Friday, January 6, 2012

Op-Ed

Where did all our money go? A timely essay from ClubOrlov:

"The lesson that the United States desperately needs to learn is that their trillion-dollar-a-year military is nothing more than a gigantic public money sponge that provokes outrage among friends and enemies alike and puts the country in ill repute. It is useless against its enemies, because they know better than to engage it directly. It can never be used to defeat any of the major nuclear powers, because sufficient deterrence against it can be maintained for relatively little money. It can never defuse a popular insurgency, because that takes political and diplomatic finesse, not a compulsion to bomb faraway places. Political and diplomatic finesse cannot be procured, even for a trillion dollars, even by a country that believes in extreme makeovers.”
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10 comments:

Baydog said...

That Raven is a sweet little thing.

doryman said...

In political, diplomatic and cultural influence, we have failed.

doryman said...

As of early 2005, a total of more than 1300 Raven vehicles had been built, with about 2000 more on contract, and by 2006 the Army was expected to decide if it would use the Raven as a long-term asset. The Air Force Special Operations Command has also purchased an unknown number of Ravens.

A single Raven costs about $35,000 and the total system costs $250,000.

Baydog said...

I meant the Grunwald Dory, Michael!

doryman said...

You caught me on a jag, Baydog. I'll be OK soon.......

robert.ditterich said...

Given the state of things, a man's entitled to express a few home truths from time to time.

doryman said...

I try to keep my passions in check. I, of all people, must confess to having insufficient voice to express deep disappointment in my neighbors and fellow countrymen. To allow ourselves to come to such a low state, in every respect, is an embarrassment.

Harry said...

Hello Doryman.

I Love this one !

Where can I get lines / offsets for this lovely boat ?

Very , very nice !

Harry said...

OOps ....I mean your Melonseed build !

doryman said...

Harry, I intend to make the plans available for the melonseed later this spring - still working out the offsets after making adjustments to the prototype.
I'll be sure to post to Doryman when they're ready so stay tuned!