I was reading an article the other day about gun control, or, as it's sometimes called now, "gun safety." The gist of the piece was that, even though a very modest bill was recently passed in the name of dialing down the gun insanity in the U.S., the seemingly implacable wall of gun culture will prevent widespread, effective gun control for possibly decades.
The comparison inevitably strikes me here: if we as a nation aren't willing to stop the murders of children in schools, people at worship or buying groceries or listening to a concert or enjoying a nightspot, then there's no impetus to eliminate nukes and dismantle the MICC. If citizens collectively won't demand an end to mass murders via handheld automatic weapons, when we watch the horrific news stories and hear from grieving families---the carnage right in front of us, so to speak---what hope is there to stop the MADness? To put it in simplest terms, there's no will to end the real, terrible killing every day, let alone an apocalypse that can only be imagined.
Brian Berletic on The New Atlas (YouTube) points out that most weapons from bombers are now standoff, in order to protect the bombers from increasingly sophisticated anti-aircraft defenses. Accordingly they might just as well be launched from older aircraft.
i am a retired afmc weapons acquisition manager. my active duty experience was in logistics including annexes for contingency plans.
b-21 is going down the f-35 path, like the major systems since c-5.....
the 21b is to build 5 or 6 test b-21's, two are in process, the first flight is already >18 months late now coming sometime in 2023!
throw in another 75 billion for 100 production airplanes... that is round # $100B just to put the airplane on ramps for the air force to try and train and maintain an alert force.....
if it goes like f-35, and other late model wonder weapons for $200 billion the air force may be able to keep 40 (out of 100) b-21 in mission capable status over 20 odd years .....
depending on how much reliability and support resources pay for over runs in headline features.....
b-21 joining the expensive trend [since c-5] toward disarmament.
Two hundred and forty-nine years ago today, on December 16, 1773, the “Sons of Liberty” ~ Massachusetts Colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians ~ boarded three British tea ships and dumped 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor…:
“340 chests of British East India Company tea, weighing over 92,000 pounds (roughly 46 tons), onboard the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor were smashed open with axes and dumped into Boston Harbor the night of December 16, 1773. THE DAMAGE THE SONS OF LIBERTY CAUSED BY DESTROYING 340 CHESTS OF TEA, IN TODAY’S MONEY, WAS WORTH MORE THAN $1,700,000 DOLLARS.
“The British East India Company reported £9,659 worth of damage caused by the Boston Tea Party. According to some modern estimates, the destroyed tea could have brewed 18,523,000 cups of tea! The destruction of the tea was a very costly blow to the British. Besides the destruction of the tea, HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS RECORD NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO ANY OF THE THREE SHIPS, THE CREW OR ANY OTHER ITEMS ONBOARD THE SHIPS EXCEPT FOR ONE BROKEN PADLOCK. THE PADLOCK WAS THE PERSONAL PROPERTY OF ONE OF THE SHIPS’ CAPTAINS AND WAS PROMPTLY REPLACED THE NEXT DAY BY THE PATRIOTS.
“Great care was taken by the Sons of Liberty to avoid the destruction of personal property – save for the cargo of British East India Company tea. Nothing was stolen or looted from the ships, not even the tea. One participant tried to steal some tea but was reprimanded and stopped. The Sons of Liberty were very careful about how the action was carried out and made sure nothing besides the tea was damaged. AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEA, THE PARTICIPANTS SWEPT THE DECKS OF THE SHIPS CLEAN, AND ANYTHING THAT WAS MOVED WAS PUT BACK IN ITS PROPER PLACE. THE CREWS OF THE SHIPS ATTESTED TO THE FACT THERE HAD BEEN NO DAMAGE TO ANY OF THE SHIPS EXCEPT FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THEIR CARGOES OF TEA.” [ https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea-party-damage ; EMPHASIS added.]
Nine hundred and thirty-one [931] days later, on July 4, 1776, the American Colonies declared their independence, and launched their War of Secession from the British Empire. [Note that it was a War of Secession, and not a Revolution. The Colonists did not attack London with the intent of overthrowing the King and taking over his Empire. All they wanted was for the King’s governors, tax and duty collectors, and especially his soldiers to get the hell out of the Colonies.]
Nine hundred and thirty-one days from today, December 16, 2022, is July 4, 2025; exactly one year before the 250th anniversary of that Declaration of Independence and Secession. Which raises a Question:
Given the simple, stark, obvious [albeit painful] reality that the United States of America is today, has been for a long, long time, and shows no indication of stopping being:
1. a Bankrupt Debtor State;
2. an Imperialist Warfare State;
3. a Redistributionist Welfare State;
4. a Secrecy/Surveillance/Security/proto-Police State;
5. an Autocratic/Oligarchic/Plutocratic Deep State;
6. a Failing or at best Flailing State and Empire;
7. an Overshoot State; and, perhaps most importantly,
8. a People and Nation no longer merely "divided," but fractured ~ even to the point of disintegration ~ in ways not seen in more than 160 years, since the eve of what may end up being merely the First American Civil War….
Given all that, the Question posed is: What will the United States of America ~ this people, this land, this country, this nation, and above all, this government ~ what will the USA actually, really BE 931 days from now?
Another, blunter way of putting the Question is: Will the United States of America ~ this people, land, country, nation, and above all, this government; will the USA, as it now exists, operates, functions, and in fact now is ~ will this USA survive over these next 931 days all the way up to July 4, 2025? And if it does, will it be in any condition or mood to even be thinking about celebrating its 250th birthday one year later?
These eight "States" are the state of the United States of America today. They constitute flashing, warning signal beacons showing the direction in which America's collision course with reality is headed. And they give only passing reference to the impact that changing weather and climate patterns will have and are already having on this nation's infrastructure, economy, society, and security.
Those who would dismiss as implausible and impossible the demise of the United States in less than four years are invited to consider the year 1987, and how things were going back then at the Berlin Wall, around the Warsaw Bloc, and in the USSR itself. And then remember how things had changed there four years later by the end of 1991, starting with the fall of that Wall in 1989.
In light of all this, again the Question isn't so much Will the United States survive to celebrate #USA-CCL!!!, but Can it? And if it does survive, will it be in any condition ~ or have any desire ~ to celebrate anything? And, finally: If it is to survive, How?
What is the Alternative and the Antidote to these eight Existential Threats to the uniquely American Experiment with Constitutionally- limited, democratically-elected representative government under a Rule of Law, before which all Human Beings are “created equal and treated equally”? [That all Human Beings were NOT treated equally from the very beginning of that Experiment is one of the seeds of a major reason for its being in very real danger of unraveling completely today.]
What changes to the American system of national government and governance ~ and the relationship of that government to the national economy, to subordinate governments, and to civil society ~ what changes need to happen to bring that Experiment back from the edge of total failure?
That is the question that a critical mass of Americans needs to start asking themselves and each other while the opportunity to do so still exists. But first, they must recognize, realize, acknowledge, and accept the fact that that Experiment is frighteningly close to collapsing into chaos, and then into its only available alternative and antidote, tyranny. And then they have to commit to actually, really doing something about it.
And then all they have to do is figure out What, When, Where, How, and Who. At which point the strategic planning process can proceed.
It will take men of courage and integrity to imagine a different future from one we are heading to now ... I don't see any on the horizon that will ease these growing tensions between the Worlds powers at present. I am unhappy with Putins invasion of Ukraine. We must end this war and improve relations with all says this slightly older now SAC Trained Killer and Sky Cop circa. 73-77 USAF.
I was reading an article the other day about gun control, or, as it's sometimes called now, "gun safety." The gist of the piece was that, even though a very modest bill was recently passed in the name of dialing down the gun insanity in the U.S., the seemingly implacable wall of gun culture will prevent widespread, effective gun control for possibly decades.
The comparison inevitably strikes me here: if we as a nation aren't willing to stop the murders of children in schools, people at worship or buying groceries or listening to a concert or enjoying a nightspot, then there's no impetus to eliminate nukes and dismantle the MICC. If citizens collectively won't demand an end to mass murders via handheld automatic weapons, when we watch the horrific news stories and hear from grieving families---the carnage right in front of us, so to speak---what hope is there to stop the MADness? To put it in simplest terms, there's no will to end the real, terrible killing every day, let alone an apocalypse that can only be imagined.
Russell Brand on the B-21 bomber. Astute and amusing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3mj5_TNfrc
Brian Berletic on The New Atlas (YouTube) points out that most weapons from bombers are now standoff, in order to protect the bombers from increasingly sophisticated anti-aircraft defenses. Accordingly they might just as well be launched from older aircraft.
i am a retired afmc weapons acquisition manager. my active duty experience was in logistics including annexes for contingency plans.
b-21 is going down the f-35 path, like the major systems since c-5.....
the 21b is to build 5 or 6 test b-21's, two are in process, the first flight is already >18 months late now coming sometime in 2023!
throw in another 75 billion for 100 production airplanes... that is round # $100B just to put the airplane on ramps for the air force to try and train and maintain an alert force.....
if it goes like f-35, and other late model wonder weapons for $200 billion the air force may be able to keep 40 (out of 100) b-21 in mission capable status over 20 odd years .....
depending on how much reliability and support resources pay for over runs in headline features.....
b-21 joining the expensive trend [since c-5] toward disarmament.
TIME FOR ANOTHER TEA PARTY?
Two hundred and forty-nine years ago today, on December 16, 1773, the “Sons of Liberty” ~ Massachusetts Colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians ~ boarded three British tea ships and dumped 340 chests of tea into Boston Harbor…:
“340 chests of British East India Company tea, weighing over 92,000 pounds (roughly 46 tons), onboard the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor were smashed open with axes and dumped into Boston Harbor the night of December 16, 1773. THE DAMAGE THE SONS OF LIBERTY CAUSED BY DESTROYING 340 CHESTS OF TEA, IN TODAY’S MONEY, WAS WORTH MORE THAN $1,700,000 DOLLARS.
“The British East India Company reported £9,659 worth of damage caused by the Boston Tea Party. According to some modern estimates, the destroyed tea could have brewed 18,523,000 cups of tea! The destruction of the tea was a very costly blow to the British. Besides the destruction of the tea, HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS RECORD NO DAMAGE WAS DONE TO ANY OF THE THREE SHIPS, THE CREW OR ANY OTHER ITEMS ONBOARD THE SHIPS EXCEPT FOR ONE BROKEN PADLOCK. THE PADLOCK WAS THE PERSONAL PROPERTY OF ONE OF THE SHIPS’ CAPTAINS AND WAS PROMPTLY REPLACED THE NEXT DAY BY THE PATRIOTS.
“Great care was taken by the Sons of Liberty to avoid the destruction of personal property – save for the cargo of British East India Company tea. Nothing was stolen or looted from the ships, not even the tea. One participant tried to steal some tea but was reprimanded and stopped. The Sons of Liberty were very careful about how the action was carried out and made sure nothing besides the tea was damaged. AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEA, THE PARTICIPANTS SWEPT THE DECKS OF THE SHIPS CLEAN, AND ANYTHING THAT WAS MOVED WAS PUT BACK IN ITS PROPER PLACE. THE CREWS OF THE SHIPS ATTESTED TO THE FACT THERE HAD BEEN NO DAMAGE TO ANY OF THE SHIPS EXCEPT FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF THEIR CARGOES OF TEA.” [ https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea-party-damage ; EMPHASIS added.]
Nine hundred and thirty-one [931] days later, on July 4, 1776, the American Colonies declared their independence, and launched their War of Secession from the British Empire. [Note that it was a War of Secession, and not a Revolution. The Colonists did not attack London with the intent of overthrowing the King and taking over his Empire. All they wanted was for the King’s governors, tax and duty collectors, and especially his soldiers to get the hell out of the Colonies.]
Nine hundred and thirty-one days from today, December 16, 2022, is July 4, 2025; exactly one year before the 250th anniversary of that Declaration of Independence and Secession. Which raises a Question:
Given the simple, stark, obvious [albeit painful] reality that the United States of America is today, has been for a long, long time, and shows no indication of stopping being:
1. a Bankrupt Debtor State;
2. an Imperialist Warfare State;
3. a Redistributionist Welfare State;
4. a Secrecy/Surveillance/Security/proto-Police State;
5. an Autocratic/Oligarchic/Plutocratic Deep State;
6. a Failing or at best Flailing State and Empire;
7. an Overshoot State; and, perhaps most importantly,
8. a People and Nation no longer merely "divided," but fractured ~ even to the point of disintegration ~ in ways not seen in more than 160 years, since the eve of what may end up being merely the First American Civil War….
Given all that, the Question posed is: What will the United States of America ~ this people, this land, this country, this nation, and above all, this government ~ what will the USA actually, really BE 931 days from now?
Another, blunter way of putting the Question is: Will the United States of America ~ this people, land, country, nation, and above all, this government; will the USA, as it now exists, operates, functions, and in fact now is ~ will this USA survive over these next 931 days all the way up to July 4, 2025? And if it does, will it be in any condition or mood to even be thinking about celebrating its 250th birthday one year later?
These eight "States" are the state of the United States of America today. They constitute flashing, warning signal beacons showing the direction in which America's collision course with reality is headed. And they give only passing reference to the impact that changing weather and climate patterns will have and are already having on this nation's infrastructure, economy, society, and security.
Those who would dismiss as implausible and impossible the demise of the United States in less than four years are invited to consider the year 1987, and how things were going back then at the Berlin Wall, around the Warsaw Bloc, and in the USSR itself. And then remember how things had changed there four years later by the end of 1991, starting with the fall of that Wall in 1989.
In light of all this, again the Question isn't so much Will the United States survive to celebrate #USA-CCL!!!, but Can it? And if it does survive, will it be in any condition ~ or have any desire ~ to celebrate anything? And, finally: If it is to survive, How?
What is the Alternative and the Antidote to these eight Existential Threats to the uniquely American Experiment with Constitutionally- limited, democratically-elected representative government under a Rule of Law, before which all Human Beings are “created equal and treated equally”? [That all Human Beings were NOT treated equally from the very beginning of that Experiment is one of the seeds of a major reason for its being in very real danger of unraveling completely today.]
What changes to the American system of national government and governance ~ and the relationship of that government to the national economy, to subordinate governments, and to civil society ~ what changes need to happen to bring that Experiment back from the edge of total failure?
That is the question that a critical mass of Americans needs to start asking themselves and each other while the opportunity to do so still exists. But first, they must recognize, realize, acknowledge, and accept the fact that that Experiment is frighteningly close to collapsing into chaos, and then into its only available alternative and antidote, tyranny. And then they have to commit to actually, really doing something about it.
And then all they have to do is figure out What, When, Where, How, and Who. At which point the strategic planning process can proceed.
Jeffrey G Moebus
Master Sergeant, US Army [Retired]
Veterans Against War [Sitka Platoon]
Sitka, Alaska
vaw.sitka@gmail.com
Australia and the B-21.
https://johnmenadue.com/star-struck-lunacy-the-b-21-tempts-the-australian-security-establishment/
It will take men of courage and integrity to imagine a different future from one we are heading to now ... I don't see any on the horizon that will ease these growing tensions between the Worlds powers at present. I am unhappy with Putins invasion of Ukraine. We must end this war and improve relations with all says this slightly older now SAC Trained Killer and Sky Cop circa. 73-77 USAF.