Mark1

Normally I'd not be on the side of the bureaucratic RA who can only accommodate what the almighty memorandum says, but if you came into my office trying to get me to purchase a set of these I'd tell you to goose-step your fancy ass out of my office too.

20 seconds time of fall after 10-20 minutes of coordination necessary to satisfy all parties with weapon release. As opposed to 5-10 seconds to get a round away. You were asked to drop a PGM at 15m as a matter of convenience. It's a testament to the engineering of the weapon that they trust its accuracy and effects so implicitly that they will accept the risk of weapons employment in relatively mundane scenarios, but I assure you the gravity of the situation that required CH to employ at 27 meters was in a different universe by comparison. Also, while your hyperbolic description of gunship employments doesn't reflect reality, a concept that the point-and-click 'CAS' community lacks understanding of is that suppression now is almost always 1000x better than a kill in 5 minutes. Pylon turn employment comes with its survivability and other minor idiosyncratic downsides, but in a permissive environment it's the greatest CAS force multiplier on the battlefield. There is no other platform in the inventory with this benefit to include rotary wing. No run-ins, no maneuvering to an IP, no 'i was off-aspect when shit kicked off'. Just ready to go, always. The fact that Air Force Special Operations Command is thinking of divesting itself of a specialized capability so as not to be left on the sidelines in a conventional conflict tells you all you need to know about the competency of those running the place for the last while. Especially when adding a dime-a-dozen capability to the gunship platform results in a second rate implementation of that capability, when plenty of others can already do it more effectively. Precision munitions are great as a complement. Hang as many as you can the airframe, but not at the expense of the cannons. It's hard to 'get through' the gunship culture, as Danger41 suggests, because they know better than those who are trying to get through.

While ironically acknowledging my stupidity for bothering to engage you on this...your stupidity is tiresome. When a person is infected by a SARS virus they have an immune response. In a small number of cases that immune response has collateral impacts on the body. When a person is vaccinated against a SARS virus they have [functionally] the same immune response. In a small number of cases that immune response has collateral impacts on the body. Sound familiar? The difference being that they are not also under threat of a replicating virus that can overwhelm the body's ability to defend itself. It's no surprise to thinking people that the same increase in risk of cardiac inflammation that comes with infection also comes with vaccination. It would be surprising if that was not the case given that, from the immune system's perspective, vaccination is indistinguishable from infection (with a few links in the response chain bypassed by mRNA). The only question then is does the overall reduction in risk through vaccination outweigh that of exposing 'everyone' to the collateral immune response risk when a small portion of them may otherwise avoid ever being exposed to viral infection. And the answer is yes...by orders of magnitude. Thankfully the people employed to come to these conclusions are typically not exceptionally vulnerable to tribal group-think conspiracy movements, and they base their conclusions on reality. You may now return to wasting your life away by willfully sifting through all the wrong information in order to find the next trump-card that isn't a trump-card.

Holy. Fucking. Shit. You read that line and said to yourself, 'there it is right there'? I misunderstood what we were dealing with here. I thought it was somebody who was happy to turn a blind eye and go along with anything if it happened to support a bias of theirs. Upon closer inspection it's not willful ignorance, but substandard cognitive and comprehension ability. My mistake, bless your heart. You, specifically, are good to continue reading only the first paragraph of Slaynews articles. Carry on.

Do you make a habit of reading the first paragraph of every Slaynews article and stopping there? Funny that they recognize their clientele is so helplessly stupid that simply embedding hyperlinks into their stories will give enough appearance of legitimacy to do the job. 'Our clientele will assume there's a mountain of bullet proof anti-vax dogma behind those links, so it wouldn't matter if they all pointed towards yourethemannowdog.com'. Why don't follow the link they provide to their source for this admission in order to see that it is literally fabricated out of thin air? For a group that demands so much 'accountability' from the vaccine Gestapo, you certainly have low standards elsewhere. Did you stop reading your T.O. when you got past the first paragraph that said nothing within the document precluded the operator from deviating from procedures for safety of flight considerations? It's fucking scary that people with this level of discernment are trusted to operate complicated machinery.

Don't get me started. It used to be that there was one cure-all treatment for all ailments. Got Leprosy? Aunt Flo causing you abdominal pain? A case of the melancholy? No problem, a little blood-letting will clear that all up. Now George Soros and the Illuminati are using Big Medicine to sterilize the serfs with shit like x-rays, and antibiotics. Why? Because there's no money in blood-letting, that's why. Odd, no?

I don't have a side.

Outside of the military where orders come with the territory (and if you're not willing to subject yourself to them, get out), I have absolutely never been ordered to take a vaccine of any kind in my entire life. Neither have you or anyone else on this forum. The relevance of statistics is this: go to the COVID-19 thread and review all 150+ pages of posts. If you'd like to focus the review, check out that last few where there's nobody left but the militant anti-vaxxers that wrapped their identities in this issue (because everybody else moved on with their life 2.5 years ago). In the remaining echo chamber there's been a lot of 'dunking' going on by posting articles of anti-vax talking points with the insinuation that they've all been proven true. Never mind the dubious 'studies' that lend credence to the point being made. Never mind the dubious 'press' outfits latching on to them. I'll grant, for the sake of this argument, that every single one of them is accurate. The one thing you will never see is a rundown of comparative risk, because it blows any supposition they're trying to make out of the water. COVID vaccine is killing people via myocarditis? Cool, I'll grant it (for the discussion) despite all the problems with the statement. But at what relative rate is COVID vaccine killing people via myocarditis when compared to the rate of reduction in COVID complications? And yes, even in young, fit, healthy people (i.e. comparable to the military demographic). Not one time in 150 pages will you see an example of this science 101 question being addressed. Because it absolutely destroys the supposition of COVID vaccine harm of all types. I don't care about your fictional nephew whose anecdote you use of going complete retard after the vaccine to bolster your point (there were a staggering number of these shared on Baseops, you might say a probabilistically impossible number of them). At the national health level, individual cases don't matter. It's greatest good for the greatest number, and there is no reasonable alternative approach. For those of you who have a soil-your-pants level of fear over having the vaccine administered, I'll grant it legitimacy (again for the discussion). But you cannot logically also not have an explosive-diarrhea-pants-soiling-in-public fear of the consequences of not being vaccinated. Probability and statistics makes it undeniable. That's the relevance. But let's be honest, you're not interested in an honest approach. And just for the record, you shouldn't have a pants-shitting fear of the vaccine or not getting vaccinated. The relative risk of either is inconsequential when compared to other things you do on a daily basis. *BUT* you can not logically fear of one and not the other. You're referencing what 'extremists' do and think it invalidates my point? Maybe you should re-read what I said.

I can't explain the veracity of something that hasn't ever existed. Thanks for the hyperbole that demonstrates my case though...maybe manipulating people isn't as tough as it seems and I give the propagandists too much credit. But there are thousands of institutions in this country set up to teach probability and statistics at a high school or greater equivalency level to adults. They would take payment in exchange for slamming their head against a wall with you, making it a reasonable transaction. Unfortunately, I don't operate one of them so I'm going to pass on your generous offer. Right. Because I'm referring to this one singular thread that's mostly in jest and nothing more than a lighthearted poke at the antics of the President's dipshit son and nothing else that might have been discussed all over the forum for the last decade. Real sophisticated take you've got there.

Dude rightly comments that it's nothing but weirdo fringe bullshit around here, and the response is to point out the lack of non-fringe bullshit as if a point is being made? That's like the Grand Wizard at a Klan rally making the observation that there aren't a lot of black guys in attendance. It kinda follows by definition. My guess is that you don't hear much from the 'pro-vax' crowd because people who addressed the pandemic with logic and composure, and without wrapping their identity up in it, moved on with their lives, like, 2.5 years ago. But maybe I'm just out of touch and it's because they've all been converted to team 'Anthony Fauci is literal Satan'. Could be that too. Baseops.net as a service died long ago. Surely no later than 2014 and I'd probably date it more like 2010. But since then it has been quite an interesting case study to watch a community of people that, if questioned on the whole, would rate themselves as anti pinko-commie-Russia as possible. All while falling harder for Russian propagandists bullshit than anyone. Willingly (or unknowingly) participating in the propaganda-101 game of dividing at the centerline and pushing each half toward the extremes, then pitting them against each other. Becoming a stronger force in the quest for long term destruction of American society than the propagandists themselves by parroting (one half of) their bullshit with the legitimizing facade of red-blooded American veteran patriots. 1000x more damage done by participating than any benefit rendered by standing watch in uniform against the threat of enemy military action. There are obviously other forces at play, and it's impossibly complex, but the extent to which the last decade has followed the Russian playbook is staggering. They must be dumbfounded at their success in general, but especially in their ability to co-opt even staunch self-identifying enemies to their cause.

Have you pitched this to the PR team at DOD? This is exponentially better recruitment fodder than that "Be All You Can Be" bullshit they used to run. And they can sprinkle in some of your 'start shootin' stuff too for added pop.

I see this sentiment on BaseOps frequently. This won't win any popularity contests around here, but it's very naive and unjustifiably self-aggrandizing. Guys that did 12-20yrs active duty and then go Guard, to the airlines, or slot in as mid level management somewhere and see their QOL improve don't have much perspective on it. They are not starting over on the civilian side in a way that is comparable to their military career arc. Yes, the military makes some unique demands. Yes, a winged officer has to sacrifice more time to their craft than someone working front desk at a hotel or serving at a restaurant. But those aren't valid comparisons. Compare a winged Capt to a young professional looking to advance in their field, and neither is walking easy street. There are plenty of professionals missing their kids activities to work late, putting out fires on the weekend, and facing divorces because they live on the road and never see their families. Are some skating by on minimal effort. Yes. And we all knew a few squadron-mates that fit that description as well. If you're in a position to be dodging RPGs, scooping your buddies intestines back into his body cavity, and worrying about when roadside bomb roulette is going to catch up with you, then yeah, you've experienced something most can't fathom. But that applies to almost nobody on this board. As far as simple demand on your life, I think you'd be surprised. I was. I started at the bottom of a completely novel field of work after getting out, and I'd easily rate my top 5 most stressful and time consuming weeks all on the civilian side. Not looking for validation or recognition. Only to say that any view I had of myself as engaged in some Sisyphean struggle when I was active duty, when compared to my civilian peer group, was way off. If you go from Sq/CC to legacy copilot, then yeah. But they aren't the same thing.

I'd say the probability of life outside Earth is as near unity as you can get. The probability that any of it has visited Earth is near, but not quite, zero. But I don't see what bearing that has on this mundane video of an unremarkable thing.

If you put forth this video as indicative of something outside of that list, it's hard to trust.

If you're going to own it, just own it. We all know the basis of your opinion and it's nothing to do with rigorous scientific inquiry. You're so proud to be the stalwart holding the line against perversion, but you're ashamed to admit it comes from your religious indoc? Doesn't square. A cursory look at evolutionary biology makes it impossible to deny that minority homosexuality is as normal as it gets, with good reason, but you probably don't dip into the evolutionary sciences much. I don't want anybody's sexuality thrown in my face unsolicited, straight or otherwise. The militant (vocal minority) members of the 'movement' have gone crazy with it after tasting some success and that needs to be reigned in, but let's not pretend that going back to assuming George Michael was crushing pussy is the answer.

I'd put $100 on him having worn out several pairs of tap shoes in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport bathrooms over the years. The lady doth protest too much.

More likely that I don't understand an elementary word definition, or that you've allowed yourself to be so corrupted that you're blind to reality? It was hard with so many examples to choose from but here's one for my side, so....

Sad fucking day when somebody who swore an oath to the Constitution makes it known that they'll vote for a dude who did everything within his power to overthrow a democratic election result, no matter who the alternative is. Literally declared himself an enemy of the Constitution, but he can still count on your vote. Some real third world shit-hole stuff right there. Can't wait for 2027 when he's frothing up his base to abolish the 22nd Amendment so he can die in office like Putin and Xi. Pathetic.

Solid point. The crowd was dovish and peaceful and .gov were the extremists that day. Oh, but one question. Are we considering the bombs in this calculus, or just the guns? I mean, yeah, they were too stupid to set an egg timer properly (not surprising given the demographic), but does that mean we put it on the scoreboard as a zero? Not so sure. Maybe we should rope in some other opinions on this one? FTFY. Seek help.

Hmm, that's a real brain-buster. I'll take a stab. Because 'we' (normally adjusted humans) don't desire a 'following'? Because we'd rather forgo personal gain if it can only come from the exploitation of 'particularly susceptible' people? Because, for the collective good, we voluntarily agree to operate within the bounds of the social contract we call 'law'? Because we don't accidentally pre-jac a bit when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror? Just spitballin'. If you were trying to define 'stupid', asking this question gets you one step closer to the answer.

If you want to criticize the FBI, go ahead, but you've got no case complaining about Twitter/'BigTech' or the DNC. You're upset that the DNC was trying to manipulate things in their favor? That's literally their reason for existence. Same as the RNC. They're private organizations and can do whatever they like within bounds of the law. Is it scummy? Sure. Is being a scumbag illegal? Unfortunately not. As for Twitter, we all know conservative Citizens United has established that corporations have the same rights as a person when it comes to political support. They're free to write a billion dollar check to a SuperPAC of their choice for the expressed intent of electing their preferred candidate. Running a business in a way that subtly supports a particular candidate or party is much less direct than monetarily funding a campaign, and it's just as legal. So let's not throw terms like 'freedom of speech' around where they don't belong. You know damn well MSNBC/Fox News/etc run their organizations with a policy of the same kind of "information suppression" so why are you singling out 'BigTech' as a boogeyman? Do laws need to change to account for the information age? Maybe. Is Citizens United kicking themselves for setting a precedent that currently favors their political opponents (through support of pinko commie lib media), probably. But there is no scandal with the DNC or 'BigTech'. The only thing that's clear is that last week Trump, for any slow learners that hadn't figured it out a decade ago, literally and explicitly declared himself an enemy of the Constitution. And since that's a bit of a conflict with the commissioning oath nobody on this forum will ever sing his praises again. Right....guys?

Right. So once there's a single fuck up (even if it's just subjectively labeled such by a discrete group) you have to actively orchestrate every subsequent situation to also be a fuck up so that everything is fucked up in an equitable way. Great approach to life. I guess double homicide has been decriminalized ever since the whole O.J. situation. You should let the DOJ know they've been violating the fundamental principle of successful societies for decades with that one.

Fixed that for you. Nobody fired randomly into the crowd. A reasonable, and quite forgiving, threshold for (proxy) self-defense was established by the officer and she found herself in position to be first to test it out. She was very deliberately targeted and she alone suffered the appropriate consequences. Nothing random about it. A completely disingenuous comparison as there is no reasonable expectation of threat to life. Do our enemies know that they can just waltz onto Whiteman and steal a nuke because SF can't actually do anything about it? It's just trespassing and theft, right?

I don't know. You ever see his leadership presentation where he starts off saying he's only got one slide and then proceeds to pack 90 slide transitions into a single slide? How could the Chair Force ignore a talent like that?

Not to inflame the mental break you experienced there, but the irony of decrying "liberal mask pussies" while simultaneously condemning a piece of cloth for destroying your entire life is rich.