Thursday, July 21, 2016
Political Talk. Ted Cruz killed his political ambition and squashed the "stop Trump movement".
Did you catch the Ted Cruz speech last night?
During the first part of it I was proud that I voted for the guy. He hit all the right notes and I was beyond impressed. All I could think is that this is what our Presidential candidate should look like.
Then he turned so hard it almost snapped my neck.
Long short is that Cruz did two things last night. First he killed any chance at winning in 2020 (assuming Trump doesn't win). All his bragging about his Christian values and the guy isn't able to be a better man and move on from a rough and tumble campaign? Its been reported that the Trump campaign asked for his endorsement and he just wouldn't do it. This leads me to the second point. Trump should be leading the polls. One of the reasons he isn't? The stop Trump movement (they have a home on MSNBC...they're being used by the Democrats and they know it but just don't care).
For reasons unknown to me, the elite of the Republican party are doing their level best to sabotage the Trump effort. The speech by Cruz shows how petty those people are. This critique extends to many prominent Republicans too. Jeb Bush? You're fucking done son. Bush Jr? Ditto. Jeff Flake from Arizona and your buddy McCain? How about Graham?
What we saw is the dying breath of the Neo-Con movement in Republican politics. Unfortunately they have one last horse to ride...Hillary. The last redoubt of the Neo-Con movement is the establishment Democrats! We definitely live in interesting times.
During the first part of it I was proud that I voted for the guy. He hit all the right notes and I was beyond impressed. All I could think is that this is what our Presidential candidate should look like.
Then he turned so hard it almost snapped my neck.
Long short is that Cruz did two things last night. First he killed any chance at winning in 2020 (assuming Trump doesn't win). All his bragging about his Christian values and the guy isn't able to be a better man and move on from a rough and tumble campaign? Its been reported that the Trump campaign asked for his endorsement and he just wouldn't do it. This leads me to the second point. Trump should be leading the polls. One of the reasons he isn't? The stop Trump movement (they have a home on MSNBC...they're being used by the Democrats and they know it but just don't care).
For reasons unknown to me, the elite of the Republican party are doing their level best to sabotage the Trump effort. The speech by Cruz shows how petty those people are. This critique extends to many prominent Republicans too. Jeb Bush? You're fucking done son. Bush Jr? Ditto. Jeff Flake from Arizona and your buddy McCain? How about Graham?
What we saw is the dying breath of the Neo-Con movement in Republican politics. Unfortunately they have one last horse to ride...Hillary. The last redoubt of the Neo-Con movement is the establishment Democrats! We definitely live in interesting times.
New Weapons System Unveiled at Fort Benning (vid) and a rant about US Army expeditionary dreams....
Tank and AFV News Blog gets a massive hat tip for finding this vid.
I didn't post about it but Bryan sent me a link to a US Army article where a writer (field grade) talked about the history of their expeditionary warfare roots and called for a return to it.
Taken in isolation that would be a bit interesting but not earth shattering. But we can't take it in isolation. We've heard pronouncements from McMaster and the Army Chief of Staff stating the same thing.
Then we see the above vid.
I know you're tired of hearing it, but the US Army is about to drink our milkshake. They're about to get balls deep into expeditionary warfare and they're looking to encroach on our mission sets.
The real battle has been engaged and it is the budget! The Army is pushing the idea of Russia being a mortal threat and is pushing to go back to cold war manning levels in Europe. A Marine General was just appointed head of AFRICOM, but that is a major league Army and SOCOM playground.
The Marine Corps must get its act together, shake off the lethargy and start engaging. We no longer tell our story, we have stopped emphasizing the ideals of the Marine Corps and the public is no longer seeing us as the champions of the nation. Now is a time where the saying that "The Marine Corps is most ready when the nation is least" would sing to much of the anxiety in the nation! Dump the silly, new age commercial and go hard core again. Get back to doing the Marine Corps thing and our status in the budget wars will be secure.
I didn't post about it but Bryan sent me a link to a US Army article where a writer (field grade) talked about the history of their expeditionary warfare roots and called for a return to it.
Taken in isolation that would be a bit interesting but not earth shattering. But we can't take it in isolation. We've heard pronouncements from McMaster and the Army Chief of Staff stating the same thing.
Then we see the above vid.
I know you're tired of hearing it, but the US Army is about to drink our milkshake. They're about to get balls deep into expeditionary warfare and they're looking to encroach on our mission sets.
The real battle has been engaged and it is the budget! The Army is pushing the idea of Russia being a mortal threat and is pushing to go back to cold war manning levels in Europe. A Marine General was just appointed head of AFRICOM, but that is a major league Army and SOCOM playground.
The Marine Corps must get its act together, shake off the lethargy and start engaging. We no longer tell our story, we have stopped emphasizing the ideals of the Marine Corps and the public is no longer seeing us as the champions of the nation. Now is a time where the saying that "The Marine Corps is most ready when the nation is least" would sing to much of the anxiety in the nation! Dump the silly, new age commercial and go hard core again. Get back to doing the Marine Corps thing and our status in the budget wars will be secure.
Sorry Gun Guys. Open carry is unnecessarily provocative and needs to be regulated!
Above you see photos from the RNC Convention which will be closing tonight. This should be an eye opener for everyone. Do you see how many are carrying those weapons? The guys wearing the pistols are walking around with pistols that are designed for concealed carry outside the waist! That's a fact people. Just because you see guys hitting the range with that type of kydex holster doesn't mean that it meets standards for wear in public.
First its not snatch resistant. Those holsters hold guns in place by the tension that one applies with screws to keep the gun in place. A 250 pound assailant that takes you by surprise, does a California prison take down on you (just a brutal running tackle from behind), then he will walk away with your weapon before you know what happened....if you're lucky.
Drop down to the guy in the bottom pic in the blue garb. That sling is all kinds of messed up, he doesn't have the awareness to control his weapon as it flops down around his knees....its just wrong! The guy in the white shirt is at least showing a bit of understanding in the way that he's carrying his gun.
Long story short?
Every group attracts extremist that take away from the core message and hurt the cause.
Open carry advocates are that group when it comes to gun rights!
Walking around with weapons in plain sight is unnecessarily provocative, tends to be unregulated, gives license to prohibited persons to carry without challenge AND is killing our agenda. The NRA needs to come out against unregulated open carry. Call me a turn coat but it doesn't promote personal security and eventually the bad guys will view open carriers as supply points.
NAXIT (NATO Exit) An Idea Whose Time Has Come?
Story here.
Jesus! The author of this article proposing that the US withdraw from NATO is the Research Chair at the US Army's Command and General Staff College. He's also a retired Naval Officer.
Something weird is happening people.
Once only minor blogs like this one would even broach the idea. Now we're seeing it on USNI Blog? While I'm sure USNI is trying to regain its rep by posting provocative articles, its still stunning that they had the balls to actually do it.
Between this article and Trump's rhetoric it appears that the idea of the US getting tired of paying for other people's defense is gaining traction.
Jesus! The author of this article proposing that the US withdraw from NATO is the Research Chair at the US Army's Command and General Staff College. He's also a retired Naval Officer.
Something weird is happening people.
Once only minor blogs like this one would even broach the idea. Now we're seeing it on USNI Blog? While I'm sure USNI is trying to regain its rep by posting provocative articles, its still stunning that they had the balls to actually do it.
Between this article and Trump's rhetoric it appears that the idea of the US getting tired of paying for other people's defense is gaining traction.
Stealth Logistic Support Vessel Project
Story here.
By US Navy standards this is a small ship...but I wonder. Are we building over sized vessels? I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you're going to do "Dis-aggregated MEU's" then we should be building many Mistral BPC's instead of large deck amphibs and LPDs. In other words we should have many 18,000 ton LHDs instead of a few 40,000 ton L class aircraft carriers.
Procurement isn't matching planning.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Get ready. Another police shooting of a black man with his hands up. Updated!
via Heavy.com (click on the link to watch the video)
Kinsey told the news station that after a few minutes, one of the officers shot him in the leg. The officer fired three times, hitting Kinsey once.Some of you say BLM is a terrorist group. I disagree. I think that they're bought and owned by the Democrat party but not terrorists.
“I’m like this right here, and when he shot me, it was so surprising,” said Kinsey, who had his arms raised in the air while talking to a WSVN reporter from his hospital bed Wednesday. “I thought it was a mosquito bite, and when it hit me I had my hands in the air, and I’m thinking I just got shot! And I’m saying, ‘Sir, why did you shoot me?’ and his words to me were, ‘I don’t know.’”
Kinsey said that after he was shot he was handcuffed and left bleeding in the street.
We can agree to disagree on that. But if we're going to say that the police needs to be up armed to deal with trained shooters then we have to balance that and say that when we see a bad police shoot then the offending LEO should go to jail.
When its as clear cut like this incident then the idea of an investigation taking weeks or even months is stupid. The public should be informed, and justice should be swift. IF THE OFFICER IS FOUND TO BE NOT GUILTY then its up to the Public Affairs Officers in each dept to explain to the public why.
This is really simple stuff. If you have an oh shit moment with a firearm then you pay the price. I don't get to make mistakes with my personal weapon and LEOs don't get to with their duty weapons.
Side note: I wonder if this is a response to the recent assaults on police in Baton Rouge and Dallas? Was this guy quick on the trigger because of what happened there? Did he think that this was a setup for an ambush? I don't see how that's possible. If this was their beat they would know that a mental health facility was nearby. What we don't know is the latest intel briefings that police are getting. Have they been warned of more complex, better planned assaults against LEOs?
I need more info on this. It still looks bad but the second bite of this apple leaves me with some questions.
Interesting. Russian Intel warned the Turkish President of the coup attempt.
via Sputnik
The Turks have backstabbed the Russians more times than I can count yet they still warn the guy of a coup attempt? Even more curious is that with the warning the plotters got as close as they did to success and if a pilot had the force of conviction then they could have downed his airplane!
There are more twists and turns in the game being played in the Middle East than I care to try and keep up with.
One thing is certain.
This is about ISIS. ISIS is a tool. We haven't defeated them because we don't want to defeat them.
According to Iranian media, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was warned by Russian intelligence of an imminent coup just hours before tanks appeared in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara last Friday.Jesus H. Christ!
Last week, the Russian army intercepted Turkish military communications that indicated a coup was being organized against the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Fars News. This information was then passed on to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), diplomatic sources told the news agency.
The Turks have backstabbed the Russians more times than I can count yet they still warn the guy of a coup attempt? Even more curious is that with the warning the plotters got as close as they did to success and if a pilot had the force of conviction then they could have downed his airplane!
There are more twists and turns in the game being played in the Middle East than I care to try and keep up with.
One thing is certain.
This is about ISIS. ISIS is a tool. We haven't defeated them because we don't want to defeat them.
India moves a Tank Brigade (+) to the border with China....Watch this carefully!
via Sputnik.
Japan is already in our orbit, Vietnam is fiercely independent but they see the threat of China and have kicked Chinese ass in the past which leaves India.
No one talks about it much and for some reason both the Chinese and the Indian govts downplay incidents there but the clashes have been ongoing.
If you want to successfully contain China then India MUST be part of the mix. What has me confused is this move. To deploy a 100 tanks to the border with China is an "in your face move". The Chinese will of course match this move (at the least) which means that we will have two highly mechanized, armored forces operating across fuzzy, disputed borders at the top of the world. Interesting times indeed.
With tensions rising between China and India, New Delhi has deployed nearly 100 tanks to its eastern border.This! This is what I've been shouting about. Name the 3 natural enemies that China has in the region. Give up? Let me help you out...Vietnam, Japan and India.
The mountainous region of Ladakh, in northern India, lies in a tense location between disputed Kashmir and Tibet. In an effort to boost its military presence in the area, the Indian military has sent Russian-made T-72 tanks to Ladakh’s Chinese border.
"The vast flat valleys along the mountain ranges allow for armored movement; besides, there has been an increase in the force levels across the border," an unnamed military official told NDTV.
Japan is already in our orbit, Vietnam is fiercely independent but they see the threat of China and have kicked Chinese ass in the past which leaves India.
No one talks about it much and for some reason both the Chinese and the Indian govts downplay incidents there but the clashes have been ongoing.
If you want to successfully contain China then India MUST be part of the mix. What has me confused is this move. To deploy a 100 tanks to the border with China is an "in your face move". The Chinese will of course match this move (at the least) which means that we will have two highly mechanized, armored forces operating across fuzzy, disputed borders at the top of the world. Interesting times indeed.
Something weird is going on with the F-35.
Thanks to Joe for the link!
via Defense News.
Now we hear that due to drawn out negotiations Lockheed Martin is paying out of pocket?
This is interesting!
I wonder what the real story is here. Something is not adding up....F-35 fan boys are chest thumping about the airplane coming down in price but they can't get the freaking deal done?
I'm betting that its not as rosy as the club house kids want us to believe and I'm betting that the Pentagon is finally asking Lockheed Martin to take a haircut.
via Defense News.
Drawn out contractual negotiations for lots 9 and 10 of the F-35 have left Lockheed Martin paying out of pocket for joint strike fighter costs, the company disclosed July 19.How long have they been arguing about lots 9 and 10? How many stories have you read that they were close to award? How many times have we been told about price reduction efforts on the part of Lockheed Martin?
Lockheed has spent nearly $1 billion to pay out suppliers who have already started doing work on F-35 low rate initial production (LRIP) lots 9 and 10, the company’s chief financial officer Bruce Tanner said Tuesday during a quarterly earnings call.
The defense prime is banking on the government to either finalize a contract — worth approximately $14 billion for more than 140 aircraft, according to the Pentagon — or to authorize a undefinitized contractual action, or UCA.
“If we don't either get funding through a funding mechanism such as a UCA funding item or we definitize the contracts, we will not be able to continue and have that level of cash outflow as a corporation,” Tanner said. “We simply don't have that capacity. The Pentagon clearly knows that situation, and I'm optimistic that we're going to get cash soon.”
Because a definitized LRIP 9 and 10 contract would likely include incentives for performance, it would likely generate greater amounts of funding than a UCA, he said.
“We don’t care, frankly, how we get the cash,” Tanner added.
Now we hear that due to drawn out negotiations Lockheed Martin is paying out of pocket?
This is interesting!
I wonder what the real story is here. Something is not adding up....F-35 fan boys are chest thumping about the airplane coming down in price but they can't get the freaking deal done?
I'm betting that its not as rosy as the club house kids want us to believe and I'm betting that the Pentagon is finally asking Lockheed Martin to take a haircut.
Chinese tanks in the assault (pics) via China Defense Blog
More here.
This is interesting.
Why?
Because we have this story from DoD Buzz that talks about the USAF wanting a "Super A-10". The Pentagon theorists that pushed the meme of generational war against terrorists were wrong. We're zooming toward a full on nation state affair (or close to it) that will see combined arms forces facing off. Armor will be a highlight of those fights.
Neller has seen the future (he talked about having to seize a port...he's talked about the "big fight") but curiously he's still allowing the Company Landing Team concept to go forward and still giving lip service to Marines on alternate transports. The longer we keep chasing those fairy tales the less time we'll have to gear up for the real future fight.
This is interesting.
Why?
Because we have this story from DoD Buzz that talks about the USAF wanting a "Super A-10". The Pentagon theorists that pushed the meme of generational war against terrorists were wrong. We're zooming toward a full on nation state affair (or close to it) that will see combined arms forces facing off. Armor will be a highlight of those fights.
Neller has seen the future (he talked about having to seize a port...he's talked about the "big fight") but curiously he's still allowing the Company Landing Team concept to go forward and still giving lip service to Marines on alternate transports. The longer we keep chasing those fairy tales the less time we'll have to gear up for the real future fight.
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