Apparently, over at MSNBC, they’re now saying that the shooter’s weapon may actually be a Kalashnikov AK-74, a Soviet assault rifle. If so, all of this talk about .223 rounds has been mistaken. It fires a slightly smaller caliber bullet. It’s 5.45 mm, which would be .215. It would be easy to mistake the size if one weren’t careful with the calipers, and were looking for a .22.

It would also be a much less ubiquitous weapon. There’s only one problem with this theory. It’s not possible for anyone to be shooting people with such a gun in this country, because it’s a fully-automatic weapon, and thus is illegal here.

Just kidding…

Seriously, it sounds like a good weapon of choice for a criminal, or more specifically, a Middle Eastern terrorist. After all, they’re new to this country, and can’t be expected to know the law…

Actually, now that I think about it, I’m curious to go back and look at some of Osama’s home movies to see what kind of gun he was using as his theatrical prop.

And as always, perhaps out of continuing misplaced political correctness, the investigators are still unwilling to even discuss the possibility of terrorists.

[More thoughts, a few minutes later]

Supposedly they were clued in by a witness, but it seems unlikely to me that a witness would be able to tell the difference between an AK-74 and and AK-47 from a distance, even if he was familiar with both weapons.

But if he reported an AK-47 (a very common street weapon in the district), then they might have gone back and remeasured the rounds, and verified that it was in fact a 5.45 mm, rather than the assumed .223. Bingo.

[Update on Thursday morning]

Jim Henley says that the police are now saying that the witness “deliberately misled” them.

There is a particular management style that keeps things in a constant state of crisis so that the manager can be a hero for salvaging the organization from it. This was Jimmy Carter’s style, except he wasn’t very good at fixing the messes that he created, which is why he lost to Ronald Reagan in a landslide. Unfortunately, even out of office, he has continued to be a foreign policy thorn in the side of subsequent administrations, including Clinton’s. For that (and for the opportunity to take a cheap shot at George W. Bush), he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Along those lines, David Frum provides his own take on Jimmy Carter’s “Peace” Prize. He’s not impressed, with either the recipient, or the committee that awarded it.

Last night’s test of the missile defense system last night was apparently a success. They’re apparently expanding the test envelope. This one was against a non-cooperative target, with a number of decoys.

And for those who weren’t fortunate enough to see the show out of Vandenberg, here are some nice pictures, that demonstrate the “twilight effect“.

As usual, you can’t find these stories in the regular media–only the Weekly World News has the reporting wherewithal to dig them up. The story’s not available on the web yet, but there’s a non-permalinked picture of this week’s cover here.

Saddam has penetrated US waters with a submarine. Get out the gas masks, all you folks in Muskegon and Milwaukee…

Wendy McElroy has some handy tips for beating back the continuing encroachment of political correctness (aka censorship and abdication of actual thought).

Duct tape can remove warts.

Duct tape can remove warts.

Duct tape can remove warts.

Go add your ummm…not name…to the Not In Our Name petition against the war.

As Iowahawk says, it’s supposed to be not in our name, right?

My favorites so far (from the Hawk):

I. M. Cornholio – Postmodern Vegan Poetry Activist / bag boy at Whole Foods

Gitalong Lildogi, Artistic Communitarian Community Activist Activator/Artist

Zack De La Roachclip, Lead singer, Rage Against My Allowance

Fetid Birkenstock, Scandinavian Film Director

There’s a possibility that viewers in the southwest US and northern Mexico will see a Minuteman launch lit by sunlight this evening (if the marine layer clears–Southern California residents may have to get away from the beach). If so, it usually makes for a spectacular sight.

The launch window opens at 7 PM PDT. If it’s delayed more than twenty minutes, it will still go (the window stays open until 10 PM) but it will be in the dark. Still worth watching, but not as beautiful.

[Update at 8:37 PM PDT]

Doug Jones from XCOR, up in the desert, in Mojave (where they weren’t socked in by the marine layer) reports:

We had a splendid view from Mojave, looking into a darkening sky after sunset. Great “frozen lightning” and the high-altitude expansion of
the plume grew to about 20 degrees across the sky. Too bad our professional photographer wasn’t on hand.

There’s still a faint fluorescing green patch remaining. World War III would be beautiful…

Only if it occurred at sunset or sunrise…