Day: April 21, 2015

F-35: F.U.B.A.R.

Yep……….. yet another post about the stupidity of the military and the waste of taxpayer money…………enjoy!

Anybody that has been in the military knows exactly what FUBAR means….but for those not sure….it means F*cked Up Beyond All Repair……

I have been doing a series railing against the military for their attempt to replace the most perfect close combat airplane available……the A-10 Wart Hog.

Defense contractors are winning the battle and it appears that the ‘Hog will be replaced by this expensive brick…..but some say I am being too hard on the F-35 and that it would be a good investment for the ground troops support…….and to that I replied…BULLSH*T!

Why you ask….well just a few of the things that makes it unacceptable….from a piece written by AJ Vicens………

Here are a few:

Teaching to the test: The blizzard of testing required on the plane’s equipment and parts isn’t exactly going well, so the program’s administrators are moving the goal posts. Test scores are improving because the stats are being “massaged” with tricks like not recounting repeated failures. Some required testing is being consolidated, eliminated, or postponed. “As a result,” POGO writes, “the squadron will be flying with an uncertified avionics system.”

Unsafe at any airspeed? The high-tech stuff that was supposed to make the F-35 among the most advanced war machines ever built pose serious safety risks. For example: The fuel tank system “is at significant risk of catastrophic fire and explosion in combat,” according to POGO. The plane isn’t adequately protected against lightning strikes (in the air or on the ground); it’s currently prohibited from flying within 25 miles of thunderstorms. That’s a major problem for a plane training program based in the Florida panhandle.

Flying blind: The F-35’s fancy helmet-mounted display system, which is supposed to show pilots an almost 360-degree view that includes panel controls and threat information, has “high false alarm rates and false target tracks.” Its unreliability, combined with the plane’s design, make it impossible for pilots to see anything behind or below the cockpit.

Wing drop: The DOD report points out an ongoing problem with “wing drop“: When maneuvering at high speeds, the F-35 may drop and roll to one side. This issue has been known to designers for years, and they’ve tried designing add-on parts to address the problem. The fixes, unfortunately, will “further decreas[e] maneuverability, acceleration, and range,” according to POGO.

Engine trouble: For years the F-35s engines have suffered design and performance problems, and these problems have never been fully solved. Last summer these problems resulted in one engine ripping itself apart and destroying one of the planes. At the time, officials said this was a one-time occurrence, but a permanent fix has yet to be determined and the plane may not be airworthy, according to Department of Defense regulations.

Software bugs: The plane’s software includes more than 30 million lines of code. Problems with the code are causing navigation system inaccuracies, false alarms from sensors, and false target tracks. The operating system is so cumbersome that it requires the “design and development of a whole new set of…computers.” The software glitches also affect the plane’s ability to “find targets, detect and survive enemy defenses, deliver weapons accurately, and avoid fratricide.”

More cost overruns: Due to all the testing delays, design problems, and maintenance issues, taxpayers could be on the hook for an additional $67 billion to deploy the F-35. That’s a lot of money. Even for the US military.

Yeah………..this is the perfect replacement for a time worn classic and a ship that deserves its accolades…….more than that….it is the perfect support for our ground troops that the country just has to keep in the field and under fire….

Even Congress is getting on the side of the ‘Hog…….some are speaking the truth that few in the defense contractor sector do not want to hear…….read it!

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/239373-gop-lawmaker-warns-against-a-10-retirement-troops-will-die

With so many taking issue with the retirement of the A-10…..why is it still on the chopping block?  My thought is….if the M-IC wants it…….. it will be so!

American grunts will pay the price and those in the M-IC do NOT CARE!

What is more important……..profits or the safety of our troops?

Charter Schools Threaten a Cornerstone of American Democracy – US News

Most people know that I am not a fan of Charter schools….to me it sounds like education by lottery.  I also think it is moronic to make education a source for profit.

But these schools are the darling of the media….almost all of them do series on the attributes of them…….few approach it as an eduction issue……instead they go on and on about their success rates and such……most of it is pure propaganda…….

These charter schools may be doing more damage than just to education…….

 

Charter Schools Threaten a Cornerstone of American Democracy – US News.

Why Does Hillary Stand Alone?

There are many questions that need to be asked and better yet answered in this silly season of 2016 election.  And yet as of today we have NOTHING but one liners and slogans…..I guess that is what Americans want red meat and none of the sides.

There has been a mad dash of GOP candidates lining up for the 2016 election….well maybe not a dash but rather a slow pushing back of a rock and crawling out of the holes they have been in for a couple of years and stepping into the spotlight that they all covet religiously.

Then there are the Dems……this election we are told is an important one and yet Hillary is the only one to step forward and take the bull by the horns.  Why are there not more takers on the Dem side?

Has anyone else wondered?

Okay let me tell you what I think……..she is the only one for one good reason……….the media!

Say what?

That is right….I believe the media has played a huge part in the lack of Dem candidates willing to step out of the fog and take on Hillary.

Since Clinton has left the State Department she has been running for the nomination, at least according to the media.  Every story that she has been part of has somehow been about her running or how the event will effect her candidacy.

The media has been making her case to the American people for her……other possible candidates will not get the exposure that she has gotten for over a year now and she was not running until recently.

The media’s speculation has made other ‘real’ candidates a bit gun shy.  remember it is all about the numbers….polls have been taken for a year now as if Clinton was already the candidate…….now that she running will the media abandon her and their support for her?

That is right….the media has picked your choice for Dem candidate……..will they continue their support or will they find a new candidate to promote?  Or will they turn on Clinton and chase the next “scandal”?

Voice your feelings here…..we need to talk about this……and soon.

What About The Use Of Force?

HEY!  America please tear yourself away from the Tube and the wondering what gender the Royal will squirt out!  If this is your concern then I weep for my country.

The ink is barely dry on the Iranian compromise and there are some on the Right that are in a panic…..some aka Sen. Cotton are already calling for a limited airstrike at Iran’s nuke facility……I am sure if I kept up with Neocon think tanks they would be all over the use of this type of force…..like Heritage.

I bring all this up because of the “Authorization for the Use of Military Force” (AUMF)……remember?  That is that request the president has sent to Congress for them to do their duty and either approve the use of force or not….the process is that simple.

When Pres. Obama decided to go after ISIS with airstrikes the GOP went batcrap crazy…….demanding that he stop because he did not have the authorization to use force……all that made for great TV and great e-mails to supporters……Obama then decided that he would play their game and he sent an AUMF to Congress for approval…….and that is where it went to die.

To this day it is still waiting for some sort of action from the Congress…..and while we are waiting the Speaker of the House has brought up a good point…….

Speaker John A. Boehner said Tuesday that American troops in Iraq should move beyond training Iraqi forces to take a more direct role in fighting against the Islamic State.

After returning from a spring trip to the Middle East, Mr. Boehner told a group of reporters that the Obama administration has placed “artificial constraints” on military commanders responsible for 4,500 members of the American military there rather than allowing conditions on the ground to dictate strategy.

Let see……want to expand the use of military force but do not want to go on record authorizing it…is that about it?  The politicians are running scared….it is an election and they do not want something on record that could be used against them in an election.

This brings me back full circle……..without the AUMF how could dickhead Cotton use military force?  All this person is doing is throwing red meat at the base.  A typical American response to a problem….run from it and let someone else do the hard stuff.

Does everyone see why I feel I must keep pounding these people…..at best they are HYPOCRITICAL…….and at worse…….DANGEROUS!

American lives are at stake…….and NO one seems to care!

The Murderers of Kiev by Justin Raimondo — Antiwar.com

In the last year or so Ukraine has been big news….that is until something new comes long and then it gets pushed to the back burner to smolder……and yet most Americans could care less……their only interest is to bash Russia without knowing the whole context……

We have heard the hawks in Congress thump their chests and rattle on…….and then there is thee MSM that has its experts to confuse the situation and then there is the admin that trots out a couple of think tank cronies to ‘explain’ the situation.

All the while Americans hate Putin and love whats- his -name, the head dude in Ukraine.  (BTW his name is Poroshenko)……..

There has been so much history in the last 2 years……

So much has happened and would take me a week to write about it…..so if you are interested.this is the beginning of the most recent crisis….

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/03/06/ukraine-russia-timeline-obama/6127545/

Now that is out of the way….it seems that opposition leaders to Poroshenko have this nasty habit of committing suicide…..far too many to be a coincidence…..

 

The Murderers of Kiev by Justin Raimondo — Antiwar.com.