Ed Garrity: I would rather pay lower taxes and have a better focused and better lead military that actually defends freedom (our own, not our enemys').
Parenting 101. How-To lesson for dealing with a ne'er do well 35-year-old son who has been living in your basement for 10 years playing HALO and Call Of Duty after dropping out of 7 years of Junior College. 1. Fill the basement with concrete. 2. Change the locks on the doors. 3. Get a restraining or trespass order. 4. Fence the property with chain link. 5. Rent a few snarling pit bulls. 6. Publically disown & disinherit him. 7. Write him off as a lost cause. 8. Stop being an enabler. 9. Stop being a chump. 10. Go it alone. 11. Realize that Junior is never going to get well.
We shouldn't have to go all the way to 11 if we'd just applied some common sense tough love from the git-go.
The coin I flip on Middle East international patrols is more of a D&D die than a coin. I haven’t identified all of the sides, but the first three are (a) keep plugging away as is, (b) say “Screw it” and spend all of our efforts in the Pacific, and (c) tell all of the non-participating countries (including the not-really-there PRC) that we will continue to provide coverage in lieu of their on-station warships if and only if they pay directly for the construction, maintenance, and operation of our ships on station. The difficulty with option (b) is that I believe we have a moral obligation with regard to the continued existence of Israel.
The "Navies of NATO" seem to exist purely as platforms to showcase new weaponry and electronics systems that will never be used to enforce freedom of the seas, or the land, for that matter. We'd be better off sending six full-masted frigates under sail and some salty Leathernecks with flintlocks and sabres.
Will give it a listen when I'm off the plane, but my immediate reaction to your headline was the "What do you mean 'we," kemo sabe?"
I have been traveling and as I always do, talking with folks, including the uniquely useless Canadians and the well-intentioned if too parsimonious Dutch, and as I said to them, even for those of us who recognize that it is in our interest to keep protecting the world, some of us are sincerely tired of being everyone's security guarantor without so much as a thank you.
WHO writes this stuff ? NO administration gives a seconds concern for an International Order for decades. This administration just vetoed a resolution to stop the genocide of Two Million plus "brown people" without a seconds thought. The USN is being shot at because it is interfering in a war between two governments. If Israel wants to stop their ships being subject to legal acts of war by Yemen then maybe THEY should STOP...
I haven't had time to listen but doesn't Operation Kipion count. If it does, then your opening comments are a little harsh on terms of UK involvement
"I haven't had time to listen"
Son.
If the US has to do it almost alone, so be it. I would rather pay higher taxes than a war that will cost the world more whether we like it or not
Ed Garrity: I would rather pay lower taxes and have a better focused and better lead military that actually defends freedom (our own, not our enemys').
Parenting 101. How-To lesson for dealing with a ne'er do well 35-year-old son who has been living in your basement for 10 years playing HALO and Call Of Duty after dropping out of 7 years of Junior College. 1. Fill the basement with concrete. 2. Change the locks on the doors. 3. Get a restraining or trespass order. 4. Fence the property with chain link. 5. Rent a few snarling pit bulls. 6. Publically disown & disinherit him. 7. Write him off as a lost cause. 8. Stop being an enabler. 9. Stop being a chump. 10. Go it alone. 11. Realize that Junior is never going to get well.
We shouldn't have to go all the way to 11 if we'd just applied some common sense tough love from the git-go.
The coin I flip on Middle East international patrols is more of a D&D die than a coin. I haven’t identified all of the sides, but the first three are (a) keep plugging away as is, (b) say “Screw it” and spend all of our efforts in the Pacific, and (c) tell all of the non-participating countries (including the not-really-there PRC) that we will continue to provide coverage in lieu of their on-station warships if and only if they pay directly for the construction, maintenance, and operation of our ships on station. The difficulty with option (b) is that I believe we have a moral obligation with regard to the continued existence of Israel.
100% agree , and is a "thank you" too much to ask?
The "Navies of NATO" seem to exist purely as platforms to showcase new weaponry and electronics systems that will never be used to enforce freedom of the seas, or the land, for that matter. We'd be better off sending six full-masted frigates under sail and some salty Leathernecks with flintlocks and sabres.
Well, I understand a French warship got involed,
Let George do it. Also let George pay for it. And if George doesn't do it or asks us to pay any part of it we will viscerally complain, so there!
Will give it a listen when I'm off the plane, but my immediate reaction to your headline was the "What do you mean 'we," kemo sabe?"
I have been traveling and as I always do, talking with folks, including the uniquely useless Canadians and the well-intentioned if too parsimonious Dutch, and as I said to them, even for those of us who recognize that it is in our interest to keep protecting the world, some of us are sincerely tired of being everyone's security guarantor without so much as a thank you.
WHO writes this stuff ? NO administration gives a seconds concern for an International Order for decades. This administration just vetoed a resolution to stop the genocide of Two Million plus "brown people" without a seconds thought. The USN is being shot at because it is interfering in a war between two governments. If Israel wants to stop their ships being subject to legal acts of war by Yemen then maybe THEY should STOP...
Whole Lot have fighting "there" rather than here.
Once the US is incapable of defending Europe and the world the Euro's will simply go back to going to war with each other.
It's already happened. The only question at this point is how much worse the wars in Europe will get.
Nations allowed to freeload ... will.