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This is a Beautiful Thing

By Brian C. Ledbetter · Monday, August 13. 2007 09:49
Original photo series available here.


Indian women in Kashmir are arming themselves against Muslim militants. I'm betting that this move will be highly effective, and is bound to get certain elements wound up into a certifiable rage...

A woman Village Defense Committee (VDC) member takes aim during a training session by the Indian Army at THE village OF Sariya, in Naushera sector, about 140 kilometers (88 miles) northwest of Jammu, India, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007. VDCs are local self-defense groups set up in Jammu and Kashmir in mid-nineties following a number of massacres of innocent villagers, and are officially equipped with weapons to help guard remote mountain hamlets against terrorist attacks and intimidation. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)
(AP Photo/Channi Anand)


(AP Photo/Channi Anand)


(AP Photo/Channi Anand)
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Here is what a handful of random people think about this article. But first, the fine print:
The opinions expressed here, even where approved for display, do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this website, the management, or any other entity or organization, with the exception of the Vast Zionist Conspiracy. Those opinions we represent in style, yo. Please keep the language in these comments clean, as this is intended to be a family-friendly, work-friendly website. Comments not compliant with this policy will be edited for content where necessary. Abusive or otherwise illegal comments will be reported to the proper authorities, up to and including the aforementioned Vast Zionist Conspiracy. The Management cannot and will not be held responsible for commenters making a spectacle of themselves, even if The Management are the said commenters in question. In other words, don't take yourself so seriously, folks. We're all here to discuss the news, and more importantly, to have fun. Now go get yourself into some OCD treatment program—you obviously need it if you actually read all of this mess.

Igor on 2007-08-16 16:40 #1
*Heinlein had the right of it - a well-armed populace is a peaceful populace!

Igor

[Ed.: Originally posted on 13 Aug 2007 at 18:08 EDT]
Reply  
Dr. Ellen on 2007-08-16 16:40 #2
*I must demur, Igor. A well-armed populace is not necessarily peaceful. Look at the Muslim world.

A well-armed populace, however, is not bothered lightly by outsiders.

[Ed.: Originally posted on 13 Aug 2007 at 18:50 EDT]
Reply  
John F. MacMichael on 2007-08-16 16:41 #3
*Igor, you might want to double check your Heinlein quote. I remember it as "An armed population is a polite population."

[Ed.: Originally posted on 13 Aug 2007 at 19:38 EDT]
Reply  
Instapundit v.2 on 2007-08-16 16:42 #4
*[Ed.: Trackback from Instapundit originally tracked on 13 Aug 2007 at 19:09 EDT]
Reply  
Ralphie on 2007-08-16 16:43 #5
*It's nice to see that 19th century designed British Enfield rifles are helping to defend these people.

[Ed.: Originally posted on 13 Aug 2007 at 20:25 EDT]
Reply  
Ripper on 2007-08-16 16:46 #6
*I'm looking at those pictures, and I finally understand what my drill instructor was talking about when he said "Get your sari ass over to the firing line!"

[Ed.: Originally posted on 13 Aug 2007 at 21:57 EDT]
Reply  
Anonymous Coward on 2007-08-16 16:47 #7
*We should send Sarah Brady over there so she can preach to these unenlightened souls about the uselessness and dangers of firearms ownership.

[Ed.: Originally posted on 13 Aug 2007 at 22:30 EDT]
Reply  
Enableate on 2007-08-16 16:52 #8
*[Ed.: Trackback from Enableate tracked on 13 Aug 2007 at 23:34 EDT]
Reply  
Joe on 2007-08-16 16:53 #9
*#5 Ripper:
You should be ashamed of yourself for that comment. Sari to be rude!

[Ed.: Originally posted on 14 Aug 2007 at 01:22 EDT]
Reply  
An Average American on 2007-08-16 16:59 #10
*They appear to be acting in the belief that an armed citizenry can scare off bandits and a rapacious government, the same meme that defined the American Colony's revolt againt British rule. God (whichever demonination your prefer, or prefer not to prefer) bless them! It appears that the true ideals of the US Founding Fathers are finding fertile ground in Kashmir. Too bad all we're left with is corrupt politicians ... I thought that was only supposed to be a problem in the 3rd world!

[Ed.: Originally posted on 14 Aug 2007 at 20:27 EDT]
Reply  
Anonymous on 2007-08-16 16:59 #11
*Based on the photos reproduced here, this is nothing but theatre. The weapons are an unlikely mix, ranging from Lee-Enfields to the latest INSAS, by way of a variety of AK models. Furthermore, except in photo #3, nobody has a magazine. Even the bolt-action Enfields lack magazines. And they haven't been trained at all. The women in photo 3 (the photo with the smoke) need to lean into it, get their right elbows high, and USE THE SIGHTS! (The woman in photo #1 may be an exception. At least she's in position to use the sights.) These things could have been taught as the rifles were handed to the women, if the authorities were serious about it.

[Ed.: Originally posted on 14 Aug 2007 at 20:56 EDT]
Reply  
Brian C. Ledbetter on 2007-08-16 17:05 #12
*Anon,

Thanks for spoiling the little secret, silly goose...

Of course there's an element of propaganda to these pictures—the Indian government would love nothing more than to shame the militant Islamists of Kashmir into submission, and what better way to do that than to suggest that they face a certain death against the women of the land?

I'm sure there's some training going on, even if that's not what we're witnessing in this shot...

Regards,
Brian

[Ed.: Originally posted on 15 Aug 2007 at 07:36 EDT]
Reply  
SOHAIL on 2007-09-11 01:59 #13
*XCUSE ME ALL..
IM MYSELF FROM KASHMIR AND NO WAY THESE ARE KASHMIIRI WOMEN....
& DO U GUYS EVEN KNOW THAT THE SO CALLED"MILITANTS" ARE THE GUYS HERE THAT ARE MOST SUPPORTED BY THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE...U KNOW WHY BECAUSE THEY ARE FIGHTING THE INDIAN OPRESSION..WHICH UNFORTUNATELY REMAINS HIDDEN..THERE IS NO FREEDOM TO MEDIA HERE ..THE NEWS GETS POSTED.IN THE WAY THE OCUUPING IONDIAN GOVERNMENT WANTS IT TO...
AND FINALLY A QUESTION..Y DO U GUYS USE TERM "MUSLIMS" IF SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING WRONG AND JUSTIFIES THAT HES A MUSLIM THAT DOES NOT MEAN U WILL BELIEVE HIM...AND IF U DO BELIEVE HIM TO BE A MUSLIM THEN U SHOULD ALSO ACCEPT OTHER POINT HE/SHE MENTIONS..LIKE HE /SHE SAYS THET THE ACT THEY DID WAS RIGHT...

DONT USE MUSLIM,...U CANT JUDGE A RELIGION BY PEOPLE....U DONT KNOW ISLAM....FOR GODS SAKE....
Reply  
Anonymous on 2008-02-16 15:37 #14
Actually, I was taught to keep elbow down and at a slight angle when firing a submachinegun. I would imagine one would do the same with a full auto AK.

These women have probably not fired a weapon before, and are flinching a bit. Also I don't see any earplugs so it's gotta be loud for them. All the same grandma in the sari with the roses and the yellow scarf looks like she's gettin' into it! She's got her war face on, as Gunny Hartman would say. Take that, jihad monkeys!
Reply  

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