments and ultra-luxurious interior will appeal to high-profile individuals with discriminate tastes that place security and luxury at the top of their list when it comes to acquiring a bespoke luxury vehicle,” said Maizlin.

The KNIGHT XV™ exterior includes the use of ballistic hardened steel; 40” tires with specialized custom rims that utilize forged 6061 aluminum – the same used on commercial aircraft landing gear; ballistic fiberglass fenders, bumper and up to 64 mm. (2 and a 1/2 inches) transparent armor (glass) and a ballistic run-flat tire system.

The KNIGHT XV™ is 240” in length, 98” in width with a ground clearance of 14” and stands at 100”. It’s wheelbase is 141” and has an armoured curb weight of 10,000 pounds. The vehicle holds 40 gallons of fuel and sits on four, LT40X13.50R20 Mickey Thompson Baja Radial ATZ tires with ballistic run flats.
Additionally, the KNIGHT XV™ contains an E-85 Ethanol conversion system (Flex Fuel) with California emission certification, thereby making it certified in all 50 States. “We designed this vehicle with three goals in mind. To provide the ultimate in security and luxury while ensuring the vehicle is environmentally friendly,” said Maizlin.

About Conquest Vehicles Inc.
Conquest Vehicles Inc., specializes in the design and manufacturing of ultra-luxurious, fully armoured, handcrafted sport utility vehicles. The company, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, is comprised of the automotive industry’s most respected talent whose award-winning experience in engineering, fabrication, design, armouring and customization combine to create one-of-a-kind SUV’s unrivaled and unmatched in today’s automotive marketplace. Conquest Vehicles Inc., also provides auto customization and after-market
design for luxury vehicles.

For more information about the KNIGHT XV™ or Conquest Vehicles, please visit our website:
www.conquestvehicles.com

The Complete WW2 Military Jeep Manual is a good book to own if you own or are interested in WW2 Jeeps. Why else would you be reading this Blog? This collection of reprints includes the TM 9-803, TM 9-1803A, TM 9-1803B, Change 1 to TM 9-803 and also a carburetor service instructions. There are 546 pages between its’ covers, so there is a lot of information to help you with the jeep. It isn’t, of course, a restoration manual but will help you to “restore” or correct the various components of your vehicle.

I always wondered what was the structure that’s located across from where I live. Got a chance to find out the answer yesterday. It’s Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence. What’s cool to check out in there? Military vehicles, cannons, guns, bows, army uniforms, underground magazines which were used to store ammunition, and a lot of interesting history information and events.