Tim the Tank Nut

referring to Retac21's post about Enterprise and Nimitz: the word you are looking for is Reagan! Another brief thought on Enterprise is that it is possible that many of the big carrier names from WW2 may be on the same side in a few years. Assuming the new Enterprise has the same "plot armor" as the past ones have, I'd say the Chinese navy could be in big trouble. I'm not sure what the Chinese expression for "That's impossible!" is but based on Japan's experience with CV6 if it does kick off we'll know what it is when the dust settles. It's my understanding that the new carrier has a few parts from CV6 and CVN65. Looking at Futon's ranking list I can't help but think of the jump from Langley to Lexington. Lexington and Saratoga were amazing for their day.

I think it is fascinating to watch Biden's supporters explain that he is the right man for the job. The disconnects are astonishing to me. It's as if a person looks toward the sun and talks about the lack of light and warmth that the Sun provides or as if they put their hand in a fire and then talk of it being cold. I didn't fully understand how a nation like Germany could end up on the path that it did. Germany was civilized, a beacon of industry and clear thought and yet as a nation it went mad. Now I am watching it happen in real time. I see these campus protests and yet the Jewish vote will remain "D" no matter what. They won't even decline to vote at all. I recently caught a snippet of a man who escaped the Germans on the Queen Mary right before the war broke out and all I could think was that now I understand how it could happen. Uncle Joe has always been an execrable human being but his current administration's support of the Hamas wing on US college campuses astounds me. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he starts importing Palestinian "freedom fighters" into the US.

it would seem that naval operations were less technologically complex in the 1800's rather than now. Sailing a ship was extremely demanding but the skillset was widespread. Current naval tech is in flux to such a degree that anything is possible. I wouldn't say that Chinese learning and growth in the naval arena is the threat. The threat comes from the deterioration of the USN skillset. Parity comes from the USN getting weaker more than China getting stronger. China reminds me of Loki in the Avengers movie. They're clever, but they're going to lose. They lack conviction. Events are in motion that are going to change things enormously. The danger is that public opinion in the United States is fractured and China's assumption is that it will stay that way. Here in the US we have people getting shot over waiting for chicken nuggets. When China makes a move that destabilizes the world order on a grand scale they may find that unity of opinion is to their detriment. Always the issue with moves to deflect from an internal disorder is that it effects the external situation as well. The current technological changes may make carriers less viable in the long term anyway. China is building a prestige fleet or something to threaten the Philippines. Their carrier forces aren't a serious threat to the US or Japan.

I guess that things are fixin' to get really sticky.

the older stuff is just better looking than the new stuff. The new Haruna is about as good as the new stuff gets as far as appearance goes.

regarding Perun's post about the Chinese drone that flew over the Izumo; I'm sure the "citizen" in question had the purest of motives. It couldn't possibly be a test run for information gathering purposes to verify the feasibility of a surprise attack.

no

replying to Skywalkre: In one respect you are correct. I have been out of the dating scene for a really long time. That doesn't mean that I am not aware of some of what goes on. I do know people that are single and struggling. I've never had a five day a week job. I've always worked six days a week. I fix my own cars and our "new car" is a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee built out of a wreck. I watch my expenses very closely and recently have had challenges with food expenses. Like so many others if I spend what is normal to live I am robbing from my future at a 2 to 1 rate. I'm very cognizant of the issues. At one point I get pretty low. Some friends watched over me and I got through it. Looking back now it's a scary time. I know better now but I certainly didn't know better then. What has worked for me is the discipline of hard work. If I am focused on work then the mental demons are pushed back. By trying extra hard I can keep going. Maybe in a few years the economy will get a little easier and it won't be as scary. I am almost certain that everyone is in the same boat on their worries. Even those that are well off are at risk of losing it pretty readily. The corporate world is a vile place and if you are in it the it can be really tough but if you have your own company then it can own you more than you own it. It's a case of picking your poison. It's my opinion that you have to be super careful on where you turn for solace. Conan's dad really was correct. If you trust and it goes wrong... more later if all goes according to plan

referring back to the X post with the unusually older looking lady talking about younger men (the apparent age difference was what interested me): I'm going to offer a counterpoint that is somewhat random but still heartfelt. First, what Conan's dad told him about the Riddle of Steel always applies in life. Once you have that figured out other things are easier. Second, today's young men HAVE drawn a short straw in life but not as short as they seem to think. It's not like they are climbing Point du Hoc or defending the homestead against the Apaches. Here is what I propose: get tougher. Make your own way, rely on no one. Organize your affairs in such a manner that you have enough money to do what you want to do. Hard work will still pay off. When young people say that they can't get ahead it is because they aren't prepared to sacrifice enough to do so. A seven dollar coffee is NEVER a good investment! Boost your own confidence and do what makes you feel good about yourself. Set barely achievable goals and then make sure to exceed them. You HAVE to believe in yourself as you can't trust anyone to believe in you in your stead. Make some effort to stay fit. Be clean and reasonably well groomed. If you are certain of yourself and moderately successful then women will be attracted (it's biological and thus a certainty). Yes, they will always be transactional. Be aware of the fact and accept it for what it is. Never get in a situation where you are dependent on another's trust. You can fall in love and have a traditional lifestyle but always be aware of the fragility of it. It can't become your sole purpose. Young men these days face challenges that aren't actually going to kill them whereas trying to homestead during the Dustbowl years most certainly would kill many. The real problem for these men is that no one taught them to be mentally tough. The lack of father figures and the lack of self-discipline is crippling to these young men. The playing field has been tilted away from men for a long time. That isn't going to change. If you can't change your surroundings you can at least change your perception of it. Above all, never give up. None of it is worth dying for (or over). Very little of it is even worth killing for.

can you post a short synopsis? No audio on my end

it seems unusual to me that ISIS operatives were taken alive. In the past they always seemed ready to blow themselves up before capture. The notion that it is Ukrainian operatives seems absurd on its face. When the US intelligence community is in on the game then the intel is pretty open. They aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. I wish that the US warning had been more forceful and even more wish that the Russians had listened. Please remember that they don't call it the "religion of peace" for nothing.

it's about time you showed up... Vera on the left is insulted by the proximity of Greta on the right

At one point they all worked. We had tank to tank on 3 of 5 units. Interphones always worked before deployment. No interphones means no go. Constantly tuning and replacement tubes. Even the crystals had become unreliable with age. We had plate degradation that limited the range but sometimes with enough babying they were really good. The receivers were more reliable than the transmitters. I used to know the tuning steps by heart. I don't any more. I could probably do it with the book. The stupidest shit would break at the worst times. Keep in mind the units were very old by the time we were using them. The dynamotors had to make the 600volts if you wanted to transmit at all. I loved it and hated it at the same time.

the GOP is most assuredly not trying to force women to shower with biological males at sporting events, nor is the GOP on board with the whole Trans over Women movement. When you've lost JK Rowling you have really set an example of Left vs Left. The pedophile class is well on its way to being a protected class at the expense of biological women and every bit of that progress comes at the behest of the Democrat party. Dropping back to the Majority/Minority debate in the last Presidential election the deciding votes amongst millions and millions of votes cast came down to less than 100,00o votes (give or take). I'm not certain that the playing ground is as un level as you assume.

WW2 radios were delicate and complicated. It requires a considerable amount of fiddling to get the best performance. Operating an SCR508 is not like a modern walkie talkie or CB radio. Good communication is a serious force multiplier, so the manpower investment was well worth it.

the tyranny of the majority is a well understood concept in political thought. The idea that a majority can vote away the rights of others should scare even a simple mind. The United States is a representative republic.

I'm not certain that making Senators elected was that substantial a difference in the long run. In any event there are numerous Republican governors who would presumably appoint Republican Senators. Can you imagine how upset some people would be? A brief thought experiment: Suppose a political party had the view that raw democracy by numbers was the way to go. Now ask yourself if that same party had the opportunity to open the borders and let anyone and everyone in to the nation. Now what would be the next step fpr said party? Now something more dire to think about: Connect the dots between the death of Mrs Chao and the abdication of the Senate Majority Leader.

so Josh's answer is majority rules by simple weight of numbers. Direct democracy and one life equals one vote, no dissent. At least I can respect you for being honest enough to say what you think. I would offer that if that's really how you feel then perhaps some additional study of what the Founding Fathers discussed between the Articles of Conferderation and the ratifying of the Constitution may be in order. Are you familiar with the Federalist Papers?

replying to Josh: you said "only recently has the Senate massively overrepresented Republicans". In what way has the method by which Senators are elected changed that make it an over-representation? I think what you really mean is that the Senate should have remained the domain of the Democrats as it used to be. These types of statements are why even the weary are slogging unenthusiastically towards Trump, because with the Left it's never enough. There is no stopping point.

so you don't understand that the House of Representatives is a co-equal branch of Congress that is based on population or it's just politically inconvenient to notice? It's always the same with the Left, power and consequences be damned.

that looks lovely I will enjoy reading it thank you

Why the Allies Won by Richard Overy | Goodreads I found my copy of the book I had mentioned. Of course it's loaned out now...

today's WSJ has a lengthy piece regarding China's efforts decouple from the US. The comments are interesting. I can't help but wonder what they think the end game is. After all, their tech is "Made in China". In the past it has been said that the Chinese can build quality but choose not to. I would say those are facts not in evidence. China Intensifies Push to ‘Delete America’ From Its Technology - WSJ

what you are seeing is the run up to this election's COVID equivalent. China has an interest in keeping their puppet in charge.

I know that sigh so very well. IDL is very easy to get though, at least through AAA