Politics

[Ray B]

It is why when a military leader like Michael Flynn goes overtly political his antics make such news.

Not to mention that thing dressed-up in an admiral's uniform or that AFRICAN-american General.

 

[Red Leg]

The Deputy Surgeon General is a civilian whatever its gender and is merely authorized to wear a uniform. Thank God it is by tradition Navy and not Army.

Who is the African American General who so displeases you? You capitalized the word AFRICAN so is it this person's race that is the issue? The current Commanding General of US Army Europe (4 Star) is an African American by the name of Darryl Williams. The former Commandant of West Point, he was a young battery commander in my battalion at Fort Bragg in the late eighties. He is one of the most brilliant and able officers with whom I have ever served. A West point graduate, he has a couple of masters degrees. His performance is typical of the black senior officers with whom I have served. One of them was a fellow by the name of Colin Powell.

We should have more. However, our generals primarily come from the combat arms branches. Until fairly recently, proportionately few black officers chose combat arms. They instead tended to go into combat support commands such as logistics or communications. This had everything to do with the marketability of those skill sets in the civilian job market of an officer who planned to only serve a twenty year or less period of time.

 

[Ray B]

Who is the African American General who so displeases you?

Appears you are inferring more than was implied. The AFRICAN-american to which I referred is Sec of Def Austin. I don't know of him other than what I see on the news and directives from his office- but to me he appears to be nothing more than a box clicker and follower of the "woke" agenda. Granted my knowledge base for him is minimal and the degree of certainty in my opinion of him is proportionately small.

However, based on my 3 years of service (1/1967-1/1970) I can say that there were many more african-AMERICAN Marines than the reverse. At the time the Marine Corps prided itself on being ONE color, GREEN.

 

[fourfive8]

It is why when a military leader like Michael Flynn goes overtly political his antics make such news.

Depends on party affiliation. And if the wrong party, scrutinized, as a civilian, at the whim of a weaponized DOJ representing the party in power.

 

[Red Leg]

Appears you are inferring more than was implied. The AFRICAN-american to which I referred is Sec of Def Austin. I don't know of him other than what I see on the news and directives from his office- but to me he appears to be nothing more than a box clicker and follower of the "woke" agenda. Granted my knowledge base for him is minimal and the degree of certainty in my opinion of him is proportionately small.

However, based on my 3 years of service (1/1967-1/1970) I can say that there were many more african-AMERICAN Marines than the reverse. At the time the Marine Corps prided itself on being ONE color, GREEN.

Sorry I missed the inference on the first read.

Look I totally agree with the appraisal of virtually everyone on this site with respect to the whole woke movement. I am no great fan of Austin for other reasons, but I suspect in the privacy of his mind, his opinion of the woke agenda would be very similar to ours. With respect to rules concerning the whole transgender thing, he really doesn't have a choice but to follow the Executive Office's directives. And frankly transgender is an easy one. How many of these people are really going to line up to become an infantryman or marine rifleman? I suspect it is a lot of verbiage for what will be a self-correcting problem.

COVID was another place where the military was boxed by the administration. All federal employees were directed to take the shot. In military parlance that is an order. It was the sort of order you were following when you and I stood in line for vaccines before deploying to Vietnam or the Middle East.

 

[Ray B]

A primary problem when a person goes from a system where the common goal is straight-forward and understood from the E-1 to the O-10 (defeat the enemy) to a political system driven by diverse ideologies many of which oppose that goal is that the new position requires adherence to the new system. Failure to adjust results in being replaced by someone who will. I suspect there are many in the military that seek to walk the fine line between following a policy while adhering to the Constitution as much as possible, knowing that a replacement would be more inclined to disregard the Constitution in favor of current ideology.

 

[John Wasmuth]

The senate is holding hearings on tracking of equipment and funds to Ukraine. Glad to see that someone is checking on things and are maintaining the best control they can.

 

[Doug3006]

If there are more than two genders, what do the other genders' anatomy look like?
I am confused because I've only ever seem two types of human "plumbing".

It’s only confusing because the other side is confused. Sex is determined by what’s in one’s pants. Gender is in one’s head. So long as a person’s head is aligned with what’s in their pants…all is good. If there’s a misalignment, then the person suffers from gender dysphoria. A well-documented mental illness that has been around as long as humans, I gather. People suffering with gender dysphoria should be treated with compassion and provided mental help. Not treated as something they are not.

I‘ve heard that some unfortunate people are born with conflicting physical attributes that blur the line. These cases are extremely rare and not at all what the fluid gender types are talking about. Again, people suffering from this need medical help and compassionate treatment.

It‘s simple really…..but I know I’m preaching to the choir.

 

[John Wasmuth]

Could Russia and China be trying to draw the U.S. further into this situation in Ukraine to keep us busy while China moves ever so closer to attacking Taiwan?

 

[Red Leg]

Could Russia and China be trying to draw the U.S. further into this situation in Ukraine to keep us busy while China moves ever so closer to attacking Taiwan?

Could be. I think it far more likely that China has been stunned by the incompetence of their erstwhile northern ally. Awakening NATO and a general increase in Western military expenditures are not useful outcomes of this war from China's perspective. One other little data point is that most of China's military hardware, particularly tanks and aircraft are still very similar to Russian designs. That too is likely giving them pause.

 

[John Wasmuth]

I can see why they’re be stunned by the Russians performance thus far. Just been observing what’s being reported by the talking heads saying China has agreed to start assisting Russia. I don’t doubt they will.

 

[Ray B]

Equally important to the calculation is China's viewpoint of itself and its window of opportunity both short term and long term. the short term- how to take advantage of a US president in decline that has been compromised by payments to his family. In the long term by the effects of the age demographics of a nation supporting a significant portion of the population past the age of productivity that is not being replaced by working age adults due to the 30+ years of Chinese one-child policy.

 

[Doug3006]

The clock is ticking for China and it’s ability to have its way internationally, and Xi is panicked over it. A shrinking population means a shrinking economy. A shrinking economy limits their ability to project power…something that’s already suspect. They are staring into the demographic abyss. While this is good news in the long run, it has the potential of goading Xi into doing something rash. Seems to me, time is our friend. The more we take action to postpone conflict with China the less threat they’ll be. Demonstrating our resolve in Ukraine seems smart.

 

[IdaRam]

The US armed forces have been purged of any conservatives. In their place are the woke, the weak and the wankers

This is so patently absurd as to almost not merit response. Almost.
How many soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are currently serving in the U.S. armed forces? And this sizable group of men and women has been purged of conservatives and replaced with woke, weak wankers? You must realize just how incredibly laughable this statement is, right? And just who accomplished this amazing feat? And were any UFO’s involved?

 

[Newboomer]

A primary problem when a person goes from a system where the common goal is straight-forward and understood from the E-1 to the O-10 (defeat the enemy) to a political system driven by diverse ideologies many of which oppose that goal is that the new position requires adherence to the new system. Failure to adjust results in being replaced by someone who will. I suspect there are many in the military that seek to walk the fine line between following a policy while adhering to the Constitution as much as possible, knowing that a replacement would be more inclined to disregard the Constitution in favor of current ideology.

Where, oh where is General George Patton when we desperately need him to square away this mess?

 

[Wheels]

 

[CoElkHunter]

Well, I guess Beetlejuice is no more. Lori Lightfoot is the first Chicago mayor to lose reelection in forty years! Congrats to her! What a whack job!

 

[Ray B]

The Chicago Mayor run-off is between a law&order guy and a former teacher who supports Defund the Police- so it appears they will have a clear choice for the city's direction.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Where, oh where is General George Patton when we desperately need him to square away this mess?

Well, if he'd been allowed to go all the way to Moscow and take out Stalin at the end of WW2 like he proposed, we wouldn't be in this mess now! But we couldn't have allowed that, after all the Russians were our friends and allies? TRILLIONS of dollars later (in today's dollars) and tens of thousands of our soldiers dead from the Korean and Vietnam Wars and ongoing Cold War, due to the opposition Communist forces funded and encouraged in large part by the USSR, here we are and back where we started with Putin wanting to resurrect the USSR. China used to be a fairly friendly country to the US after Nixon prodded and encouraged them to join the civilized world. Until recently, they seemed to embrace a FORM of capitalism and embraced global trade at least while it was working for them. Then Xi was "elected". Now, we're back to square one as they have their eyes on controlling the South China Sea trade route and beyond. When will the FREE World learn that no dictatorship can ever be trusted as a civilized member of the world.

 

[mark-hunter]

But we couldn't have allowed that, after all the Russians were our friends and allies?

When Hitler invaded Poland from West, Stalin invaded Poland from East, 1939.
In that situation, Britain decided the world evil, and threat to civilization is not USSR, but Nazi Germany and Hitler, and declared war to Germany.
US followed.
And war ended as we know in 1945.

Western allies started planning asap, the war against USSR, and relationships soon frozen.

But as you said, in 1945 they were allies, public opinion on the west mattered and till then pro allied propaganda kept USSR as friends in public eyes, and you can not push nation just like that to another war. It takes time. There is a lot of information about this political moment on internet.

By 1949 soviets developed their a-bomb, and this stopped western allies in their actual war plans against soviets. Deterrent factor split the political world in half.

So, it appears never did the two super powers fired a weapon at each other, except in numerous proxy wars till now, where others were fighting for this or that cause with their weapons.

General mc Arthur wanted to bomb China with atomic bombs, during Korean war and after chinese intervention, but he was then retired 1951 by president Truman. This was 2 years after soviet first bomb test.
My guess, deterrent factor at work again, and Korean war continued with conventional means.

Actual fire exchange between Russia and America happened 100 years ago, in allied military intervention 1918-1920 against Bolshevik Russia.