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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 8, 2017)
22 Wednesday, February 8, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon GUN: The machine gun did much to shape the modern world Continued from page 9 region for 400 years. And nations continue to seek to arm themselves with the most advanced and lethal technology they can access in order to defend themselves in a world that is once again as dangerous as it was in the immediate wake of the First World War. Last week, Nugget col- umnist Craig Rullman and I attended the Bushmaster User’s Conference at the Big Sandy Range in north- central Arizona, which Craig was covering on a magazine assignment. On display there were the latest in fighting vehicles, computerized tar- geting systems, and fire- power — the most advanced iterations of an arms race that began with carriage-mounted Maxims in the Victorian Age. The showpiece of the event, which brought military personnel and procurement agents from 21 countries to the middle of the Arizona desert, was the Bushmaster chain gun. The chain gun is designed to be mounted on vehicles — ranging from Navy ships to Apache attack helicopters to big fighting vehicles and on down to a Toyota truck. It is an electric- powered weapon that uses a chain rather than recoil or gas to cycle rounds. The guns — ranging in caliber from the NATO standard 7.62mm rifle cartridge on up to 40mm can- non rounds — are extremely fast, accurate and reli- able. And with advances in munitions, targeting systems, and vehicles, they can be fired with astounding range, accuracy and lethality while on the move. Critically, no longer is a gunner exposed in a turret to operate his weapon — a powerful automatic can- non can be fired rapidly and accurately by a gunner safely ensconced in the crew cabin of his vehicle. The goal, as it has always been, is to be able to reach out and strike an enemy at a distance and with enough accuracy and lethality that the enemy cannot effec- tively strike back. The gun- ner inside an LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) is oper- ating on the same principle that the British South Africa Company gunner operated on from inside the laager along the Shangani River in 1893: Hit the enemy with over- whelming firepower before he can get close enough to deploy his inferior weaponry. Whatever happens, we have got The Maxim Gun — and they have not… Of course, “they” will always eventually acquire the Maxim gun, as they must. Which means you’d best have the finest engi- neers in the world develop- ing upgrades — or a whole new generation of weapons — to keep your edge with the gun that shook the world and in many respects made the world in which we live. More on the Matabele Wars may be found in the author’s book “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans,” available at Paulina Springs Books in Sisters and at Pegasus Books in Bend. HIT A POTHOLE? WE CAN HELP! FUNK: Singer has a new lease on life — to pursue dreams Continued from page 3 independent project — and first country album — late last year before her surgery, and is back working full-time on writing and working with her newly formed band and producers who are helping her take her music as far as it can go. I decided to try out for The Voice because I felt it would be a great place for me to make connections. — Rhonda Funk “I decided to try out for The Voice because I felt it would be a great place for me to make connections,” said Funk. “My goal is not to be a famous star, I actu- ally am more interested in writing songs for the indus- try. However, if I get to take a run at it for a few years or more, well, then I am ready and open to whatever God allows to happen!” Funk has been asked to sing the National Anthem at the High Desert Stampede PRCA Rodeo in Redmond, on Saturday, April 1, and will be singing the U.S. and PHOTO PROVIDED Rhonda Funk took a shot at ‘The Voice.’ Canadian National Anthems on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 18 for the Chicago Cubs Triple-A affiliate, the Eugene Emeralds, at PK Park in Eugene when they face a team from British Columbia. Her first local concert to pro- mote her upcoming country album, “Someday,” will be Friday, February 17, at 7 p.m. at Sisters Coffee Company, located at 273 W. Hood Ave. Suggested donation is $10 at the door. If you would like to reserve your signed copy of “Someday” and help Funk to complete the project by the May 2017 release date, you can do so by visiting www.rhondafunk.com. To hear samples of Rhonda’s work and to support her as a fan, visit www.reverbnation. com/rhondafunk. To book Rhonda, email bookings@ rhondafunk.com. Rhonda Funk’s music is available for digital down- load on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, ReverbNation and many more. Previous Christian music projects include a self-titled promo “Rhonda Funk” (1999), “The Waiting” (2003), and “Refined” (2009). “Someday,” her first country album, is set to release in May of 2017. Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben General, Cosmetic, Implant and Family Dentistry ~ Over 22 years Serving Sisters ~ We are preferred providers for Delta Dental PPO and Premier, MODA, Advantage, Pacifi c Source, Cigna and the V.A. 541-549-0109 Alignments, Shocks, Struts, Wheels, Tires DAVIS TIRE 541-549-1026 | 304 W. Adams Ave. | Sisters Hope for a child. Change for a nation. Serving Sisters Since 1962 188 W. Sisters Park Dr. In Sisters Industrial Park across from SnoCap Mini Storage Join us! CRAB FEED Sat., , Feb. 18th All-you-can-eat buffet... crab, oysters, pasta Alfredo, spaghetti & meatballs, garlic bread, red p potatoes, dessert. Begins at 5 p.m., call for reservations... There are a million perfectly understandable reasons not to help. Thankfully, love trumps them all. 541-549-3663 $37 a month. All the difference in the world. Sponsor a child with a local organization at Make your reservations for our Sweetheart’s S Dinner, February 14th! h! HopeAfricaKids.com This ad sponsored by The Nugget Newspaper.
