GrndPndr
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Posts posted by GrndPndr
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It's still is different than it used to be (and a good thing). My oldest Son is just finishing his AD requirement for the Marine Corps. And, my youngest is heading for Paris Island in a couple of months. When I am with them, and folks find out what they're up to, they get tons of respect and thanks.
I only have profanity for the cowards at the airport in the story - so I'll just leave it right there.
FM
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Dollars to doughnuts the guy ends up with a brand new airplane...
FM
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Virginia is Scrambling to minimize the impact...
Richmond, Va. --Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, recommending hard-times spending and job cuts for the Pentagon, is targeting a command center in South Hampton Roads that employs about 6,300 people and spends nearly $704 million a year.
The plan to shutter the entire U.S. Joint Forces Command, which Gov. Bob McDonnell and Virginia's congressional delegation are vowing to stop, is part of an effort by the Obama administration to reduce military spending by $100 billion during the next five years.
"There are no sacred cows," Gates told a Pentagon news conference yesterday, according to The Associated Press.
The Republican McDonnell; Sens. Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner, both Democrats; and House members from both parties attacked the recommendation. They said closing the command, which has offices in Norfolk and Suffolk, not only would cost jobs but also is strategically unwise.
"We are now seeing the piecemeal auctioning off of the greatest military the world has ever known," said Rep. J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He joined McDonnell and fellow congressional representatives from Hampton Roads at Old Dominion University to protest the decision.
Coming amid a sour economy and a sharp focus by state politicians on job creation, the Gates cuts include a 10 percent reduction in Pentagon contracts; a three-year employment freeze at defense agencies; and the elimination over two years of 50 general or flag-officer positions and 150 civilian executive jobs.
The Joint Forces Command, which trains troops from all services to work together on specific missions, recently was identified by defense-industry executives who advise the Pentagon as contributing to bloat in agency contracting.
According to the command's website, 3,300 people -- more than half its payroll of 6,324 -- are private contractors. The agency, spread over 1 million square feet in Norfolk and Suffolk, has 1,491 military employees and 1,533 civilian workers.
The agency's economic impact is magnified by its ties to Virginia research centers and public universities, including ODU in Norfolk and George Mason University in Fairfax. The command opened 13 years ago.
"The military loves that area, and the area loves the military," Webb, a former Navy secretary and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in Petersburg yesterday when asked about the proposed closing.
Warner, in a written statement, said the Joint Forces Command promotes cooperation among competing military services and investment in high-tech businesses that support the agency.
"In the business world, you sometimes have to spend money in order to save money," he said.
At his news conference, Gates said he was confident Congress would back the cost-savings effort, which he described as necessary to refit the military after years of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Washington Post quoted Gates as saying Virginia might offset the loss of the Joint Forces Command with billions more for Navy shipbuilding, a bulwark for Northrop Grumman's giant yard in Newport News.
McDonnell; Forbes; Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st; Rep. Glenn Nye, D-2nd; Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-3rd; Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim; and Suffolk Mayor Linda T. Johnson appeared at a hastily called news conference at ODU.
The House members promised to use their seats on the Armed Services and Budget committees to save the Joint Forces Command.
"We certainly will have something to say about a decision like this," said Nye, a member of the Armed Services Committee.
McDonnell, meanwhile, issued an executive order creating a 25-member commission to examine more fully the impact of military spending on Virginia.
FM
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It's all been revised so they can learn about other cultures. Our own history is oppressive and mean-spirited, didn't you know that?
"2"
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I keep asking myself how many other non-diplomatic federal agencies are tasked with reaching out to Muslims? If NASA, then who else? And...Why the F*ck are we doing that?
There is no reasonable explanation, except that Jack*ss POTUS is just a clueless idiot with some dangerous misconceptions about the Arab world.
A little bit at a time, our national identity is given away each and every day.
FM
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There were other designs out there too - some not so serious!
Oh wait, this is a sub that flies, not the reverse...
FM
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Maybe this belongs in the B1 cancellation thread, but I thought it warranted a "WTF?"
DARPA Grant for Underwater Aircraft
And the details (for you detail weenies):
FM
(Edit: I meant to say "Submersible" aircraft - sorry)
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Seems Somali pirates were released by the Russians with an interesting outcome...
My favorite - 'It seems that they all died'
Story
Ten suspected Somali pirates captured by the Russian navy last week may have perished after their release, a defence source in Moscow has told reporters.Marines seized them during a dramatic operation to free a hijacked Russian oil tanker far from shore, killing an 11th suspect in the gun battle.
They were released in an inflatable boat without navigational equipment.
Within an hour, contact was lost with the boat's radio beacon, the defence source said.
"It seems that they all died," the unnamed source was quoted as saying by Russia's Interfax news agency.
Russia initially said the 10 pirates would be taken to Moscow to face criminal charges over the hijacking, but they were released instead because there were not sufficient legal grounds to detain them, the defence ministry in Moscow said.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which Russia is a signatory, gives sovereign nations the right to seize and prosecute pirates.
Western officials were very surprised when the Russian authorities dropped plans to put the pirates on trial in Moscow, the BBC's Richard Galpin reports from Moscow.
Now there is even more surprise the pirates were set adrift in the Indian Ocean to make their own way home, he adds.
Unknown factors
The tanker, the Moscow University, was seized on 5 May some 350km (190 nautical miles) off the Yemeni island of Socotra as it sailed for China, carrying crude oil worth $50m (£33m).
BBC map
Marines from the Russian warship Marshal Shaposhnikov stormed the ship the following day, freeing the 23 Russian crew members who had locked themselves in a safe room after disabling their ship.
Cdr John Harbour, spokesman for the EU naval force in Somalia, Navfor, said the Russian navy had been within its rights to release the suspects.
It was, he told the BBC News website, impossible to judge their situation without knowing the details of the boat - described as an inflatable by Russian sources - and the radio beacon they had been given.
It was quite likely the Russian ship lost radar contact with the boat after an hour, Cdr Harbour said, while the signal from the beacon would depend on the strength of its battery and whether or not it could be detected by satellite.
The Navfor spokesman suggested the loss of navigational equipment would not necessarily be critical if there was an experienced mariner among the 10 men on the boat.
Stressing that nothing could be said for sure without knowledge of the boat, the weather and other factors, he noted that pirates had been known to operate up to 1,200 nautical miles (2,200km) from the Somali coast.
FM
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We talked about his this woman before, who seems to have lots of approach traffic above her house. She was concerned Fred was terrorizing her, but now she's more focused on helicopters. She's been documenting things, and now has nearly three-hundred videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNCY4LMEJ9g
Nutbag (probably with cats)
FM
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Also to the families...
The missing guy is a friend of my Daughter. We're watching pretty closely.
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Somebody's always watching (and checking). Ten posts in less than a day...
Perhaps posts like this are inevitable with the number of new members signed up over the past few days?
FM
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Just what was he afraid of by being deployed? He wasn't going to get shot at. No, he didn't like the idea of contributing to taking apart his buddies network over there.
A terrorist, yes. His opportunity was here in CONUS. He needed to do this before leaving. How many actors does it take to become an act of terrorism? Just one.
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I doubt it. We don't have a history of doing "nothing" We have a history of trying to make it look like we're doing nothing but we're always doing something. Sometimes we try harder than other times. The real question is when do you think this one will bite us in the ass?
"2"
Obama is the POTUS of Disengagement. A related question might be - once he feels that bite, how long before he stops that disengagement? There are after all a few things heating up right now. I think he's out of his element, frankly.
It's easy for him to sit by and just watch in the beginning. He has already demonstrated the ability to do just that (Iran reaction).
Of course, we (most of us) don't really know if he is disengaging behind the scenes or not...
F
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DETROIT SUCKS!
Detroit does suck, but the Wings are awesome!
Bettman seems to be doing a lot to destroy the NHL. This agreement with NBC to have back to back games so Conan's show doesn't get interrupted is one of the stupidest ideas ever.Wings in 5!
"2" (They'll stumble once).
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Adobe (formerly Macromedia) Flash is about the only other viable (and portable) presentation medium that might work. It also needs a nerd type to make it work (usually).
F
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I am curious how much distance was between the pirate ship and the destroyer the SEALS were on. Must have been pretty tough for a sniper to get the shot with both boats moving on the water. They are bad mother ######ers no doubt. I am glad they are on our team.
Who is saying they were on the ship? Heheh...
F
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Overheard on the lifeboat:
<snip>
May have gone like this:
"Pop...Pop...Pop!"
F
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Since it has been a while...
F
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"The Pilot" with Cliff Robertson. Upbeat/downbeat <sts> film about a DC8 pilot (hey, it was 1980) who has a drinking problem. Some of the scenarios are a liitle far-fetched, but there's some great photography. Sadly lacking in the sex department, but still enjoyable.
F
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These b*ttAss*s use their own children to help them protest. In interviews the kids don't have any idea what it's all about. Perverse.
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What makes you so sure his friend is white? The racial presumptions are astounding. Maybe there would be two topless black chicks. Or a topless black chick and a busty wet T-shirted Asian chick.
Oh brother...
I say we include a midget (Little Person) as well! And since we're being critisized for "Judging" something - let's see the pic and judge for ourselves!
F
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From first launch to this day, Shuttle crews wear full pressure suits until established in orbit. Cabin depress isn't a factor.
I recall that coming out of the investigation as well.
Not quite true. After STS-51 everyone went back to full-pressure suits (First few flights featured full suits (Crippen and Young)). There were a number of schemes suggested after that, including a crew capsule (B1B, F111 style). Pressure suits were deemed the most effective (translation = cost-effective). <SNIP
Edited to add: "usaf36031" posted while I was typing.
Pirate Boomtown - thoughts?
in Squadron Bar
Posted
Thread Revival!
This story about Marines taking back a German ship from pirates. Too bad no shots were fired (on our behalf).
FM