This is the state of the once proud US Navy:
The Zumwalt couldn’t get out of the yard and now can’t even sail to its designated home port without breaking down. The new LCS class ships suffer from crippling engineering fuck-ups that keep them moored to the dock and their hulls are so thin that they buckle and crack when tugs come in contact with them or they come up on a bulkhead. Our newest 5 billion dollar aircraft carrier cannot launch airplanes with its new whiz bang catapult system and our top-heavy admiral class is fixated on accommodating future LGBTQ sailors instead of concentrating on fight readiness…And this is just a tiny corner of the swamp.
This insanity is the result of pork barrel politics in the current kleptocracy where crooked politicians, generals and lobbyists have been gorging themselves at the expense of the taxpayers. People baffled by Trump’s win may now begin to see why we deplorables voted him in - not for his suave personality and eloquence but because like the average American, he recognized the need for term limits and the kind of accountability that’s gone AWOL in recent administrations.
after 24 yrs. in the army (mostly reserve) I got out after Iraq (08) but saw a lot of the changes coming about the latter 80’s-mid 90’s. I shudder to think what krap may be going on now.
[QUOTE=Lee Shore;192728]This is the state of the once proud US Navy:[/QUOTE]
I found it disgusting that (as far as I know) today was the first report that the reason the piece of crap hit the lock wall was a loss of propulsion. Every report I had seen to date simply stated that the ship had hit the wall and cracked … no other reason given and most people who have been through the canal might easily assume it was a line handling screwup.
The fact that the admirals covered up the real reason by hiding it from the public is more than disgusting, it is one more sign of the corruption and ass covering that is behind nearly every action taken by the admirals and generals. They only thing they seem capable of doing in broad daylight is giving each other medals.
Yes, you are right, this is how and why someone like Trump got where he is, it is the terminal disgust of most Americans, the hatred and contempt for the “leaders” of our institutions, the collapse of ethics and any sense of duty or responsibility. I have long wished that we would start electing citizen leaders instead of the political scum that fill the halls in DC, unfortunately it looks like I got what I asked for …
[QUOTE=Lee Shore;192728]This is the state of the once proud US Navy:
The Zumwalt couldn’t get out of the yard and now can’t even sail to its designated home port without breaking down. The new LCS class ships suffer from crippling engineering fuck-ups that keep them moored to the dock and their hulls are so thin that they buckle and crack when tugs come in contact with them or they come up on a bulkhead. Our newest 5 billion dollar aircraft carrier cannot launch airplanes with its new whiz bang catapult system and our top-heavy admiral class is fixated on accommodating future LGBTQ sailors instead of concentrating on fight readiness…And this is just a tiny corner of the swamp.
This insanity is the result of pork barrel politics in the current kleptocracy where crooked politicians, generals and lobbyists have been gorging themselves at the expense of the taxpayers. People baffled by Trump’s win may now begin to see why we deplorables voted him in - not for his suave personality and eloquence but because like the average American, he recognized the need for term limits and the kind of accountability that’s gone AWOL in recent administrations.[/QUOTE]
I agree with every thing you say except your belief that somehow Trump is even willing to try to truly “empty the swamp”…my fear is that he is going to surround himself with creatures that have crawled out of the SEWAGE and that he will do nothing but just keep tweeting how unfair the NYT is to him. Seriously, does anyone really see any meaningful change coming? Remember, Congress would be require to sever their own collective jugular veins if they were to agree to term limits…NEVER EVER GONNA HAPPEN MY FRIEND!
[QUOTE=Steamer;192743]I found it disgusting that (as far as I know) today was the first report that the reason the piece of crap hit the lock wall was a loss of propulsion. Every report I had seen to date simply stated that the ship had hit the wall and cracked … no other reason given and most people who have been through the canal might easily assume it was a line handling screwup.
The fact that the admirals covered up the real reason by hiding it from the public is more than disgusting, it is one more sign of the corruption and ass covering that is behind nearly every action taken by the admirals and generals. They only thing they seem capable of doing in broad daylight is giving each other medals.[/QUOTE]
Good one about the medals. The report I saw slyly pointed the finger at the “Panama Canal Pilot responsible for the ship’s movements.” Not surprisingly, the military brass’s lies and misrepresentations are commensurate with the state of our media.
[QUOTE=c.captain;192746]NEVER EVER GONNA HAPPEN MY FRIEND![/QUOTE]
My friends consider me a cynic and would expect me to agree with you but I fervently hope that you are wrong. I don’t want the most noble social experiment in the history of the world to go down in flames.
Besides, it’s a bit early to clamor for evidence of meaningful change. The man won the election a couple of weeks ago and won’t be in the White House for months.
[QUOTE=Lee Shore;192748]My friends consider me a cynic and would expect me to agree with you but I fervently hope that you are wrong. I don’t want the most noble social experiment in the history of the world to go down in flames.[/QUOTE]
Remember the old line about history and those who ignore it?
Back in the 1920s a university professor in Munich wrote: " … one looked on with delight as (name deleted so as not to offend the politically correct and overly sensitive among us)achieved what we could not: winning over the circles of the little people and undermining Social Democracy. We overlooked the dangers his demagoguery presented, were it ever to be successful. The cure was worse than the disease."
[QUOTE=Steamer;192772]Remember the old line about history and those who ignore it?
Back in the 1920s a university professor in Munich wrote: " … one looked on with delight as (name deleted so as not to offend the politically correct and overly sensitive among us)achieved what we could not: winning over the circles of the little people and undermining Social Democracy. We overlooked the dangers his demagoguery presented, were it ever to be successful. The cure was worse than the disease."[/QUOTE]
WTF Steamer?..just say his name! Here, I’ll do it for you…[B]HITLER[/B]!
Now, if anyone is offended they can bitch to me instead
[QUOTE=c.captain;192773]Now, if anyone is offended …[/QUOTE]
I didn’t name him because after so many years of being indoctrinated with the disease of political correctness, too many people simply disregard the message. The chilling similarities between that period and many more recent events is the message, the name of the perpetrator is really irrelevant but few can see beyond a name. Because of PC we allow dictators to thrive and we open doors to those who will destroy us at the same time we give up our own rights and liberties to the demagogues.
We gain neither security nor freedom when we support those who promise both while enslaving us under the false banner of patriotism.
There wasn’t a prayer of “draining the swamp” had the election gone the other way. There must always be hope. A nationalist movement is underway in Britian, Europe, Italy, some in South America and now here. You can only promulgate those parts of it you recognize as such, that’s the other hope and change!
[QUOTE=jimrr;192779]There wasn’t a prayer of “draining the swamp” had the election gone the other way. There must always be hope. A nationalist movement is underway in Britian, Europe, Italy, some in South America and now here. You can only promulgate those parts of it you recognize as such, that’s the other hope and change![/QUOTE]
and HOW IN THE HELL do you equate Nationalism with “draining the swamp” or some other form of “Political” change in Washingtoon? All you get with all this jingoistic “Nationalist” fervor is HATRED brewing in a small group who feel they are the “Real” Americans against everyone else who just happen to be American citizens themselves plus more HATRED against all the other nations this same small fringe feels are “Enemies”. “Nationalism” is hideous in who is labelled as being bad eggs while empowering those who are the genuine rotten eggs in our society.
we are in for a very ugly next four years if you are Hispanic, Black, Asian, Muslim, and on and on and on…
You mean skittles…
[QUOTE=c.captain;192786]we are in for a very ugly next four years if you are Hispanic, Black, Asian, Muslim, and on and on and on…[/QUOTE]
Geezeee…The race card ain’t worn out yet?? If the next administration just spends half the effort on enforcing existing laws and better trade agreements as the last bunch pushed for the rights of sexual deviants to share a bathroom with my 11 year old HISPANIC AMERICAN grand daughter, I’d probably feel better.
Based on her maiden voyage. Let’s hope she does not have to go to real combat in the near future. This is an embarrassment. Please Note: YP-697 made it thru the canal with no problems.
[QUOTE=c.captain;192786]we are in for a very ugly next four years if you are Hispanic, Black, Asian, Muslim, and on and on and on…[/QUOTE]
OK, if we’re going to go there, do tell which administration in recent history would have been more racially qualified to put an end to the inner city economic plantations than the one led by the current President.
Based on their complete lack of reaction, every single big democratic sanctuary city government seems to be completely satisfied with the cesspool of crime and poverty festering under their watch. It was especially bizarre when the mayor of Chicago recently proclaimed that illegal aliens would always be safe in his city considering his city leads the nation in murder statistics. It might have been an attempt at humor except that he said it with a straight face as if he believed it.
While it’s true that those who ignore history are bound to repeat it, comparing Trump with Hitler is pushing it. We haven’t reached the point where it takes a wheelbarrow full of cash to buy a loaf of stale bread.
We had only two choices. Either allow a criminal cabal to continue to laugh in the faces of working men and women while selling their country out to the highest bidder or give the nod to a business man with a record of success.
If Trump is Hitler, he will be neutralized in two years.
Type 45 Destroyer Suffers Engineering Casualty
duncan
The HMS Duncan returns to sea from Plymouth (David Bober / twitter)
By MarEx 2016-11-25 16:57:50
On Wednesday, the Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan suffered unspecified “technical issues” and had to be towed back to Plymouth. She was participating in a training exercise at the time of the incident.
Photos show her under tow by three large assist tugs, and civilian eyewitnesses told UK media that she appeared to be without power.
On Friday, the Royal Navy said in a statement that the Duncan had sailed from Plymouth once again and would be resuming her duties.
In a social media post, Vice Admiral Jonathan Woodcock, Second Sea Lord, said that the casualty was minor. “One small mechanical repair done and back to sea. Judge the [Royal Navy] on actions, not ill informed commentary,” he wrote.
The Type 45 class has been plagued with propulsion failures stemming from the design of the intercooler for their main turbine generators (among other causes). The same turbines provide ships’ service electricity, a complex arrangement known as an integrated electric propulsion system. It has benefits, but for the Type 45 class, it has meant that the vessels have at times lost both their propulsion and their electrical supply – taking their weapons systems, radars and electronics offline.
The UK press has reported several instances of the problem: the HMS Daring lost power in the Atlantic in 2009, and again off Kuwait in 2012; the HMS Dauntless lost power off Senegal in 2012, and again during an exercise off England’s southern coast in 2014.
The maker of the Type 45’s intercoolers told Parliament earlier this year that the hot climate of the low latitudes (particularly the Persian Gulf) was more than the ship’s propulsion could handle for extended periods, and that the complexity of the system led to unforeseen problems.
All six of the vessels will eventually be retrofitted with other engines to provide backup power. The Navy had hoped that the $1 billion destroyers would be able to go for more than two decades without a major refit, a key cost-saving component of the procurement plan; instead, each will be cut open and upgraded at the next drydocking.
Not that it’s any consolation but the US Navy isn’t the only one who can’t get its ship together.
If companies like Maersk designed vessels with unproven systems like these navies do and those vessels couldn’t deliver their cargos due to repeated breakdowns, their shareholders would storm their corporate offices demanding answers.
Where’s the outrage?
[QUOTE=Lee Shore;192792]If Trump is Hitler, he will be neutralized in two years.[/QUOTE]
Even when he is shown to be a dangerous demagogue and his dreams are (mostly) unfulfilled, the damage has already been done. Ronnie Raygun’s tactic of energizing the religious whackjob christian fundamentalist right wing shows us the danger of mainstreaming dangerous fringe groups.
He has already given license to the extremist rightwing nationalist mob. His appointment of a few of them to high office is very deeply troubling.
make that EVER has to go into real combat
This is an embarrassment.
that is an immense understatement
Please Note: YP-697 made it thru the canal with no problems.
DAMNED STRAIGHT!
[QUOTE=Lee Shore;192792]OK, if we’re going to go there, do tell which administration in recent history would have been more racially qualified to put an end to the inner city economic plantations than the one led by the current President.[/QUOTE]
except that certain recent Administration faced a Republican Congress who stood in the way of enacting ANY reform which would have brought improvement to inner cities…namely increasing the mandated National minimum wage.
now let’s get back to the point that Washington DC is a swamp which needs draining. A swamp filled with lobbyists and lawyers and special interest groups who have access to Congress to get THEIR demands funded by lifetime members of Congress who seem to be more than happy to continue funding the demands for programs which do nothing for “working people” and only provides PROFITS for Northrup Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and on and on and on ad infinitum. Do you really and honestly see Trump standing up to these whores running the Congress and telling them NO MORE PORK like a USS ZUMWALT? HELL NO YOU DON’T!
[QUOTE=lm1883;192802] Congress, as well as any elected official, has a duty to their constituents, that’s how our republic works. The legislative branch is there to check the executive not to give it a blank check regardless of the wants of the people back home. [/QUOTE]
On what planet is that the reality?