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MarineCombatEngineer

MarineCombatEngineer's Journal
MarineCombatEngineer's Journal
February 15, 2024

Wow!!!!

19 hearts.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the hearts from DU members.

This, among many other things, is why I love all of you on DU, those I may disagree and agree with.

February 7, 2024

Thank you for the Valentine hearts.

This is one of the many reasons I love DU, the generosity of members is legendary and I greatly appreciate each and every one of you.

January 13, 2024

Prosecutors urge rejection of ex-cop's bid to dismiss civil rights conviction in George Floyd murder

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors urged a judge Friday to reject former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin's attempt to overturn his civil rights conviction in the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

Chauvin filed his motion in federal court in November, saying new evidence shows that he didn’t cause Floyd’s death, and alleging ineffective counsel by his defense lawyer. He said he never would have pleaded guilty to the charge in 2021 if his attorney had told him about the idea of two doctors, who weren't involved in the case, who theorized that Floyd did not die from Chauvin’s actions, but from complications of a rare tumor.

Floyd, who was Black, died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin, who is white, kneeled on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes on the street outside a convenience store where Floyd tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. A bystander video captured Floyd’s fading cries of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death touched off protests worldwide, some of which turned violent, and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism.
Chauvin asked U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson, who presided over the federal case, to throw out his conviction and order a new trial, or at least an evidentiary hearing. Chauvin filed the motion from prison without a lawyer.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/prosecutors-urge-rejection-of-ex-cop-s-bid-to-dismiss-civil-rights-conviction-in-george-floyd-murder/ar-AA1mTqLQ?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=1e87b9253cc74fea88f434064ed6dda8&ei=16

The part I bolded really jumped out at me, he's relying on 2 doctors who weren't even involved in the case and are only theorizing.

Yeah you murderer, good luck with that appeal.
January 10, 2024

Hey everyone,

things have gotten quite heated around here with this war in Gaza, its created some bad and hostile feelings on both sides of the issue, but everyone please remember, we are a big family and all have the basic same goals, just different ways to achieve them, so, that being said, let's all try to cool things down a tad bit.
Try to remember that what goes on here at DU should have no impact on our real lives, life is too short.

I'm going to practice what I preach and cool things down on my end, and on that note, I'm off to pick up my next load and headed back to the West Coast.
Peace out everyone and have a great day and year.

January 5, 2024

Houthis launch sea drone to attack ships hours after US, allies issue final warning.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen got within a “couple of miles” of U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before detonating on Thursday, just hours after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a final warning to the Iran-backed militia group to cease the attacks or face potential military action.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East, said it was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, since their harassment of commercial ships in the Red Sea began after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. They have, however, used them in years past.

Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the USV’s are a key part of the Houthi maritime arsenal and were used during previous battles against the Saudi coalition forces that intervened in Yemen's war. They have regularly been used as suicide drone boats that explode upon impact.

Most of the Houthis’ USVs are likely assembled in Yemen but often fitted with components made in Iran, such as computerized guidance systems, Hinz said.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/houthis-launch-sea-drone-to-attack-ships-hours-after-us-allies-issue-final-warning/ar-AA1msYct?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=16aa9845b64a433d8216486465588725&ei=81

Seems the Houthis are on the verge of learning a very painful lesson from the western navies patrolling the Red Sea.

Iran has a 40 year old Frigate that's headed to the Red Sea, what they think that will do if they decide to attack any western warship is beyond me, it would very quickly be dispatched to the bottom of the sea.
January 3, 2024

Iran says at least 103 people killed, 141 wounded in blasts at ceremony honoring slain general

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-says-at-least-73-people-killed-170-wounded-in-blasts-at-ceremony-honoring-slain-general/ar-AA1mp3Ul?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=c009a2dfdbd44fb2aeb2448414be38f0&ei=58

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two explosions minutes apart Wednesday in Iran targeted a commemoration for a prominent general slain in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, killing at least 103 people and wounding at least 141 others as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for what Iranian state media called a “terroristic" attack shortly after the blasts in Kerman, about 820 kilometers (510 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran.

While Israel has carried out attacks in Iran over its nuclear program, it has conducted targeted assassinations, not mass-casualty bombings. Sunni extremist groups including the Islamic State group have conducted large-scale attacks in the past that killed civilians in Shiite-majority Iran, though not in relatively peaceful Kerman

Iran also has seen mass protests in recent years, including those over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in 2022. The country also has been targeted by exile groups in attacks dating back to the turmoil surrounding its 1979 Islamic Revolution.


I seriously doubt this was Israel, Iran has many enemies.
Iran calling this a terrorist attack is ironic due to the terrorist groups they support and fund.
This is not good.
January 1, 2024

Happy New Year to all of DU,

We are a very diverse family with different opinions on different issues, but we are still a family, warts and all, unlike the repigs.
May the new year bring joy, happiness and peace to all of us and the world.

December 31, 2023

US Navy sinks 3 Houthi boats attacking merchant ship in Red Sea, US says

U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire and and sank three small boats carrying Houthi militants in the Red Sea on Sunday, after U.S. warships responded to a distress call from a merchant vessel, military officials said.

A Maersk container ship, the Singapore-flagged Hangzhou, issued a distress call at about 6:30 a.m. local time, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. The merchant vessel said four small boats were attacking it.

"The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the MAERSK HANGZHOU, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel," Central Command said.

Helicopters from two U.S. ships -- the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely -- responded and issued verbal calls to the small boats, U.S. officials said


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-navy-sinks-3-houthi-boats-attacking-merchant-ship-in-red-sea-us-says/ar-AA1mgxSg?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=4db46789d97540119253beab2524dfff&ei=86.

I don't know what these Houthi geniuses were thinking, but whatever it was, it was a bad decision to fire on US Navy helos, especially if they were either BlackHawks or Cobra gunships.

They fucked around and found out.
October 29, 2023

Arabs and Bedouins join Israel's war on Hamas despite accusations of 'treachery'

As the first from his Muslim village to volunteer for the Israeli army, life was not easy for Fadel Faour, who now finds himself on the front line of the Gaza war.

After he volunteered, his dreams of becoming a religious leader, or ‘‘sheikh’’, were dashed, with his family and friends branding him a traitor for serving in what they see as an occupying force.

Since signing up, he knew going to war was always a possibility, but on Oct 7, he came face to face with the biggest conflict seen in the country in decades as he took on Hamas terrorists.

Faour is one of a growing number of Israel’s Arab and Bedouin minorities volunteering with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as a pathway to escaping poverty and crime in the Arab towns and villages they live in.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/arabs-and-bedouins-join-israel-s-war-on-hamas-despite-accusations-of-treachery/ar-AA1iZIBO?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6f28f34fc69447b9a00e41fded83afa4&ei=17

Very interesting article about Arabs and Bedouins serving in the IDF fighting against Hamas.
October 20, 2023

This is probably going to start some shit,

but, I am damned proud to be an American with Pres. Joe Biden at the helm of our Govt. and standing up for Western values with regards to the Ukrainian and Israeli wars.

Go Joe and I hope that all Democrats remember this in 2024 and defeat fascism via Benedict Donald.

Profile Information

Name: Danny
Gender: Male
Hometown: Arizona
Home country: USA
Current location: On the road
Member since: Fri Nov 1, 2019, 01:52 PM
Number of posts: 12,369

About MarineCombatEngineer

I'm an owner/operator long haul truck driver out of Arizona. My truck is a 2018 Peterbilt 389 long nose with the full size sleeper that's loaded with the latest technology. It has the Detroit engine coupled to an Eaton Fuller RTLO 18918B 18 speed transmission. I love the nomadic lifestyle and to top it off, I get paid to see the beauty of this country! Keep on truckin. I am also a U.S. Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sgt. (Ret.) MOS 1345, with 35 years of service to our country. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Semper Fidelis.
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