Open Thread - 24 February 2018

pl

Comments

[Fred]

It appears Hollywood is now gunning for the NRA. The Hollywood elite did know how to protect Harvey Weinstein for 20 years and get rich doing it, I'm sure they know what is best for all the rest of us. Meanwhile the latest (it's only been a week afterall.) news out of Broward County is that Sheriff cover-up had four officers who did not try and stop the shooter, not just one. On a note of Goodnews! The blaming the members of the NRA to distract attention from the cowardice and incompetence of he and his officers seems to be working.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/politics/parkland-school-shooting-broward-deputies/index.html

"When Coral Springs police officers arrived .... many officers were surprised to find not only that .... the armed school resource officer, had not entered the building, but that three other Broward County Sheriff's deputies were also outside the school and had not entered,"

[Vetssc17]

In regards to post: Cowardice and Neglect of Duty.

Problem Not the Troops but the leaders-in the Parkland case the Sheriff not the Deputies are at fault. However moral cowardice is rife in American Leadership.

NOTE: pl service Honorable. But this is a systems problem and a personnel problem.

Some judge the deputies – there were 4 who did not enter – harshly.
I myself judge leaders harshly not troops.
Why yes I am a Veteran. Who else would I be?

When it’s one it’s a coward.
When it’s all 4 deputies present it’s the leadership.

My main point is there’s a lot of that going around; our precious military leadership rife with moral cowards and backbiters who are false, faithless and allegiant only to their own interests. We’re as infected with social justice and moral cowardice that infects the troops as deeply as this blighted Sheriff Israel infected his deputies.

Let’s begin with Broward county.
That county had policies since 2011 to prevent Laws from being enforced.
They were investigated and warned in depth in 2013 after Trayvon Martin shooting.
Here are the policies and note the first source is Progressive, after following is indeed the Conservative Tree House however they put the work in and it’s documented. The point of the policies was to stop the “schools to prison pipeline” and it worked.

Progressive source: note Scott Israel is the Sheriff.
http://prospect.org/article/reversing-broward-countys-school-prison-pipeline

The conservative warnings about that school system in 2013.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/02/19/school-shooting-was-outcome-of-broward-county-school-board-policy-now-local-and-national-politicians-weaponize-kids-for-ideological-intents/

And now our precious military leadership. With their strange concept of “lawful orders” allowing them to pass responsibility onto the lowest ranking man/fall guy. >They suggest that prisoners shouldn’t have been taken and deny that was their meaning when the prisoners are shot…just as at Abu Gharib the orders to hurt the prisoners were questioned by SGT Grainer and affirmed by superiors -but Grainer was the lowest ranking man and the leaders as usual escape for the moment by the ‘lawful orders’ clause.

Review – if a superior gives an ‘unlawful order’ and the subordinate carries it out then the subordinate is at fault and pays the price. A perfectly legal exception to the Chain of Command and responsibility. It’s all quite legal. But what is also "legal" is any suggestion of a superior is an order.
What to do?
What to do is NOTHING and someone else will act.

The Leavenworth 10. 10 imprisoned for Lawful Orders but Superiors walked.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/03/26/members-leavenworth-10-languish-in-military-prison-while-gitmo-detainees-freed.html

Absolutely the worst yet most typical of our actual leadership – Corey Clagett.
He followed orders but they were ‘unlawful’ so his entire chain of command walked, even got their precious 20.
He got 20 years. Even Obama couldn’t stand that one and pardoned him.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/06/18/leavenworth-10-soldier-rebuilds-life-after-serving-time-for-infamous-iron-triangle-murders.html

You see you can’t fool the Troops. You can fool the outside world, you can certainly tell the politicians anything they want to hear…but we The Troops see the Truth.

Now the above may not apply to you or how some ran their unit.
It certainly however applies to the institution and the Marines are not immune either – see Haditha 7.

Peer conflict should be interesting. Or War in America. There will you see be no lawyers or FOBs to hide behind. Just the Troops and their “Leaders.”

Others may return now to the ritual of denunciation.
Others may even denounce me – but you should know that just raises standing in the Wolf Pack.

I don’t blame the Troops or the Deputies however- just the leadership.

Good day and as your service was honorable so I respect it – but the denunciations have for too long only been one way.

Cheers,

vetssc17

[JJackson]

What, if anything, should we deduce from the deployment of a couple SU-57s to Syria. Nothing ongoing would seem to need them unless Russia anticipates the need to deny Syrian air space to some other party, which begs the question who? Turkey, Israel or US/NATO?

[J]

Colonel,

I wonder if Larry will ever start another blog, his old blog stirred up the dust at times. LOL.

[JPB]

Imagery of Russia's newest 5th generation SU-57 fighter at Hmeimim Airbase in Syria. Apparently the Russian Air Force wants some testing done under combat conditions? Or perhaps they are sending a message to the Israeli Air Force or the US?

https://twitter.com/warsmonitoring/status/967405598613622787

The SU-57, aka the T-50, is the first Russian aircraft to incorparate major stealth technology. It is also claimed to match or the F22, or better it, in supermaneuverability, supercruise capability, and advanced avionics.

[EEngineer]

Is it just me or does the general level of anxiety seem to be ramping up? The Turkish Navy threatens Greek and Italian drilling ships, the US Navy is making noise about boarding North Korean ships at sea, and the Israelis are contesting Lebanese off shore platforms. All of the is against the backdrop of the Saudi stalemate in Yemen, (haven't heard much about that lately), Syrian advances in regaining their sovereignty, and a world stock market bubble ready to pop. It's like there's a plan to burn it all down. Or is it a collective "struggle session" madness by the Borg to keep keep unrealistic dreams and fantasies alive by just going "all-in" against any and all not towing the line?

[Huckleberry]

Huckleberry endorses ZMan, who posts from Lagos-on-the-Potomac, and suggests you all give him an read, or better yet, a listen. This week's episode is one of his best:

http://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=13001

[Huckleberry]

And, of course, everyone should be listening to these old talks by Jonathan Bowden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3EYBmQws5w

[Richardstevenhack]

They also deployed eight other aircraft - four SU-35 multi-role fighters and four SU-25 attack aircraft and - significantly - an A-50U Airborne Early Warning and Control plane, an equivalent of an AWACS aircraft, making two of those in country

I don't know if there was any aircraft rotation back to Russia to offset this increase in area force, but if there wasn't it seems Russia is concerned about an increased possibility of air (and ground) combat - which means Turkey, Israel or the US.

[Richardstevenhack]

Just watched this and highly recommend it to everyone here:

Syria’s shifting sands: RT's Peter Lavelle interviews Alastair Crooke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuTlEHiYLAU

Crooke makes a number of interesting points about the sea change in Syria's military relations with Israel after the shoot down of the Israeli jet, whether Turkey will indeed try to take Manbij, and US relations with Iran.

[gaikokumaniakku]

A Chinese research team has come up with a novel design for an ultra-fast plane they say will be able to take dozens of people and tonnes of cargo from Beijing to New York in about two hours.

Comment: This is just a wind tunnel model, not a working vehicle. However, China seems to have a lead in practical niche technologies, such as quantum computing. The world might be an interesting place if young students of science start saying that they would rather study in China than the USA.

[Mark Logan]

Washington state news:

The WA legislature and Senate simultaneously voted themselves exempt from the Public records act, on a Friday afternoon, without debate, and no doubt shortly before sprinting for their cars...

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/without-debate-state-senate-approves-open-records-bill-that-keeps-many-lawmakers-records-closed/

Slimy as this may be...strike that...IS, I dunno, is this really a slippery slope? They used to do their dirty work over the phone and in smoke-filled rooms. I would guess someday we may all come to view emails as something more like private conversations than we currently do. Making ALL of one's emails a public record is but a habit, but as long as they are preserved for subpoenas I view this superior to the old ways. It may even encourage the dumber scoundrels to be careless and thereby easier to nail.

Nonetheless, doing it this way without a public debates does not serve the public.

now.

[Peter VE]

Another shocker.

[luke8929]

An article by someone who claims to know what happened when the Russian contractors/syrians attempted to move into Al Tanf area in eastern Syria. That's a lot of firepower, Artillery, Reaper drones, F-15's B-52's, A-10's Apaches, the US would appear to be serious about staying, interesting read, not too long.

https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.ca/2018/02/more-about-that-russian-mercenary.html

[VietnamVet]

All,

“Homeland”, the TV show, has a problem. Reality has overtaken the script writers. One instance on the show, the FBI beat up the local cops for allowing an internet dissident to escape.

In Broward County the police and security guards didn’t do their jobs. The shooter got through all the local checks because the establishment simply doesn’t care for the little people. They are there to be exploited. Ill, go die. Homeless, shit on the street. No one is paid enough run towards firefights in the Lunchroom. Humans die for their families and home. Americans, after 17 years, have had too much war and looting. Society is breaking down.

[Oilman2]

Maybe they would study in China, but learning mandarin is a very long process compared to learning english. And the Chinese are not particularly fond of westerners, and never have been.

[Kooshy]

Fred, IMO, actually HOLLYWOOD is more responsible for violence specially among the youth, than anybody else. For many years, they have promoted and sold violence for profit, as a form of entertainment to our young ones. According to B movie producers I know, low budget (B) movies with sex, valance and fiction are more assured to succeed and profit. Those are the ones mostly sold to teens.

[dilbert dogbert]

I have missed a whole bunch of memos about Geo. Soros. Maybe someone can inform me why the Missouri republican party blames Soros for the governor's problems.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/02/23/why-george-soros-gets-blamed-for-eric-grietenss-troubles-and-other-conservative-gripes/?utm_term=.103e2dc4e9cf
Thanks in advance.

[English Outsider]

Following from that link you give is this:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEdn1Km734M

- an interview with Peter Lavelle. From around 20 minutes he gives what is stated to be a Russian perspective on the Steele dossier.

[Leaky Ranger]

Schiff's rebuttal memo to the Nunes memo is out and the Steele Dossier never looked more credible
https://www.vox.com/world/2018/2/24/17048936/democrat-rebuttal-nunes-schiff-memo

[English Outsider]

Re the Lavelle interview - Just before his comments on the Steele material, Lavelle's brief take on the Russian-EU-Ukrainian pre-coup trade negotiations (or non-negotiations as far as Russia was concerned) is in line with that of Sakwa's.

That gives him, at least in my eyes, some credibility. Other than that I know little of Lavelle. Is he well regarded?

[blowback]

Reuters reports that the UNSC resolution passed Saturday demanded "a 30-day truce across the country to allow aid access and medical evacuations". The resolution itself refers to "a durable humanitarian pause for at least 30 consecutive days throughout Syria".

To me that means that for the next thirty days
1. Erdogan has to stop his attack on Afrin;
2. Israel can't bomb any targets around Damascus or supply artillery support for the terrorists next to the Israeli border;
3. The United States must allow access to the Rukban refugee camp next to the al Tanf outpost - this is explicitly mentioned in the resolution - perhaps the Russians should send in an aid convoy.

A UN press release including the full text of the resolution at the bottom of the document can be found here:

https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/sc13221.doc.htm

[Babak Makkinejad]

I agree. Ban TV and movie violence for 40 years and watch the positive results.

But many Americans are daft, they take the political ideas and ideals of the 18-th century as though the intervening 300 years have been irrelevant.

Tyler, Fred, and Eric Newhill are good examples.

[Sid_finster]

https://www.rt.com/usa/419699-trump-syria-isis-ghouta/

Admittedly, we've been through this several times before.

[fanto]

V V at 15
I agree with you, the society is not doing well as a whole. Reminds me of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. (not my discovery - this is an old observation). What is so laughable is the statement that the bad guy with a gun can be stopped by a good guy with a gun - now we hear , there were four good guys with guns and they did not stop the one bad guy. I don´t know if you as a V V endorse the gun for everyone, maybe as a veteran you had enough of this. I do understand the (very likely obsolete) idea that armed citizen are less likely to be subdued by a ´bad´ government. So good citizen may stop bad government - but will they have the courage? Or will they do what the four good guys have done in Parkland? (if that story is true, I almost must doubt anything which comes in the media).