Nary a Peep?

Why we Fight (0.00 / 0)

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Hope >> Fear





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by: Mike Hoefer @ Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 01:02:10 AM UTC

Ike had it right. n/t (4.00 / 1)

They. Don't. Care.
We do.
Rinse, repeat.

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by: GreyMike @ Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 05:50:54 AM UTC

So, airbus finally lost out to Boeing. Boeing has a big (4.00 / 2)

headquarters in Chicago, you know.  But, the initial award to Airbus was flawed in that the tankers would be too heavy for most runways.  So, stuff on the ground would have to be rebuilt.  
I suppose that if we want to have our fighters stationed on aircraft carriers, instead of land bases in the Eastern hemisphere, they'll have to be refueled in the air.  
Do we want the Air Force to give up its fighter jets?  I'd argue for that, except for the fact that since I don't fly in planes, it would not be an objective argument.  I'd have to admit to prejudice.
What would people who build planes be building otherwise?
I understand that soaring through the stratosphere gives some humans a thrill.  I'm not keen on gas tanks flying overhead, but they're better than bombers and, for that matter, drones armed with missiles.

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by: hannah @ Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 11:22:54 AM UTC

Otherwise? (0.00 / 0)

"What would people who build planes be building otherwise?"
Great question.

Heavy industrial production such as passenger trains, light rail cars, etc. Spending a zillion dollars to simply keep them feeding from the public trough is not a good enough reason. Public dollars should build the public good, actually increase our national security.
Of course we need a strong national defense, but do we need to increase the reach of our fighter jets, which is the reason for these new fuel tankers? Is this really the best use of our defense dollars, or is it, as Hannah implies, just necessary to keeping the workers on the public dole. We spend more than $60 billion per year on obsolete weapons systems for this reason! We can, we really must, create jobs that do more to serve the common wealth.  

No'm Sayn?

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by: BurtCohen @ Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 14:01:13 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The KC-135 is over 50 years old and the Boeing KC-46A (0.00 / 0)

which is based on the Boeing 767 airliner is going to replace 179 of the 400 remaining KC-135s.

You can argue how much air-to-air refueling capacity the U.S. Air Force requires but that would require you to suggest how many of the remaining KC-135s and KC-10s should be permanently retired.

The KC-46A is a good idea and should be supported.  I just hope the U.S.A.F. is purchasing the airframes rather than leasing them.  The previous contract regarding Boeing and the tanker program truly was an abuse of taxpayers which was thankfully nixed.

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by: JimWilson @ Sat Feb 26, 2011 at 14:47:00 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Tangentially related, (4.00 / 1)

the Rolling Stone is out today with an investigative piece on the Pentagon unleashing psy-ops on Congress to pressure them into providing more resources for the war in Afghanistan.  When members of the force resisted, believing, correctly, that the actions were illegal, well, you probably know how that ends for those whistle blowers.

The Pentagon has a $600 million public relations budget, so public manipulation never surprises me.  But this goes a step beyond, engaging in psychological warfare tactics on the elected officials chartered with oversight.  Here's the opening teaser, but read the whole thing:

Another Runaway General: Army Deploys Psy-Ops on U.S. Senators

The U.S. Army illegally ordered a team of soldiers specializing in "psychological operations" to manipulate visiting American senators into providing more troops and funding for the war, Rolling Stone has learned - and when an officer tried to stop the operation, he was railroaded by military investigators.

In the immediate aftermath of Since the start of the financial crisis, the Fed/Treasury lent, spent, or guaranteed $28 $29 trillion to save the banking system.

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by: StraffordDem @ Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 15:14:09 PM UTC

Creepy (0.00 / 0)

n/t

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by: JimC @ Fri Feb 25, 2011 at 16:45:58 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Do you think (0.00 / 0)

The President was psy-op-ped, too?

""Hope is the dream of a soul awake.""

/French Proverb quotes.

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by: susaninrindge @ Sat Feb 26, 2011 at 20:21:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]