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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,
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