About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a retired Professor of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored
A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog).
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The article by Tom Nichols is, as usual from him, excellent. Nichols was warning people about Trump back in 2015.
IOW, conning the suckers. Look to what J. D. Vance has said to see where the GOP really is , and Trump can be relied to go along with whatever the anti-abortion people want.
Allowing Beijing to control Taiwan is allowing them a pawn promotion in the global chess game. At the current state of technology, Taiwan is an irreplaceable asset. China’s GDP is second to the USA at this time. If China controls TSMC, they will be number one in technology, and surely innovation and economic development won’t be far behind. Maybe, we’ll all be okay living in a non dominant nation, but the inevitable turn away from the dollar will make Americans poorer across the board. Prediction: a Chinese guy buys Mar-a-Lago for a winter escape since Beijing has cold winters.
Via CNN
I don’t know. Wouldn’t a brain injury require a brain?
@Kathy:
Damn, I was just thinking the exact same thing.
@charontwo:
Look to what J. D. Vance has said to see where the GOP really is,…
Somewhat related to this, Thursday’s topic “MAGA is Getting More MAGA” discussed the VOX piece, J.D. Vance’s radical plan to build a government of Trump loyalists. VOX had several short Vance quotes on the subject from a 2021 podcast, some of which were reported to be from “Elsewhere in the podcast.” However, I’ve since heard the relevant quotes presented together as one sentence, and indeed that was the case.
To make the impact of his statement clear, here’s what Vance said on the Jack Murphy Live Podcast #070, Sep 2021, in one run-on sentence:
“I think that what Trump should do, like if I was giving him one piece of advice, fire every single mid-level bureaucrat, every civil servant in the administrative state, replace them with our people, and when the courts, because you will get taken to court, and then when the courts stop you, stand before the country like Andrew Jackson did and say the Chief Justice has made his ruling, now let him enforce it,”
(Podcast episode still available on YouTube, comment beginning at 27:12)
Jesus christ that CNN article is pretty dumb. The AR-15 part is just fucking stupid. A 5.56 round does “indirect” damage in bodies via hydrostatic shock. Water =/= air. A 5.56 isn’t going to injure you by wizzing past you. A +40mm sized round though will start causing issues due to the displacement of air. The “1300 foot-pounds of force” is meaningless bullshit. It’s meant to sound scary to the uninformed. A real hunting rifle can exceed 3000 ft-lbf. The 5.56 nato round is an intermediate cartridge. Intermediate cartridges are ALWAYS significantly weaker than a full sized rifle cartridge as they cut the powder load significantly to improve the handling characteristics of the gun.
@Matt:
Easy there.
I confess, I was surprised by that as well. However, in physics hydro does not necessarily imply liquid. If you google hydrostatic, you will see that it is defined as a branch of fluid mechanics and includes airflow. From a general perspective, “fluid” in physics includes both liquids and gases.
As far as the medical claims, quick research revealed that the literature is divided on the idea of remote pressure wave effects. So, I wouldn’t say “fucking stupid” exactly fits the bill, here. But it would have been better if the article included that it is a controversial topic among medical researchers.
@Matt:
Oh, let me add that your discussion of round size seems reasonable to me. But I do not have the physics knowledge nor the ballistics background to assess it.
I understand that you’re passionate about guns. I don’t necessarily understand why, but that’s true of many of the hobbies others undertake.
What I do wish is that you showed a bit more understanding toward those who take the opposing view.
Guns have one purpose–to inflict harm. Reasonable people disagree about what that means for their role in society and how to craft policy around firearms. I respect your knowledge. I’ve learned quite a bit from your posts. I just wish you would check the passion a bit.
@Matt:
FWIW, this is something that I am interested in–understanding the impact of a bullet (of a given caliber) strike on a target at a given range. I know there is a ton of stuff that goes into this and so little of the analysis is intended for general consumption.
Also, FWIW, I feel like I get into some of these same dynamics with bladed weapons. I have a background in Filipino and other bladed martial arts and as a result I (generally speaking) have way more knowledge about knife chatting impact on striking and shashibg than the average person on the street… which can be a blessing and a curse(?).
Ditto the level of grappling knowledge I have thanks to BJJ (in particular choking vs strangulation).
@Kurtz: Fluid is fluid which is why I said Water =/= air meaning water does not equal air. Water is much denser and animal bodies tend to consist of high percentages of water.
It is stupid because any damage a 5.56 “ar15 round” does is going to be a fraction of what a real full sized rifle round will do (assuming the same construction etc). That’s simple physics at work here and undeniable except for the anti-gun nuts. Ballistic gels to simulate wound tracks are a thing.
Watch the 30-06 hunting rifle and tell me what you think 😛
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8E138NgyFs
An “ar15” round aka .223/5.56.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55CkeT7qdtM
Neither of them are anything I’d want to get hit with but the hunting rifle just obliterates the Gel. It had physical holes out the side from the hydrostatic shock of the bullet. Maybe we (the hunting/home defense community) are using the wrong term like when people call a car’s engine a “motor”. All I know is in high speed film you can see the pressure waves rippling through the gel as the bullet dumps energy into the simulated tissue.
Anyway one of the biggest complaints about the 5.56 round used by the m16 and AR15 is that it would poke neat holes in the enemy who would continue fighting. Meanwhile the full sized NATO 7.62 rifle rounds would drop the enemy.
It’s not a passion for me. I grew up on a farm in the rural rustbelt. We HAD to use guns to keep ourselves and our livestock alive. So I learned a lot about proper gun usage and all that as a result of seeing everything first hand. Hell even now when I go for a walk I carry to protect myself from wildlife here. Sure bear spray is great in theory but there are downsides galore.
The only passion I have is a fight against ignorance and liars. You will find me able to converse equally about any number of other topics. On the right winger sites I ended up usually disputing abortion and trans related bullshit. I’m pretty sure those people would call me passionate about gender affirming therapy. I don’t know though because I’ve been banned from most of them for daring to interrupt their circle jerks. Hell I managed to get banned from Crooks and Liars years ago for pointing out a very basic gun related fact that they got wrong. This was before I lost my patience with people so I was much more diplomatic back then. Now? I’ve been jumped on here so many times as pro murder rapist whatever that I just don’t care to “tone it down”.
I have to add this bit at the end because I took some time to look up hydrostatic shock on wikipedia and there is indeed a definition issue going on here. What I and others in my wide circle of gun “friends” consider hydrostatic shock does not align with the acoustic nerve damage stuff listed on Wikipedia. To us the hydrostatic shock is what creates the wound channel and moves the internal organs etc.
@mattbernius: @mattbernius: Range from the target matters greatly for intermediate rounds. The Ak-47 7.62mm round basically drops into the dirt past 200 yards. The 5.56 round does better because it’s a lighter round but that also decreases it’s impact damage. At closer ranges the 7.62mm round does noticeable more damage due to higher energy because of the greater round mass.
Oh bro I have multiple Filipino friends so I’ve been exposed to arnis stick fighting and such. Martial arts with or without a weapon is something I’ve had a long interest in. I’m usually more focused on HEMA but I also find asian weaponry to be fascinating. I have a little bit of experience with the meteor hammer and sai. My cutting ability with a katana is pretty decent but I don’t do that anymore after a move some time ago.
The problem I had with BJJ is that it relies a lot on the usage of the GI as a weapon which also caused issues in the early UFC. Royce was basically done in the UFC once more modern rules became a thing.
Don’t get me wrong BJJ is great for learning how to fall and the ground game. Since every single street fight I’ve ever been involved in has ended up on the ground…
@Kurtz: I will try to keep your comments in mind. In the future I’ll try to be more aware of the passion and reign it in some.
I have lived in both the very rural red America where the nearest hospital is 30 minutes away at +65 mph and the local wildlife would love to eat you. I’ve also lived in the city where my neighbors were shot standing in their drive way next to my house while I was home. I’ve had guns pointed at me and I’ve been “mugged” with them. I’ve had guns shot at me too. Getting shot sucks and can feel surprisingly like being stabbed once the adrenaline starts wearing off.
So I can see how people who have always lived in the city would have a very different perspective from me.
If I had my way in a magical world where everyone isn’t trying to screw everyone else over I’d require insurance, registration, licensing and mandatory safety training on a yearly basis. I’d also up the requirements for driving licenses in a similar manner. Very rarely but it happens I’ll run into a gun owner at the range that should NOT be a gun owner. Driving around America I feel that way about significant amount of drivers.
The problem is when I applied for my FOID card in Illinois the DEmocratic party was playing games and defunded the relevant departments so I had to wait over 6 months to be approved. I have no arrest record and only one speeding ticket. I had multiple gun safety and handling courses starting from a young age. I was the “ideal” gun owner and I still had to wait almost a year to be allowed to legally buy a gun. I’m not unique in having to deal with anti-gun fckery like that. That’s why “common sense” regulations are so hard to pass.
@Matt:
I had a similar reaction to parts of Dr. Gupta’s article. “1300 foot-pounds of force” not only doesn’t tell us anything about the damage expected by this round in this scenario, but it’s a casual misstatement of units of energy—it’s really 1300 foot-pounds(f) of energy.
Still, the main point being supported is that there is no medical information available on the injury. So there are lots of questions, such as those on the effects of the round traveling at Mach 2+ striking the ear tissue.
@Eusebio: Well based on the experiences of those in the military not much. The top of the ear isn’t solidly anchored to the rest of the body and will flap with minimal physical effort. The mini sonic boom wouldn’t do anything to the ear drum itself. A concert is far worse.
So I’m not sure what you are expecting to cause any real damage.
I feel like there might be an issue with people not fully grasping the size of the 5.56 bullet. The round itself looks rather large but the bullet is a very small part of the package.
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/56.-XM855-vs-77gr-SMK-vs-55gr-FMJ-1024×683.jpg
The left one is a windchester m855 green tip 62 grain bullet. AKA a mild steel cored round designed for penetrating glass, plywood, sheet metal. Light cover basically.
–
The middle one is a 77 grain. Used to increase long range accuracy and tends to be match ammo.
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The right one is a standard 55 grain. This is the vast majority of ar15 5.56 rounds. 55 grain is basically the standard for the round size.
1 grain is 1/437.5 of an ounce. A full size sheet of printer paper weighs about 77 grains.
@Matt:
Responding to both posts.
I understand better what you meant about air =/= water. I misread it.
I do my best to assume people know things, rather than assume they do not. But I have encountered a lot of people who make the hydro/fluid mistake as it pertains to physics. I should have know better in your case, because I made a mental note in the past to pay attention to your posts. You display detailed knowledge in this area, and learning is never bad. So, I apologize.
Personally, my position on guns evolved over the last several years. One of the reasons is the very thing you cite–people in rural areas often need guns. I am like you wrt licensing requirements for gun owners. Cars, I will address below.
I get it. I’ve been known to go overboard. I’ve learned to tamp it down, and it likely will always take a decent amount of effort to keep it that way.
One of the reasons I give @Andy so much respect is, because he never returns the favor when he gets jumped on and he still comes around to provide insight. Shit, a while back, he said he was going to take a sabbatical. IIRC, he wasn’t gone long. I am grateful for that.
Nice. That describes me as well. When I read comments–not just here, I lurk at other places–I often think, “if you’re going to do this everyday, at least try to get better at making arguments. Seriously, you suck at it.”
I’ve been on one today, so I’m a bit commented out. But quickly on cars. I agree in spirit. But we have built a country that more or less requires a car in most places. Without significant investment in public transportation, it would be tough.
Anyway, I mainly wanted to make sure you know that I appreciate your contributions. I wish more people around here understood that they should entertain your points. For one thing, even if they don’t end up more open to compromise, taking you seriously should sharpen their own arguments.
Be well.
P.S. Are you Hans Moleman? You just compared being shot to being stabbed. That means both have happened.
@Eusebio:
As I stated above, my knowledge in this area is lacking.
The few things I read measured force of the shockwave when animals were shot in fleshy parts of the body, and critically, based on a minimum depth of penetration. That does not seem to apply when the impact point is the ear.
@charontwo: Seconding this, and adding that the NYT has a history of dismissing fascist leaders’ plans.
@Matt:
The gi component makes sense for those of us here in the north who wear more layers.
Also BJJ has evolved a lot since the early UFC days. Almost all schools have nogi classes. Some approaches are only nogi. And nogi competitions are as popular as gi ones. Plus more and more folkstyle and catch wresting gets taught now.
WRT HEMA, I think that movement is great–especially the focus on pressure testing things. Also they have done amazing work on developing training tools and weapons.