EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets • Hacker News Board

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#121

Post by tsotha » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 5:25 AM UTC

ErikRogneby wrote: post #27

I wonder what each bullet will cost once production starts? I sometimes think about the origins of the second amendment and if it's intent was to empower citizens against a potentially oppressive government then it has failed. US military technology might as well be black magic. What can a "well regulated militia" do against smart bullets, M1 Abrams, Apache helicopters, etc? Thank goodness we are kept fat and happy.

No revolution succeeds when the military is united against the rebels. Any scenario which has the US government successfully overthrown includes some significant part of the military either deserting or switching sides.

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#122

Post by JasonIpswitch » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 5:34 AM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #111

fragsworth wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Look at what the U.S. military has been doing - they're effectively well paid mercenaries. For the last 60 years, hardly anyone in the military has had a vested interest in any of the conflicts, and does it just for the money.

That describes zero of the people I've met who serve in the armed forces.

While I served > 10 years ago, you could classify everyone into a couple types: mercenaries (time servers, GI Bill folks, can't get any other job, in for the benefits, etc), and zealots (true believers in either the Red, White & Blue or in some flavor of dominionism, with plenty of overlap).

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#123

Post by throwaway7548 » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 5:40 AM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #63

ErikRogneby wrote: post #27

I wonder what each bullet will cost once production starts? I sometimes think about the origins of the second amendment and if it's intent was to empower citizens against a potentially oppressive government then it has failed. US military technology might as well be black magic. What can a "well regulated militia" do against smart bullets, M1 Abrams, Apache helicopters, etc? Thank goodness we are kept fat and happy.

The basis of American freedom isn't some libertarians with rifles. Its the fact that the U.S. military consists of poorly-paid kids who care more about family and community than they do about abstract ideas. That and the fact that the military and its arsenal is physicislly distributed over numerous states. More powerful military technology makes us more free, not less. It just means it takes fewer people to break ra…

Well, pretty soon the U.S. military will consist of even more poorly-paid drones who care less about family and community than they do about abstract bits of information coming from the command center.

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#124

Post by pmontra » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 6:13 AM UTC

pyrocat wrote: post #69

pmontra wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The replay button of The Fifth Element trumps that, but it's not available yet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7wOX2WqbXE

That... was the parent comment.

Maybe I misunderstood your comment but parent was about Aliens, this is about The Fifth Element. Different movies different fictional weapons. TFE's one is more fictional.

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#125

Post by njharman » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 6:36 AM UTC

zobzu wrote: post #84

rayiner wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The basis of American freedom isn't some libertarians with rifles. Its the fact that the U.S. military consists of poorly-paid kids who care more about family and community than they do about abstract ideas. That and the fact that the military and its arsenal is physicislly distributed over numerous states. More powerful military technology makes us more free, not less. It just means it takes fewer people to break ra…

That also relates to the why the police is generally enforcing whatever a government wants, while the military always sides with the people when things go really wrong.

Counter examples. Civil war, Japanese internment, numerous actions against native Americans although you may not consider them protected by bill of rights.

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#126

Post by spingsprong » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 7:03 AM UTC

XorNot wrote: post #56

phaus wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like a silly thing to focus on. Learning to shoot accurately is by far the easiest part of becoming a sniper.

Think bigger: a drone at 2000 ft having to deal with the cross-wind from different altitudes.

Drones don't use 50cal machine guns. What they use is missiles and bombs, and they've been guided for decades.

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#127

Post by fit2rule » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 9:04 AM UTC

rayiner wrote: post #63

ErikRogneby wrote: post #27

I wonder what each bullet will cost once production starts? I sometimes think about the origins of the second amendment and if it's intent was to empower citizens against a potentially oppressive government then it has failed. US military technology might as well be black magic. What can a "well regulated militia" do against smart bullets, M1 Abrams, Apache helicopters, etc? Thank goodness we are kept fat and happy.

The basis of American freedom isn't some libertarians with rifles. Its the fact that the U.S. military consists of poorly-paid kids who care more about family and community than they do about abstract ideas. That and the fact that the military and its arsenal is physicislly distributed over numerous states. More powerful military technology makes us more free, not less. It just means it takes fewer people to break ra…

> More powerful military technology makes us more free, not less.

Hogwash. Military technology is by definition the usurping of freedom. Always has, and always will be. You are born free - the machines are made to take it away from you.

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#128

Post by SixSigma » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 9:07 AM UTC

zobzu wrote: post #84

rayiner wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The basis of American freedom isn't some libertarians with rifles. Its the fact that the U.S. military consists of poorly-paid kids who care more about family and community than they do about abstract ideas. That and the fact that the military and its arsenal is physicislly distributed over numerous states. More powerful military technology makes us more free, not less. It just means it takes fewer people to break ra…

That also relates to the why the police is generally enforcing whatever a government wants, while the military always sides with the people when things go really wrong.

Kent State

Peterloo

two examples I can pluck from memory

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#129

Post by vacri » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 9:35 AM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #111

fragsworth wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Look at what the U.S. military has been doing - they're effectively well paid mercenaries. For the last 60 years, hardly anyone in the military has had a vested interest in any of the conflicts, and does it just for the money.

That describes zero of the people I've met who serve in the armed forces.

There are always articles popping up about people being so poor that the only way to escape was to join the military, or recruiters bribing people with college degrees.

Re: EXACTO demonstrates first-ever guided .50-caliber bullets

#130

Post by vacri » Sat, Jul 12, 2014, 9:44 AM UTC

droopyEyelids wrote: post #95

ranran876 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I'm not for or against the second amendment, do you honestly think it's a realistic scenario that the government gets oppressive to the point where people will pick up arms? Do you really honestly believe that? Do you think other developed nations like the UK, France, or Japan are at a higher risk of turning to tyranny b.c they do not have guns widely available?

Every nation you listed including our own has at some point fought against it's own government. The assumption isn't whether a government can get oppressive to the point where people fight. It's "Is our government so good that citizens will never have cause to oppose it, for the rest of human history?"

What was the UK's popular uprising against its own government?