Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Tide comes in. Tide goes out. You can’t explain that.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

Democrats have delivered the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and now… the Big Joe Biden Deal.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Everybody saw this coming.

Republicans can’t even be trusted with their own money.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

There is one struggling party in US right now, and it’s not the Democrats.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2016 / Donald J. Trump Rally in Melbourne, FL

Reader Interactions

143Comments

  4. 4.

    piratedan

    @Mike J: is sure that this is a large conservative expat community in exile that was started when Obama exiled all of the true conservatives…

  11. 11.

    BGinCHI

    @Pogonip: Separate bedrooms….

    Heading down to IN this weekend and already anticipating the numbers of Trump signs. Have seen 0 here in the city, and only a couple on the North Shore, where the money lives.

  13. 13.

    scav

    Apparently this sort of activity is nothing to even break much into the news, let alone as scary or unexpected behavior. A “disgruntled” Porsche-driving lawyer wearing Nazi emblems has been named by police as the gunman who opened fire on a Texas street, injuring nine people.

    Police found a Thompson submachine gun and ammunition in his sports car.
    As well as the Tommy gun, a bomb squad search of the suspect’s black Porsche convertible, which was parked at the scene, found a semi-automatic rifle, a knife and 2,600 rounds of live ammunition.
    Officials said DeSai was wearing historic military attire with Nazi emblems and used a semi-automatic handgun during the attack.
    …
    They found other historic military paraphernalia in his apartment, dating back to the US Civil War.

    but no matter, it’s clearly just a bit of disgruntled office and business issue — because those things always drive one out onto the streets to engage in a little old-fashioned American Civility on passing strangers.

  14. 14.

    raven

    @scav: Well it may have just hit the BBC but it was all over the US “media” a day ago and I posted what you did at that time.

  15. 15.

    Schlemazel

    I got the opportunity to educate my very young children on what the KKK was, what it stood for and what it had done to this country when a car full of the fools, in full percale regalia, pulled next to us at a stop light just outside Melbourne Florida. This was about ’93-94 and I was stunned to think there were asshole who would still trade in that bullshit. It made me realize just how backwards a place FL was. There were racists in MN too but they hid from public view and behaved as decent people in public. I could not imagine them celebrating their ignorance.

  16. 16.

    Chyron HR

    @scav:

    Police found a Thompson submachine gun and ammunition in his sports car. Officials said DeSai was wearing historic military attire with Nazi emblems and used a semi-automatic handgun during the attack.

    Pepe the Brainless Thompson Gunner?

  18. 18.

    scav

    @raven: Sorry, I must have been in my internet avoidance mode which only clicked back sometime mid debate when I couldn’t maintain the suspense any more.
    ETA: I’ll also admit to being very more Europe centered in my news-reading habits even when active. Should have remembered the Beeb usually lags the Guard even at the best of times. (As does the NYT often.)

  21. 21.

    Ryan

    I’m now watching the debate. Why does he sound and slur like I do when I’ve had 5 or 6 beers? Coke? Demon weed?

  22. 22.

    Villago Delenda Est

    “Did you see the look on her face when I told her that not paying taxes was smart? Terrific!”

  23. 23.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    Charlotte-Mecklenburg police headquarters has been evacuated and the bomb squad called in to look at a suspicious package.

  25. 25.

    BGinCHI

    Christie goes to prison for lying under oath about Bridgegate.

    Trump goes to prison for tax evasion due to using charity as slush fund.

    Profit!

  27. 27.

    lamh36

    Out of all the OFA vets still online and on tv, David Plouffe is my favorite.

    He’s basically inflappable…every appearance I see with him, he’s NEVER rattled, he never lets the folks lead him away from his message

    ETA: Halperin & Heilemen really tried to get him to sway from his message that DJT was not gonna win the states. They were trying their best to get him to find a way of DJT winning…and Plouffe was like NOPE and shut down every argument they tried to make

  29. 29.

    lamh36

    Out of all the OFA vets still online and on tv, David Plouffe is my favorite.

    He’s basically inflappable…every appearance I see with him, he’s NEVER rattled, calm and he never lets the folks lead him away from his message

    Halperin & Heilemen really tried to get him to sway from his message that Trump was not gonna win the states. They were trying their best to get him to find a way of Trump winning…and Plouffe was like NOPE and shut down every argument they tried to make

  36. 36.

    sigaba

    @scav:

    They found other historic military paraphernalia in his apartment, dating back to the US Civil War.

    Hmm, I wonder which side…

  38. 38.

    z

    What’s the teleprompter for? He’s clearly ad-libbing…

    Love, love love Trump statistics: “(with the 6 trillion spent in middle east) We could’ve rebuilt our country two times over. And maybe more than that!”

  41. 41.

    Trollhattan

    @scav:
    A fvcking tommy gun? This guy must have sat in his man cave watching nothing but WWII and gangster movies. Sheesh, what a maroon.

  42. 42.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @z: It didn’t occur to him that the reason for spending that shitload of money is that a deserting coward and a Dark Lord of the Sith started an utterly illegal and immoral war of aggression over there, does it? Both from his nominal political party?

  43. 43.

    hovercraft

    Josh Marshall posted this a little while ago.
    Trump Could Be in Big Trouble
    SEPTEMBER 27, 2016, 6:54 PM EDT
    We now have clear evidence of self-dealing in the payouts made by the Foundation and as of yesterday pretty clear evidence that Trump has used the Foundation to avoid paying taxes on income. The combination could spell real legal trouble for Trump, possible even criminal penalties. In short, you’re not allowed to use a family foundation as a piggy bank or slush fund for tax avoidance and personal or business purposes. We’ve proceeded cautiously in what we know and what we don’t. We’ve also tried to be cognizant of the fact that this is an area of criminal law where intent is critical – which is to say, ignorance of the law is a defense. That said, one top former IRS official involved in oversight of tax exempt organizations told TPM, “Once you see a pattern of that kind of egregious nature, you start to think if whether there’s an appropriate criminal referral there.” Here’s the story.

  44. 44.

    Mnemosyne

    @Trollhattan:

    IIRC, you need a federal permit from the ATF to legally own a Tommy gun, and they do a pretty serious background check. So the odds of that being a legal weapon are quite low.

  45. 45.

    raven

    The Thompson .45 ACP models produced by Auto-Ordnance and Kahr Arms in Worcester, MA are faithful semi-auto firing replicas of the famous “Chicago Typewriter®.”

  46. 46.

    hovercraft

    @Villago Delenda Est:
    And then went on msnbc this afternoon and said that he wasn’t giving a diagnosis, because it’s irresponsible to do so through the TV. But he sent the tweet because Trump was displaying all the symptoms of coke use. Kate Snow tried to get him to back off, and wouldn’t. He’s master trolling.

  47. 47.

    Elizabelle

    @schrodinger’s cat: Yesh. I am watching Snooze Hour too, and ABC was so much better tonight.

    PBS is fluffing Trump. Morons. And that Frontline director or producer or whatever, talking about how both candidates are SO UNPOPULAR.

    Now that Hillbilly Elegy apologist is on.

  48. 48.

    lamh36

    @Ryan: Right…Halerpin is the smoozer…and Heilemen is the actual writer. Ya can see on the show that Halperin truly doesn’t care and ONLY when the conventional wisdom is such that he can’t spin it Trump’s way, is when he ever says a bad thing.

    Heilemen seems to genuinely care and cannot stand Trump…but I guess he can’t just give up the inside scoop that Halperin provides

  51. 51.

    Adam L Silverman

    @scav: The Tommy was a semi-auto too. The only full auto Tommy’s are in collections that either predate the NFA or are owned by those with an NFA permit for them. Either way they are very, very expensive.

  54. 54.

    smintheus

    Have to laugh at Neil Cavuto’s attempt to convince us that Trump was against the Iraq invasion. He releases edited excerpts of an interview; in which Cavuto frames the question as whether Bush should be spending more time on the economy or on Iraq; and Trump complains that Bush keeps talking about invading but isn’t doing the actual invading as quickly as a MacArthur would; BUT in the excerpts we’re given Trump does concede that Bush could also just wait a bit until the UN signs on to the invasion.

    That changes everything!

  55. 55.

    hovercraft

    @redshirt:
    Not before, but they could convene a secret grand jury yes. Preet Bharara is totally capable of doing it, I can totally see him announcing November 9th that they have indicted him. Bharara is even capable of bringing it even if he wins.

  56. 56.

    MomSense

    @lamh36:

    I love Plouffe. Have happy memories of listening to his conference calls at night while getting materials ready for the next day’s vols.

  58. 58.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @redshirt: Interesting question. The Watergate grand jury wanted to indict Nixon himself, and Leon Jaworski wouldn’t let them…saying that Congress had to deal with the President’s actions. So the jury settled for naming Nixon an “unindicted co-conspirator.” Would this apply to acts committed before someone is sworn into office, in the unlikely event that this someone is Donald Drumpf? I dunno.

  60. 60.

    joel hanes

    @raven:

    faithful semi-auto firing replicas of the famous “Chicago Typewriter®

    So, inaccurate as hell at any distance,
    and often fired from the hip to boot,
    but who cares as long as the magazine ain’t empty.

    The very definition of “indiscriminate”.

  61. 61.

    LABiker

    I went to Melbourne High School, and one of my friends just posted on Facebook that the roads there today are remarkably free of a-hole drivers for some reason. I didn’t know what he was talking about until just now. It’s pretty much Trump country with increasing intensity as you move away from the coast.

  64. 64.

    Mnemosyne

    @efgoldman:

    Now I’m kind of hoping that Trump will somehow run afoul of the CA Franchise Tax Board. Because from what Yutsy said once, even the IRS doesn’t want to cross those guys.

  66. 66.

    Adam L Silverman

    @joel hanes: They’re terrible – they have a reputation for being jam o matics. The drum magazine is not engineered well. Kahr markets them as a niche, novelty nostalgia item away from Kahr’s bread and butter: deep concealment, single stack pocket pistols.

  67. 67.

    joel hanes

    @redshirt:

    Why not before?

    The NYT had solid evidence that W’s minions were conducting illegal warrantless broad-scale “wiretapping” of American citizens. They sat on that story from 2004 to 2005, and when asked why, said “to avoid influencing the election.” Apologetics here

    (As if informing their readers that the Administration was engaged in illegal acts was not the core of what should be their role in a free nation.)

  68. 68.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mike J: There’s a difference between the DOJ and a FBI Director who goes off the reservation, violates the Privacy Act of 1974, and freelances.

  70. 70.

    hovercraft

    @redshirt:
    The media would howl foul. Donald would whine like a stuck pig. But like I said Preet would do it even if was elected. I’m not a lawyer, but 6 weeks seems kinda quick to complete the investigate something that is probably very complicated and goes back years.

  71. 71.

    EriktheRed

    I clicked on the video, heard “…she said her server was secure…” and immediately clicked off. He’s gotta keep the idiots at his rallies jazzed up over this nothingburger.

  72. 72.

    Schlemazel

    @Mnemosyne:
    sadly, they don’t do much of a background check at all. You are required to get the signature of a “chief law enforcement officer” in your “area” both are poorly defined. Could be the police chief for your town, the Highway patrol or even the State AG. That and $100 allows you to transfer the weapon to your possession. They are sort of counting on the limited number of full-auto weapons allowed to control ownership. Last time I looked (15 years ago) a Thompson was selling for $35,000 and up. I worked with a guy that had a Jensen (Danish made for the CIA to send to Central America) and a Soviet WWII era SPP (the one you see in movie with the drum magazine like the Thompson has.

  74. 74.

    gene108

    @sigaba:

    He’s probably first or second generation immigrant from India. Seems to be a collector for whatever reason. Being in Texas, probably more Confederate swag floating around. I cannot picture a scenario, in which his great-great-great-great grandfather faaught in it.

  75. 75.

    redshirt

    @Adam L Silverman: Which makes sense in a normal world where neither candidate is guilty of crimes.

    But Donald seems like he has several, one of which actually in progress. Did they slow that one (Trump U) down as well in deference to the election?

    *Mental note: Commit a bunch of crimes, run for President, ???, profit!

  77. 77.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @EriktheRed: But that’s the damn thing…her server wasn’t secure, she knew it wasn’t and didn’t pass classified over it. That’s what she had the SCIF for…you recall them talking about that at the FAIL hearings of Draco Malfoy, I’m sure.

  80. 80.

    joel hanes

    @redshirt:

    You … dirty … rat. I’m gonna … *get* you …shee?
    Yeah … you … and your family …

    I miss Saturday afternoon B&W movies on TV

  81. 81.

    mike in dc

    @LABiker:
    I went to Eau Gallie High School. Unfortunate that the area now has a conservative cast to it. I enjoyed growing up in the area in the early-mid 80s.

  83. 83.

    hovercraft

    @joel hanes:
    The ‘liberal’ NY Times had to make sure they would not be called liberal, ’cause that’s a dirty word. The liberal media already brought down one republican president, they didn’t want to be accused of causing another one to be defeated. Dick Chaney and Rove, were also very good at intimidating the press. Plus since the nation was still in the post 9/11 with us or against us mode most of the media was cowed into doing the administrations bidding.

  84. 84.

    germy

    Major Garrett ✔@MajorCBS

    On @foxandfriends @realDonaldTrump said he won a @CBSNews post-debate poll. We did not conduct a post-debate poll.

  85. 85.

    mike in dc

    @joel hanes:

    The accuracy improved when they cut slats into the tip of the barrel, to keep it from riding up on the shooter. It spit out heavy .45 ACP slugs at a high rate of fire, with a 50 or even 100 round drum magazine. Pretty much ideally suited for gangland slayings in the 20s and 30s.

  86. 86.

    MomSense

    @joel hanes:

    I’ve written here before that I was caught up in that mess. One of the members of our group tried to sue to get more information about the extent of the surveillance but didn’t get very far.

  87. 87.

    joel hanes

    I’m remembering a pop song, probably late 80s, kind of prog-rock sounding, with a bunch of gangster-movie references in the lyrics and lines from classics.

    But I can’t find it. Anyone know what I’m talking about ?

  88. 88.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mnemosyne: @Schlemazel: It actually requires the completion of a National Firearms Act Form 4:
    https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/form/form-4-application-tax-paid-transfer-and-registration-firearm-atf-form-53204/download
    Here’s one Federal Firearms Licensed Dealer’s explanation of how this works:
    http://targetworld.net/Steps%20for%20buying%20NFA%20(Class%20III%20Weaponry)%2011-3-07.pdf

    And here’s the instructions from a lawyer specializing in NFA trusts on how to do this if you’ve set up a firearms’ trust:
    https://www.guntrustlawyer.com/form4

    There are a number of state and local limitations. Some states allow all NFA controlled items. Some only allow certain ones. Some states do not allow any of them. Additionally, one can not cross state lines with an NFA controlled item without BATF permission.

  89. 89.

    Mnemosyne

    I had a very annoying day today. Nothing big, just a bunch of small irritations. And now I just realized that I don’t have any means to make dinner at home, so now I have to stop at the store instead of going straight home.

    That’s just the kind of day it’s been. Annoying.

  90. 90.

    Adam L Silverman

    @redshirt: Trump U at the Federal level is not being treated as a crime, rather it is the subject of a civil suit. There is an ongoing investigation of Trump U at the NY State level. Neither of these are under the purview of the Department of Justice.

  91. 91.

    FlipYrWhig

    @smintheus: Everything that wishful thinkers view as progressive elements in Trump, like war skepticism and trade deal skepticism, is actually just Trump saying that if he were in charge he’d totally kick ass at everything.

  95. 95.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    In Norman, OK for a business trip. Two Hillary signs, no Trump signs. In a self proclaimed “nerd bar.” Very nice for sooner country – alternative music played low, hockey and Chris Hayes on the TVs. Maybe the world needs more nerd bars.

  98. 98.

    Mnemosyne

    @lamh36:

    My nephew (who is mixed race) is 23 and doesn’t have a driver’s license. I think there are multiple reasons for that (including that he takes medication for bipolar and ADHD), but now I’m wondering if this is a factor, too. Thanks for posting this.

  99. 99.

    hovercraft

    @Origuy:
    Is it because they speak English, or are the Brits the best at trolling the Donald, first we had the Scots, and now this.

  100. 100.

    XTPD

    @Schlemazel: My teen sister (who, like the rest of our family, absolutely cannot stand Trump) is actually going to the rally for the lulz. The thought of actually being in a Trump rally horrifies me much more than it entertains, and – besides the fact that I have to stay at my college for math studying – I knew there was no way in hell I’d be attending that shit (also the fact that I’m more identifiably black means there’s probably a 1-in-2 chance I wouldn’t leave alive).

    I’ve lived in Central FL since ’99 (i.e, since I was 4), and there seem to be substantive improvements from ’94. Don’t get me wrong – up north is still effectively Eastern Alabama and Central FL still has its fair share of crazy (the Space Coast went R in both ’08 and ’12). But the influx of snowbirds and minorities has helped dilute the wingnuttery to an extent, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns solidly blue by 2028.

  101. 101.

    Mike J

    Secretary of State ‏@secstatewa 1 hour ago Olympia, WA
    #NationalVoterRegistrationDay push has added 5,151 new online registrations, 10 times an average day last month. 5th best day on record.

  103. 103.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mnemosyne:

    Sometimes those kinds of days are more draining than a day with one big (but fixable) calamity. I’ve had it recently with electronics and machines — everything breaks, or gets a flat, or drains its battery, or burns out. Nothing really major, just enough to make me feel like a mechanical/electrical Typhoid Mary.

  104. 104.

    divF

    @Mnemosyne: I’m holed up in a hotel in the Maryland suburbs on a week-long business trip to DC. The good news is that I am next door to a 24-hour Safeway, so I can live on relatively healthy food (salad bar, milk, fruit, bread). Also, I don’t have to worry about what time room service shuts down.

  106. 106.

    MomSense

    @lamh36

    It is stressful enough when you give your kid the keys to the car without having to worry that a mechanical issue or broken tail light could result in their death. No one should have to live with that kind of fear. I watched the video of a little girl in Charlotte today and just broke down.

  107. 107.

    scav

    @rikyrah: Rich White Lawyer economic anxiety is reason enough for random potshots on streets (and no way a reflection on white lawyer culture). It’s only really a problem if the poors, browns or foreigns start taking out the locals — that’s poaching!

  109. 109.

    Mnemosyne

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Yeah, it’s almost easier to deal with a Big Problem than a half-dozen petty annoyances. Like, not only did we have to go talk to our tax accountant today, all the spots in their parking lot were full, so I had to park two blocks away. Stuff like that, but ALL. DAY. LONG.

    @divF:

    Part of my stress is that I ran out of healthy snacks at work, so I’ve been eating horrible crap all day, which only makes my mood worse. Ugh.

  111. 111.

    SFAW

    @efgoldman:

    My wife heard a rumour that Yankees fans were going to moon Big Papi — any truth to that (so far)? Or is it just a new urban legend? (I kind of figure the latter, but one never knows with those guys.)

  114. 114.

    divF

    @Mnemosyne:

    I’ve been eating horrible crap all day, which only makes my mood worse.

    That will definitely do it to you. I am feeling so much better than usual this trip by not eating heavy restaurant food that I will look for other configurations like this (hotel, 24 hour grocery, and Metro stop so I don’t have to drive).

  117. 117.

    Mnemosyne

    @divF:

    Neither of us travel for work much, but we always do that when we go away on vacation. It makes life so much easier when you have snacks and light breakfasts right there instead of having to eat out every time you want something to snack on.

  120. 120.

    gene108

    @scav:

    @rikyrah: Rich White Lawyer economic anxiety is reason enough for random potshots on streets (and no way a reflection on white lawyer culture). It’s only really a problem if the poors, browns or foreigns start taking out the locals — that’s poaching!

    Nathan DeSai was not white. He was South Asian.

    Not that it makes it better, but I think people are attributing causes to his actions based on a misidentification of his ethnicity.

  121. 121.

    LABiker

    @mike in dc: I moved away from there in ’84 but would go back to visit my parents over the years, until they moved to the west coast near where Betty Cracker lives. Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Eau Gallie — all pretty nice places. Must go back someday for a visit.

  122. 122.

    Mike E

    @efgoldman: I’m rooting for a Sox/Cubs tilt, not because I care about your fucking team (::wavey::) or the other one, but just to see the two oldest venues get the Series this year. Plus, I hate all the other teams even more, so this would be at least somewhat watchable

  125. 125.

    Steve in the ATL

    @gene108:

    @rikyrah: Rich White Lawyer economic anxiety is reason enough for random potshots on streets (and no way a reflection on white lawyer culture). It’s only really a problem if the poors, browns or foreigns start taking out the locals — that’s poaching!

    Nathan DeSai was not white. He was South Asian.

    Not sure he was rich, either. Was the Porsche leased?

  127. 127.

    scav

    @gene108: Was probably misled by his Civil War memorabilia and schooling in Tulsa (I think), although really thinking along class lines. Also, less positing what was going on in his head, but just blathering about the usual who gets to be lone wolves and who instantly gets scary TV coverage for hours on end. Must be a day of sloppy logic for me (plus being lousy at remembering names), but I think the essential point still stands. Only certain classes of shooting are seen as really scary, worthy of notice and symptomatic of larger problems, and this one wasn’t one of them — whereas the nation’s managed a permanent panic about other people doing similar things.

    @Steve in the ATL: His toys seemed expensive based on comments above.

  132. 132.

    Adam L Silverman

    @scav: About a grand for the Tommy. Depending on how much ammo he had another couple of hundred dollars. The NAZI stuff and Civil War stuff, I have no idea.

  133. 133.

    gene108

    @scav:

    The right-wing rushed to label the Pulse nightclub shooter as a foot soldier for ISIS, but that theme was beaten back swiftly and he became a confused lone wolf in the media.

    I just see the same rush to judgement here, about him being some sort of white nationalist based on the Nazi uniform. I think in many cases a guy in a Nazi uniform would be considered a white nationalist, but this seems to be an exception.

    @Steve in the ATL:

    Maybe he had money and lost it all, when his law practice failed? I don’t know.

    He seemed to like to collect war/military type memorabilia, and I include Tommy guns here as they were made famous in the gang wars of the 1920’s.

    This is just my conjecture based on reading a handful of articles. I am no expert on this guy.

  137. 137.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Joel: They appear to be indestructible:
    http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2015/11/05/us_army_found_an_m2_50_caliber_machine-gun_still_shooting_perfectly_after_90_years_of_service_108648.html

    By Jennifer Bacchus
    November 05, 2015

    United Airlines allegedly denied benefits to an Air Force reservist
    The first battle of WWII featured one of the last cavalry charges ever
    It’s not the Beretta M9 that sucks, it’s the ammo
    Kim Jong Un executed an official using anti-aircraft guns… again.
    VA awards $300 million in grants to help end veteran homelessness
    The .50 caliber M2 machine gun was designed in 1918, near the end of World War I by John Browning.

    Production began in 1921 and the weapon was designed so a single receiver could be turned into seven different variants by adding jackets, barrels or other components.

    Roughly 94 years after the first production run of M2 machine guns came off the assembly line, the 324th weapon produced made it to Anniston Army Depot for overhaul and upgrade.

    In more than 90 years of existence, the receiver with serial number 324 has never been overhauled.

    “Looking at the receiver, for its age, it looks good as new and it gauges better than most of the other weapons,” said John Clark, a small arms repair leader.

    Despite the fact that the weapon still meets most specifications, it may be destined for the scrap yard.

    Modifications made to the weapon in the field mean part of the receiver would have to be removed through welding and replaced with new metal, a process which usually means the receiver is scrap.

    “I’d rather put this one on display than send it to the scrap yard,” said Clark, adding the weapon’s age makes it appealing as a historical artifact.

    Currently, the 389th M2 is on display in the Small Arms Repair Facility. There is an approval process the older weapon would have to go through in order to be similarly displayed. Clark and Jeff Bonner, the Weapons Division chief, are researching and beginning that process.

    In 2011, the depot began converting the Army’s inventory of M2 flexible machine guns to a new variant.

    The M2A1, has a fixed headspace, or distance between the face of the bolt and the base of the cartridge case, and timing, the weapon’s adjustment which allows firing when the recoil is in the correct positon.

    In the past, every time a Soldier changed the barrel on the M2, the timing and headspace had to be changed as well. If that wasn’t done properly, the weapon could blow apart. The fixed headspace and timing eliminates this risk to Soldiers.

    “It only takes 30 seconds to change out the barrel on the M2A1 and you’re back in business. The M2 Flex version could take three to five minutes, depending upon your situation,” said Jeff Bonner, weapons division chief.

    Bonner said this is the first major change to the M2 weapon system since the machine gun was first fielded.

    Since the overhaul and upgrade work began in fiscal year 2011, the depot has brought more than 14,000 of these .50 caliber machine guns to better than new, and upgraded, condition.

    Once the weapon is rebuilt, it has to be readied to be fired, repeatedly, without jamming or suffering other mechanical difficulties.

    To assist with this process, a machine known as the exerciser is used to ensure the new parts work well with the old.

    After all, the older parts of the weapon could be nearly 90 years old.

    The exerciser simulates charging the weapon, or preparing it to be fired, 700 times.

  138. 138.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Joel: Also, FN Herstal holds the patent rights, is a major supplier to the US military and to our NATO allies, and continues to produce them:
    http://www.fnherstal.com/primary-menu/products-capabilities/machine-guns/general/product/306/233/306/2/_/fn-m2hb-qcbtm.html

    Introduction
    FN Herstal is the original manufacturer of the Quick Change Barrel (QCB) version Browning M2HB .50 cal heavy machine gun.

    Today, tens of thousands of the FN QCB configuration are in service around the world.

    Benefits
    Fast, easy and safe barrel change procedure

    The FN QCB™ system allows the barrel change to be quickly carried out by one person, reduces exposure time to enemy fire and eliminates the need to check and adjust headspace at user level.

    The reliability and effectiveness of the M2HB Browning .50 cal machine gun remain unchanged.
    Target effect

    A full range of cartridges including Armor Piercing and Armor Piercing Explosive Incendiary allows the FN M2HB-QCB™ to engage soft skinned and light armoured vehicles and buildings or bunkers.
    Easy and Quick Conversion in service M2HB machine guns

    In service M2HB machine guns of FN Herstal or other origin can be converted in less than 30 minutes by an armorer in a normal workshop using a simple kit of tools and gauges to the FN M2HB-QCB™ configuration.

    The modifications to the original M2HB design are limited, so the effect on user training and logistics are minimal.
    FN M2HB-QCB™
    One weapon for various applications

    The FN M2HB-QCB™ can be used on a wide variety of mountings for vehicles, boats and ships.

  142. 142.

    Applejinx

    @joel hanes:

    I’m remembering a pop song, probably late 80s, kind of prog-rock sounding, with a bunch of gangster-movie references in the lyrics and lines from classics.
    But I can’t find it. Anyone know what I’m talking about ?

    Any possibility it’s Ballad Of Danny Bailey? Very proggy orchestration and bassline, and it’s got that ‘eighties’ snare as an effect, a decade early. Anyway, good song for the thread. One hopes, appropriate.

    “Now it’s all over, Donny Trump-ley, and the harvest is in… Dillinger’s dead, I guess the cops won again…”

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