History Freebies

The African Bush Wars have always intrigued me. Whether it was in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Angola, Mozambique, or South West Africa (now Namibia), you had Communist-backed insurgencies, guerrilla warfare, and effective counter-insurgency campaigns. It was kind of like seeing the Vietnam War set in southern Africa but without the massive involvement of the United States.

Today I stumbled across a website that has a number of free e-books available for download. What makes it most interesting is that you have books from both sides. You have analyses of the impact of the Soviet and Cuban advisors, you have a book written by a Cuban about his perspective on the air war in Angola, you have many books from the South African perspective, and the list goes on.

The website also has one of the most extensive collections of books on the African Bush Wars for sale.

Bush War Books and the free downloads can be found here.

Really? On The Fourth Of July?

The Arlington, Massachusetts Police Department needs a refresher lesson in just what was the spark that set off the American Revolution. It was the attempt by the British under General Gage to seize the arms and powder of the local militia. A year and some months later we declared our independence from Great Britain.

Today, the APD demanded to inspect the premises of TJIC for firearms because he had applied for a Massachusetts LTC (license to carry). They had no warrant. They ended up seizing the legally owned firearms of his fiancee' Jenn.  Tam has the story. Make sure to read the comments for follow-up information.

Weerd has more info on the required permits in Massachusetts to provide some context.

The saddest part of the whole incident is that the local cops think they are just doing "their job". From TJIC's comments at Tam's blog:

At the end, some of the cops who ransacked the house tried to shake hands with me. "No hard feelings".

I refused and said "Gentlemen, please think about what you're doing. On the fourth of july, the day we celebrate freedom, you stole legally owned firearms from a women who is engaged to a guy who made a joke you don't like. You are not the good guys. You are 'just doing your jobs'. Look in the mirror. You're the bad guys."

Response: "I'm sorry you feel that way. Have a good Fourth."

My lawyer says that there's a decent chance I may yet be arrested.

And with that, I should probably go radio silent for a while.

As I said back in 2011 when the original incident occurred, I am TJIC.

I still am.

UPDATE: There is now a discussion going on about this on the NortheastShooters.com forum. Unfortunately, it doesn't add any new information as of now.

Turning Back The Empire: An Illustrated History Of Guadacanal

I stumbled across "G.I. Joe Live - A World of Pretend Can Get Real" this afternoon. It uses G.I. Joe dolls (or action figures) to illustrate the history of important battles. Having had some of the earliest G.I. Joe's as a kid, I found it really cool. Here is how they describe their website:

G.I. Joe Live
Welcome to G.I. Joe Live! Where, as the title says, a world of pretend can become real. In short, G.I. Joe Live is a mixture of historical real world events and present-day photography, using realistic plastic military action figures known worldwide as "G.I. Joe".

 Their three-part series on the battle for Guadacanal is excellent. The history is accurate and the use of the action figures is well done.

Part I - Turning Back the Empire: The Allies First Pacific Land Victories

Part II: Guadacanal - Henderson Field to Tenaru River

 

Part III: Victory!