Friday, November 4, 2016

Political Rant



Lost amid the election news static is the news an entire armored brigade, the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, being deployed to Europe for a nine month rotation. Also going are aviation assets of the 10th Mountain Division. Current plans are for a permanent rotation, that is, a new unit every nine months.

https://www.google.com/search?espv=2&q=3rd+brigade+europe+deployment&oq=3rd+brigade+europe+deployment&gs_l=serp.3...3496.27822.0.28615.55.36.0.3.3.0.196.3345.21j12.33.0....0...1c.1.64.serp..25.24.2069.0..0j0i20k1j0i131k1j0i67k1j0i10k1j0i22i30k1j33i160k1j33i21k1.EvVOV9r_t_s

Supposedly this is to deter the Russians from expanding into Ukraine. In other words, another fucking red line in the sand.

The unit in question is a crack unit. The 4th Infantry may be the best in the Army. Any Russian General worth his vodka will simply bypass the 3rd because the European units on the flanks aren’t worth shit. The European countries haven’t spent more than a pittance on their own defense for decades.

Once again the American taxpayer foots the bill. Maybe if Trump wins he will start billing the Europeans for our services. Yeah, that has a fat chance.

Back in the day I clearly understood why I was in Germany. The Russians were likely to invade (maybe) if the USAREUR forces weren’t there. A secondary reason was to keep the various factions from starting another European war.

This movie clip is somewhat long but the last minute or so may have the best political commentary I’ve heard.


Many will say our affairs are so intertwined as to make a simple solution impossible. Bullshit. Our affairs are so intertwined as to make any simple solution extremely painful. There is a simple solution. We inform the Europeans they can pay for their own defense, period.

What I see is our people once again being put in harms way by leaders without the guts to back them. More to the point, no damn concern for their well being other than what political fallout that might result.

Examples:    1983 Lebanon Barracks Bombing, Saudi Arabia 1996  Khbor Towers bombing, Africa 1998 Embassy bombings, and, not to be forgotten, the 2012 Benghazi Consulate attack. 

My deepest apologizes to those who lost love ones in other attacks, like the USS Cole, that I haven’t listed here.

I’m sure those who follow naval affairs can point out scores of times ships have been put in harms way, or air assets of both the Navy and Air Force misused, on orders of people who couldn’t be trusted to run a newspaper stand in a PX.

The revolting disclosures of Clinton Inc. and the (P)regressive rot are coming from within our own government. Being a civil servant doesn’t preclude one from being a patriot. Should Shillary be elected and take office, I expect a coup. Painful as I find the prospect, I think I will welcome it.

As always, YMMV

   

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