Day: March 5, 2018

A-10 Vs F-35–Remix

My Closing Thought–05Mar18

I have given my opinion on the idea that the A-10 needs replacing for the US military….but instead of writing more than I have to here is a post that I did that explains my thinking…..with other links within……

https://lobotero.com/2016/08/26/finally-the-a-10-is-essential/

If you read the post then you know that I think that the ‘Hog cannot be replaced as for close combat support…..and now it looks like there will be an answer to the question of which is best coming this April……

Before moving into operational testing, the joint strike fighter will have to prove its mettle as a close-air support plane to the Pentagon’s independent testers, the F-35 program head said Wednesday.

This April, the Defense Department’s director of operational test and evaluation will scrutinize the F-35’s close-air support and reconnaissance capabilities during a series of flights at Edwards Air Force Base and the Point Mugu Sea Range in California, said Vice Adm. Mat Winter, who leads the F-35 Joint Program Office.

Winter said he isn’t sure whether the close-air support assessment in April — the second increment of tests ahead of this September’s initial operational test and evaluation, or IOT&E — would include the much-hyped F-35 versus A-10 flyoff. But it’s coming soon.

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2018/02/28/the-f-35-may-be-heading-into-its-faceoff-with-the-a-10-this-april/

I will be following this and reporting back as soon as possible…..I feel if the tests are up and up then I know which will win the “fly off”…..

My Monday is done….time for a beer and a burrito….see you guys tomorrow and we can pick up where we leave off today……chuq

Word Of The Week–Tariffs

There is a word that sent the world’s markets into a skid…..and that word is tariffs…..and our president pulled the “T” word……

President Trump announced new tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum—25% and 10% respectively—on Thursday, leading some experts to fear a global trade war, the New York Times reports. “Our Steel and Aluminum industries … have been decimated by decades of unfair trade and bad policy with countries from around the world,” Trump tweeted Thursday morning. “We must not let our country, companies and workers be taken advantage of any longer.” Experts say the tariffs could lead to retaliation from other countries (China is talking about tariffs on US sorghum and soybeans and the EU is considering tariffs on US cheese and bourbon), higher prices on goods using steel and aluminum, and possibly an economic slowdown. Nervous investors sent the Dow plunging 500 points immediately after the news broke, reports the AP.

According to Business Insider, the Commerce Department recommended tariffs of 24% and 7%, but it was reported Trump preferred a “round number.” The Times describes a “frenetic and chaotic morning” leading to Trump’s announcement. White House advisers have bitterly debated tariffs for months, and Trump decided only Wednesday to announce them, CNN reports. White House aides were still discussing if the tariffs will apply to all countries or just a handful as of Thursday morning, and a White House official says the policy is not ready to be implemented yet. Advisers were still debating Thursday morning if Trump could announce anything. “Maybe he wants to make an announcement, but the proclamation isn’t ready,” one White House official says. “Without the proclamation, nothing has legal force.” Despite announcing the tariffs Thursday, Trump said he won’t sign the trade measures until next week. At this point, the specifics of those measures are unclear.

Now that the word has been used can Trump make good on his threat?

The Heritage Foundation had a bit to say on this…….

This month, at least four major trade cases will cross President Donald Trump’s desk: (1) a Section 201 (of the 1974 Trade Act) case on solar panels and modules, (2) a Section 201 case on large residential washers, (3) a Section 232 (of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act) case on steel, and (4) a Section 232 case on aluminum. These cases seek to restrict imports from all countries, minus a few exceptions, as a safeguard against alleged unfair competition under Section 201, and on the basis of national security under Section 232.

While the four cases involve different products and sectors of the economy, they have a few simple things in common. First, the domestic industries lobbying the government in each case are trying to use the political process to overcome setbacks in the economic marketplace. Second, the remedies being sought have the potential to cause serious damage to other firms or sectors of the U.S. economy. Finally, any actions taken by the government will increase the prices of the products in question in America.

https://www.heritage.org/trade/report/four-guidelines-the-president-when-considering-tariffs

President Trump’s announcement that he plans to impose a 25% tariff on steel imports and 10% on aluminum is reverberating not just in the US but around the world in the form of jittery stock markets and worries about a trade war. A look at what’s going on:

  • Beer, autos: In theory, the move could make things such as beer, autos, and even baseball bats—essentially, anything made with the metals—more expensive, reports CNN. But as the Upshot blog of the New York Times explains, how much of a price increase is unclear. “If your favorite beer producers are looking at paying an extra fraction of a cent for each aluminum can, they might just take on the cost themselves, they might raise prices, or they might split the difference.”
  • Biggest suppliers: Brazil, Canada, and South Korea supplied the most steel to the US last year, while Canada, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates were the leaders in aluminum in 2016, per CNBC. One economist warned of “surgical strikes” in retaliation, meaning counter-tariffs on specific products.

Will Congress intercede or will they what cowards do….run and hide behind the petticoats of the president?  Or will the mamby pamby Trump change his mind…..you know like he has on immigration and guns….

On Mass Killings

There has been a rash of mass killings so far this year…..and they are only going to get worse.  With each shooting the American public gets outraged and demands more and more action to keep it from happening again and with each passing shooting nothing gets done for the spineless Congress is a worthless as a limp dick.

But the one thing that amazes me is that all the talk about the mass killings in the school yard there is none when the government does it…..in the name of fighting for freedom……

As Americans continue to rage over the Valentine’s Day school shooting in Florida, expressing indignation at both the atrocity and efforts to impose (or reject) gun control, the U.S. government has acknowledged its own perpetual addiction to violence.

According to two letters released by the federal government last week in response to an inquiry from Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, the U.S. plans to maintain its military presence in Syria and Iraq indefinitely, citing vague threats of terrorism.

In one letter, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Policy) David Trachtenberg responded to Kaine by justifying continued operations in Syria with the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed by Congress in the wake of 9/11 to justify invading Afghanistan.

http://theantimedia.org/americans-horrified-mass-killings/

It amazes me that we can be an unfeeling bunch of people…..a bit pathetic when considered…..

Women’s History–Seraphine Pajaud

I try to be an equal opportunity poster and I also like to impart some history on my readers……and since it is Women’s History Month I would like to share this with my readers…..

Julie Louise Pajaud was born in 1858 in the Charentes-Maritimes department of France. She appears to have substituted Séraphine as a first name when she became an anarchist. She lived with the anarchist Marie-Georges Sandré and a police report of 25th June 1898 describes their relationship and that they had a son.

She became an active anarchist propagandist and make frequent speaking tours. At the time the Dreyfus Affair which began in 1894 and rumbled on until its resolution in 1906 coincided with a wave of anti-clerical agitation by Radicals, socialists and anarchists which culminated in the separation of Church and State in 1905. Pajaud was one of those anarchists who actively participated in this social ferment. In 1899 she gave a series of meetings in Limoges, then moving on to speak at the nearby town of St Junien, which was in the process of becoming a stronghold of anarchism. On February 17th 1900 she spoke at Moulins at a meeting with the following themes: “The truth to the people – There is no God- Ways and means to achieve complete emancipation…….

https://libcom.org/history/pajaud-s%C3%A9raphine-1858-after-1934

History can be interesting as well as informative….enjoy.