Wizbang Podcast is up (Wizbang)

The 62nd edition of the Wizbang Podcast is up for your listening pleasure. Here's what I thought you'd like to hear about today:

The Body Armor Scandal - NBC is Scaring Families into Buying their Own Body Armor that Doesn't Work
The Gonzales Pseudo-Scandal - Democrats are Firing Blanks
Restarting Iraqi Industries -Get Ready to Buy Iraqi Made Clothing at your Local Retailer Soon

The big story of this week's podcast is the scandalous NBC Dateline broadcast that claimed that the Army is failing to supply proper body armor to the troops in Iraq. The real story is that an unscrupulous contractor is trying to scare families into buying inferior body armor, with their own money, to send to soldiers in Iraq. This is armor that failed multiple Army tests, and could kill anyone who wears it in theater. It's nasty, and I have the details in the podcast. Go and listen!

Download the show, turn off your computer, and go for a walk while you listen to this installment of the best audio from around the web.

Note: Even if you don't use iTunes, a podcatcher, or any other fancy tech gizmo's, if you have speakers on your computer you can listen to a streaming version of the show via the Hipcast control at the top of the story.

The Wizbang® Network

Wizbang Blue: McCain Sold his Principles For the Rich Vote

John McCain and Airhead Palin take great pride in repeating the claim that John McCain is a maverick, but those days are long gone. John McCain sold his soul to get this chance at the White House, and threw his principles out the window in the process.

8:26 PM | 0 comments

Wizbang Blue: McCain Pals Around with Racists and Anti-Semites

The Obama campaign is weighing in on the McCain/Palin 'guilt by association' game, providing starting linkage between John McCain and his "anti-semite pals" with the introduction of the following regarding U.S. Council for World Freedom founder John Singlaub.

1:06 PM | 22 comments

Wizbang Pop!: What to get the Cowboy fan who has everything!

Got a finicky billionaire to buy for? How about getting them the Neiman Marcus, once in a lifetime, Dallas Cowboys® Texas Stadium® End Zone Package? Don't be stingy... it's only...

12:28 PM | 0 comments

Wizbang Pop!: Linkage

Jennifer Lopez says she would send her kids to Scientology school and suggest people not judge the religion without knowing about it. Oh ok JLo. Next you'll be telling...

10:57 AM | 0 comments

Wizbang Pop!: Real Estate: Pierre Cardin

You may have seen Pierre Cardin's Spring Summer 09 collection in the news the last few days b/c of it's futuristic spin on high fashion. But what you may...

9:42 AM | 0 comments

Wizbang Blue: Obama Devoted To Improved Lives For Disabled Workers

One important area that Senator Barack Obama is devoted to that has received little press attention is his strong commitment to disabled workers. There are currently as many as fifty four million Americans who suffer from disabling medical or physical...

9:22 AM | 4 comments

Wizbang Pop!: Crowd catches toddler falling from carnival ride

A group of fairgoers caught and saved a toddler who was dropped nearly 40 feet from a carnival ride as her mother dangled above the crowd. "It was very...

9:15 AM | 2 comments

Wizbang Pop!: Lloyd Webber not leaving cash to kids

Superstar composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has amassed a fortune of $1.3 billion - but the "Phantom of the Opera" creator doesn't plan to pass any of the money along...

9:06 AM | 0 comments

Wizbang Blue: CNN Poll: Obama Leads McCain 53-45

Just as the McCain/Palin desperation flop-sweat starts to really stink up the country, good news arrives in this afternoon's release of new polling results showing Barack Obama and Joe Biden are widening their lead over John "What Economic Problems?" McCain and Sarah "I can see Russia from my House!" Palin.

4:51 PM | 8 comments

Wizbang Blue: Dow Plummets, McCain Campaign Springs Into Action

How does John McCain react to the bad economic news? He changes the subject! In late afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average fell 800 points, then recovered slightly in erratic trading to a loss of 764.38, or 7.40 percent,...

3:45 PM | 2 comments

Comments (12)

NBC actually does have it r... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by The Listkeeper | May 24, 2007 2:34 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

The Listkeeper:

NBC actually does have it right with the body armor story.

Posted on May 24, 2007 02:34

And in case you didn't know... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by The Listkeeper | May 24, 2007 3:04 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

And in case you didn't know, the US Army procurement system is set up to protect their existing vendors. What's happening to Pinnacle right now is what typically happens to the new kid on the block when they try to break into the Army's Sekrit Vendor Buddies club.

Posted on May 24, 2007 03:04

How can you possibly stick ... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Charlie Quidnunc | May 24, 2007 10:54 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Charlie Quidnunc:

How can you possibly stick up for Pinnacle in this case? Have you heard the testing procedures the Army uses? Why did Pinnacle fail them? Why do they refuse to participate in competitive bids? Why do they go around the procurement process with the crazy Bake Sales for Body Armor marketing effort? If their stuff is so good, then the Army would love to test it again. If it meets standards, the Army will buy it.

Posted on May 24, 2007 10:54

I have lots of friends who ... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Charlie Quidnunc | May 24, 2007 10:56 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

I have lots of friends who sell to the guvmint, and they get tremendous support from the Pentagon for their leading edge stuff. Optics, night vision, robotics are hot there now, and the Pentagon is spending up a storm. Don't assume that just because it's the army, the don't want to look at new stuff. They just want to make sure it works, and not just as slideware on a presentation powerpoint.

Posted on May 24, 2007 10:56

How? Because Dragonskin has... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by The Listkeeper | May 24, 2007 10:59 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

How? Because Dragonskin has met everybody BUT the US Army's "testing standards", including those of SOCOM, the US Navy, FBI, and numerous law enforcement agencies throughout the country. The Army procurement system is designed to protect existing vendors while strongly discouraging new vendors and innovation. The rest of the services got rid of such protectionist practices a long time ago. The Army prefers to keep its buddies happy.

Posted on May 24, 2007 10:59

Dear Listkeeper,I wo... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by Charlie Quidnunc | May 24, 2007 11:45 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Dear Listkeeper,
I would recommend that you listen to the discussion of Gen. Mark Brown in the podcast. Then come back and tell me there is something wrong with either the testing procedure or the Army. The procurement system is not designed to protect buddies.

Posted on May 24, 2007 11:45

I've listened to Mark Brown... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by The Listkeeper | May 24, 2007 12:00 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

I've listened to Mark Brown. He's full of it. If he isn't, why are his staffers lying about whether Dragonskin has passed the other services testing?

Posted on May 24, 2007 12:00

listkeeper:Dragonski... (Below threshold)

8. Posted by charlie quidnuc | May 24, 2007 2:42 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

charlie quidnuc:

listkeeper:
Dragonskin may have passed some, less rigorous tests, for example the CIA, but it also failed repeated Army & Air Force tests. why won't they submit to the rigorous Army competitive tests?

Posted on May 24, 2007 14:42

Try again. Dragonskin DID p... (Below threshold)

9. Posted by The Listkeeper | May 24, 2007 3:24 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Try again. Dragonskin DID pass the Air Force tests.

Why are you so determined to lie for the Army, Charlie?

Posted on May 24, 2007 15:24

Here's the Pinnacle respons... (Below threshold)

10. Posted by The Listkeeper | May 24, 2007 3:28 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Here's the Pinnacle response to the Army assertion that they failed the AFOSI tests:

http://www.pinnaclearmor.com/20060426-pr.php

Even has contact information for the AFOSI officer responsible for discussing the issue.

Posted on May 24, 2007 15:28

AFOSI *DID* request a desig... (Below threshold)

11. Posted by The Listkeeper | May 24, 2007 3:30 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

AFOSI *DID* request a design change, which Pinnacle was happy to oblige, but they never failed the AFOSI tests.

Posted on May 24, 2007 15:30

I've been out of town and j... (Below threshold)

12. Posted by charlie quidnunc | May 25, 2007 3:04 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

charlie quidnunc:

I've been out of town and just noticed this post on the Media Blog on National Review Online:
http://media.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NDVlZDgyYWIxY2MxZTMwNGQ1OWU1NjQ0ZGRkYTc0ZGE=
that points to several MilBlogs who take my point of view, thank you very much, that NBC was telling only half the story. They focus on the fact that DragonSkin is too heavy for regular use, and that the tests NBC performed placed the armor flat, not rounded as it would be on a soldier's body.

I'm just sayin'...

Posted on May 25, 2007 15:04

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