Defense Spending
If we could remove the massive graft and the fraud, waste, and abuse from the US military budget. How much money would we need to spend on defense? If you removed the kickback schemes from Ukrainian aid, how much money would we need there to hold back the Red Hoard? I realize that since the US buys its own debt now and the genuine value of the US Dollar is in decline, the numbers would be relative.
They’re Russians. It’s what they do.
(h/t Claudio) In late 2022 Russia began issuing a “why we fight” pamphlet to all troops in Ukraine as well as those recently mobilized and being sent to Ukraine. The pamphlet explained why it was important to never retreat when attacked or threatened by the enemy. This “no retreat” doctrine was particularly important when attacking Ukrainian forces. The pamphlet explained how Josef Stalin, the Russian ruler during World War II, had solved that problem. He ordered KGB (secret police) troops stationed behind the front-line attack forces before a major offensive. The KGB had orders to fire on any retreating soldiers and shoot to kill. Stalin also ordered the immediate execution of any cowards. During the 1942-43 Stalingrad Campaign 19,000 Russian soldiers were killed by the KGB for not advancing. Statistics like this were considered a state secret until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.
Over a decade ago, current leader Vladimir Putin began changing the official history and textbooks. Most of the new soldiers in 2022 are unfamiliar with the pre-Putin data on wartime losses and practices. In the last year, Putin has made it a crime to dispute his version of the facts or to criticize the performance of Russian troops in Ukraine.
Identify the Aircraft
Bullet Points:
** The Bee – a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”
** How popular is Sanna Marin (Finnland’s PM)? Would she be more popular if she put out more often? It’s a horribly sexist question and at the same time, a fair one. She’s best known for partying and dancing based on Sixty Minutes.
** Fury – Shermans v. Pzkw VI
** Julie Su not only lacks the experience and competency to serve as Secretary of Labor, but she carries a record of gross mismanagement of taxpayer dollars. Under her watch, California sent out $31 billion in fraudulent unemployment benefits! Her nomination makes no sense at all. She never owned or ran a business and never had to meet a payroll. Much like the Butt guy. who became Trans Secretary.
Identify the Aircraft:
KB-50J aerial refueling tanker
Fast on the draw and accurate.
Wouldn’t be easier to call this Surly’s Identify Blog and limit comments just to him? …..{snarc}
Sometimes (due to power fluctuations as the entire grid dims), Surly misses.
Indeed, couldn’t identify the He-111 today. The usual recognition strikes moment didn’t.
KB-50. 4 turning and 2 burning. Weird to think of the USAF using drogue refueling.
Also correct, but shaded by 10 minutes – no shame when you’re up against an AI
Heh. A B-29 that doesn’t have engine fires as often. That’s the real answer. Two extra jet engines helped, of course.
As to Xiden’s political appointees, pert near none of them have ever worked in the field they’re applying for, nor at an equivalent job. Hell, most of them never had to clean their rooms, mow the lawn, do any real work all of their lives.
Simple answer is everytime Biden appoints someone, shoot them, just a wound or two. When real people start complaining then spend the time to look at the candidate’s background.
Heh. Biden was/is unqualified for every political job he’s ever had, so because he’s a perfect example of pointy-haired-boss syndrome, nobody he nominated/nominates can be as smart or as good looking as him (and that is a very frightening thought, let me tell you.)
The lesbian press secretary of his has a floor-mop wig that she wears. It’s very chique.
I miss Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her skewering the reporters for being such leftist suckup douches.
Glad she’s a governor now.
The LPS who is dumber than my dog’s squeezing? Gah. I feel my IQ leaking out of my ears listening to her. Fortunately she has yet to say anything real so I stopped listening pretty much at the beginning.
Sanders and McEnany were excellent, but then again, they held actual press conferences, took unscripted questions, had real answers, and took no guff. Weird Grandpa Joe’s press sec’s were/are Leftist propagandists who offer no substance. This one has zero to say except scolding or buck-passing when asked an actual question. Not worth the powder to blow her back to Wesley for more trans studies or twisty mop head styling techniques.
Hmmm…..it’s not why “we” fight, it’s why “you” fight or “we” will blow your brains out. And that’s why there truly is a drawback to every system.
A puppet has no choice.
If we could remove the massive graft and the fraud, waste, and abuse from the US military budget. How much money would we need to spend on defense?
Compare the size of Washington and Jefferson’s farm homes with the palaces of Britain, French, and Spain. Yet, those countries couldn’t conquer North America and hold it as a colony. That’s how much of a defensive barrier the Atlantic ocean in. Transportation technology is better now, but still.
About 2/3rds, and we’d still have bases and ports and facilities everywhere in the US and our territories, places full of equipment to fight actual wars and build actual ships and planes and fill the arsenals of our Republic.
Besides all the fraud, waste and abuse, the loss of bases, ports, airfields, the storage depots, the shipyards and foundaries are what will really spell the doom of us.
The cause and effect chain to produce middle class security is: free enterprise, then heavy industry, then a strong economy, then military power. But mainstream US voters want to turn the USA into the USSR, in order to extort products from other nations which cost more than they’re worth. How much better off would the middle class be now if all that tax money hadn’t been spent on Smedley Butler reprising the British East India company?
I think all that WWII stuff (tanks, artillery, bomber and fighter airplanes, helicopters, surface ships) is only useful to a) waste taxpayer money, in order to b) stick our nose into other people’s politics, and c) thus “motivate” more a and b as a reaction.
I would prefer to have only submarines, ICBMs, cruise missiles, spy satellites, and no off-CONUS bases except Hawaii, which is useful as a cable hub. I think the domino theory is false because it assumes central planning is a winning system. As Fred Reed says, the entire intelligence establishment failed to predict the collapse of its principal object of study, the Soviet Union.
Hat Trick posting today, so much to review, so few days.
The Weird Uncle B’s administration is made up of entirely unqualified mentally ill people who couldn’t get a job flipping burgers. Think of something massively strange and untoward…and that’ll be on next weeks docket for adoption or hiring.
It’s all about the diversity, man…nothing about being qualified. Look at Fetterneck, the dude can’t string three words together, took him 7 hours for a 30 minute return to The Swamp meeting, and that included snack time with milk and cookies.
I saw the photo and thought B29 then saw the jet engines. About a year ago I was down in Wichita when I heard the sound of radial engines. It was Doc flying overhead. Seeing one of only two operational B29s in flight made my day.
I’ve seen Fifi, maybe someday I’ll have the good fortune to see Doc!