waveshaper

I would recommend this step before moving forward with the SCOTUS confirmation hearings; The Senate confirmation members (both sides of the aisle) and most American citizens need to receive a few days of education to refresh their foggy memories on the life/culture/shenanigans/etc of teenagers circa the 1982 era:<) I highly doubt things have changed much since back then based on my experience raising 2 teenagers about 10 years ago. The 1982 movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" would be a good starting point for these forgetful folks; Most of the relevant/good video clips are today considered porn so I wont post those:<)

Report to Congress on How to Create a U.S. Space Force (finally, some "official" details covering this Space Force stuff); https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/IF10950.pdf

Dang, even Steven Tyler/Aerosmith have turned on the POTUS. Steven Tyler sends Trump cease-and-desist letter over playing Aerosmith songs at rallies; https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/08/22/steven-tyler-sends-trump-cease-and-desist-letter-over-playing-aerosmith-songs-at-rallies.html :<) Here's a few potentially befitting songs to replace these Aerosmith tunes with, at future campaign rallies, if this downward spiral continues much longer. Hopefully these new campaign rallies songs will cheer up the growing list of indicted/convicted members of the 2016 campaign/White House staff :<) My #1 Choice; Folsom Prison Blues; My #2 Choice; Jailhouse Rock;

The former Director of the CIA is a great example of how this "top dog" security clearance game is played. He was fired in 2012, didn't lose his security clearance, and continued advising the White House/Intel Community from 2012 to 2016. The co-conspirator in this scandal, Lieutenant Colonel Paula Broadwell, lost her Security Clearance and in February 2013 the Army revoked Broadwell's promotion to lieutenant colonel, etc, etc.

IMHO, the situation/relationship was probably worse back when Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and we had two NATO member countries fighting each other. I think this was the only time that NATO countries went to war with each other since NATO formed. Also, the Turks have played this Russian/USSR fear/game card before by shutting down some of our USSR monitoring sites in Turkey during the heyday of the Cold War. Here's just a few highlights from that timeframe; - US reaction; After the hostilities of 1974, the United States applied an arms embargo on Turkey in 1975. The embargo on Turkey was lifted after 3 plus years by President Carter/Congress. - Turkeys response to the US Arms Embargo; Turkey suspended the use of some Key US/NATO bases in Turkey. Turkey finally permitted the United States to reopen its four strategic intelligence installations for monitoring Soviet military activities that were shut down for over three years in retaliation for the U.S. arms embargo against Turkey. This only happened after the US Congress caved and repealed the ban on the sale of U.S. arms to Turkey. Turkeys currencies woes (Turkish Lira); This is absolutely nothing new. The Turkish Lira (First Turkish Lira) had a history of sucking/devaluation. Anyone that was ever stationed in/deployed to Turkey in the 70's, 80's 90's, and early 2000's knows this firsthand. Heck, I even had a MSgt that worked for me at Incirlik (it was his second tour to Turkey) in the mid-1990's that would sometimes use Turkish Lira to wipe his ass (when he did this he would never flush so everyone could see his dasturdly deed). He was station at Incirlik the first time in the mid 1980's and he hoarded a bunch of Turkish Lira that he never unloaded. When he came back for his second tour in the mid 1990's he brought all his worthless Turkish Lira with him just to use as shit paper.  - First Turkish Lira - US Dollar Valuations; The Guinness Book of Records ranked the Turkish lira as the world's least valuable currency in 1995 and 1996, and again from 1999 to 2004. 1966 – 1 U.S. dollar = 9 Turkish lira 1980 – 1 U.S. dollar = 90 Turkish lira 1988 – 1 U.S. dollar = 1,300 Turkish lira 1995 – 1 U.S. dollar = 45,000 Turkish lira 2001 – 1 U.S. dollar = 1,650,000 Turkish lira - Second/New Turkish Lira - US Dollar Valuations (2005 to present); Basically in 2005 the USD to TRY was 1.35 after revaluation and today its about 6.5 to 7. https://www.poundsterlinglive.com/bank-of-england-spot/historical-spot-exchange-rates/usd/USD-to-TRY

Yep, IMHO that would fall under the category of "Suicide by NORAD" and most likely it would be justified/legal (example; see suicide by cop).

Here's a chance to vote on the new Space Force Logo; Personally, I wish they would use the old USSPACECOM Patch. The original USSPACECOM, which was a Combatant Command back in the day, had a lifespan of 17 years (1985 - 2002). If our leadership is really serious - then maybe this new version of a Space Force/Space Command will last longer then 17 years this round. https://time.com/5363058/donald-trump-campaign-space-force-logo/

Here's the latest tit-for-tat. The list of names of those wanted by these Turks on Incirlik AB range from the Wing King/other Officers/Enlisted (see article for Names/Rank). https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/08/08/turkish-lawyers-seek-arrest-us-service-members-incirlik-air-base.html https://www.newsweek.com/turkey-wants-arrest-american-troops-ties-terrorist-group-1065017?piano_t=1

IMHO, there's one winning strategy that we've mastered over the last 17 years in places like the Quagmire of Empires, Iraq, etc; See "Pyrrhic Victory" for more details. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhic_victory

This is how my old ass envisions this President Trump/Putin - Russia/USSR - ploy/crap going down:<) Credit for this post (repost) goes to Azimuth, he posted something similar back in March of 2014.

IMHO, it never hurts to try an advance rescue/recovery/resupply technologies on planet earth and in space. Also, with this new "Space Force" evolving it's just a matter of time before a few "Major Tom's" will find themselves in some dicey situation. Major Tom sends his regards to folks like Mr. Musk and the new Space Force:<)

This rescue was initially projected to take up to 4 months. I'll give "Mr. Unreliable Musk" some credit for jumping through some hoops to make the following happen/todays latest news on this subject; After considering a "bouncy castle air tube" that the kids might be able to wriggle through to safety, Musk and his team settled on the idea of building a kid-sized submarine, equipped with external air tanks. A foot-wide liquid oxygen transfer tube, originally built for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, would serve as the hull. The contraption went through dive-pool tests at Palisades Charter High School in Los Angeles and was sent on a 17-hour flight to Thailand. The crisis could be resolved without having to resort to SpaceX’s mini-sub, and without further fatalities, which everyone agrees would be good news. But in today’s tweets, Musk made clear that he wouldn’t consider the effort wasted even if it doesn’t come into play in the flooded Thai cave. The concept could come in handy for future underwater rescues on Earth, or rescues in the vacuum of space. In any case, it’s instructive to see how the crowdsourced engineering exercise unfolded over the course of just a couple of days.

IMHO, the BX/Commissary reserved parking spots are primarily utilized by entitled spouses (typically older/large ladies). I haven't personally witnessed this same phenomena with the reserved parking spots at the GYM?

IMHO:<) it might be time to finally legalize all this political opposition research crap and let the DNC/RNC run their own show. They should put a opposition branch of zealot Democrats and a opposition branch of zealot Republicans in the: FBI, Justice Department, Intel Community, State Department, Media, DoD, FISA Court, etc, etc. These folks would be legally authorized to; collude/conspire with whomever they want, hire and embed spies (both foreign and domestic) in each others campaigns, get automatic approval for FISA warrants/phone taps/email thefts etc, conduct cyber attacks, pay for play, etc, etc. The kicker; No programs/materials can be classified, no redactions, and all material/info must be publically released by the opposition media branch NLT 7 days after its been collected. Also, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" will become a new law and violators of this law will be prosecuted. If the violator spills the beans and hires a lawyer it will be treated similar to how we penalize hate crimes, with triple the jail time/fines for the violator and the shyster lawyer. Key point; Fully informed voters = diligent judge, jury, executioners during our election cycles. Downside; The DNC has an advantage over the RNC when it comes to filling their FBI branch billets with tested/experienced folks because all they have to do is rehire all the top dogs that just got fired:<) Sent from Outlook

The Libya situation was a little different then the Iran JCPOA deal (See NPT below). It seems that getting the Senate to ratify these US Nuke agreements helps the overall success rate of said treaties/agreements; Here's a list of most of the US Nuke Treaties/agreements since we started negotiating this stuff with the main focus on Senate ratification; Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (prohibited Nuke detonations in these environments - space/atmosphere/underwater ); Ratified by the Senate in Sept 1963. Seabed Arms Control Treaty (No emplacement of Nukes on Sea-Bed/Ocean Floor and in the subsoil); Ratified by the Senate in 1972. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); Ratified by the Senate and went into effect in 1970. In 2003 Libya agreed to the NPT protocols and dismantled its Nuke program with US/UK/IAEA assistance and verification. ABM Treaty (US/USSR); Ratified by the Senate in 1972. SALT 1 (US/USSR) Ratified by the Senate in 1972. Threshold Test Ban Treaty; Interesting, it was signed by the President in 1974 but didn't go into effect until the Senate finally ratified the TTBT in 1990. SALT 11 was never officially ratified by the Senate but it was signed by President Carter in 1979. The Senate didn't ratify SALT 11 because of the Soviet/Afghan War. In 1982, President Reagan abandoned/CNXed SALT 11 and undertook a new path by initiating the START talks/negotiations with the USSR. START-1; Ratified by the Senate. START-11; Ratified by the Senate. Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty; The Senate still hasn't ratified this UN Treaty. SORT; Ratified by the Senate. NEW START; Ratified by the Senate. JPCOA; "Never ratified by Senate". See SALT 11/President Reagans actions.

This is how the original USSPACECOM was organized back in the day. USSPACECOM also functioned as the Commander in Chief of the binational U.S.-Canadian NORAD (CINCNORAD). Excerpt; USSPACECOM, with headquarters at Peterson AFB Colorado, is a functional combatant command with an AOR which encompasses the entire world. Space Command oversees three service specific commands: Army Space Command (USARSPACE), Naval Space Command (NAVSPACECOM) and Air Force Space Command (AFSPACECOM). It also includes one functional component (SPACEAF) and Joint Task Force Cheyenne Mountain Operations (JTF-CM). The command was activated 23 September, 1985 to consolidate all military space efforts under the direction of one commander-in-chief. USSPACECOM

"In a message to all airmen, service brass including Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein confirmed that, as rumored, the new "space force" would be established as a military service inside the Air Force." https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/06/20/air-force-issues-first-guidance-troops-about-space-force.html

Yep, you're correct. I'm just having flashbacks to when Rumsfeld was SecDef. This cap issue was one of his pet peeves. After a wee bit of research I finally found something on this Rumsfeld cap stuff (9 seems to be his breaking point); See Page 84 and 85. https://www.scribd.com/document/194147061/Unified-Command-Plan-History If you can find this memo, i'm sure it contains more info on Rummy and caps; Memo, SecDef for the President, Unified Command Plan 2002 (U), Apr 02, S, folder 8, box 2 UCP 2002, Historians Research and Reference Materials, JHO.

IMHO, we don't need another branch of the US Armed Forces and US leadership needs to find some middle ground. The simplest solution (in my simple mind) would be to take the next logical step by making this new "Space Force" a Combatant Command "again". This move will require leadership to reverse course and admit they made a mistake way back when. We can call this new Combatant Command "USSPACECOM" just like we did before it was absorbed into USSTRATECOM back in 2002 (original USSPACECOM lifespan 1985 - 2002). We already have 10 Geographic/Functional Combatant Commands so why not just add one more? Problem; The cap on the number of authorized/approved Combatant Commands will need to be changed to do something like this. Currently the Unified Command Plan directs that Unified Combatant Commands be capped at 10, and with the formation of any new Combatant Command, one would have to be deactivated (this is what happened to the original USSPACECOM/it was USSPACECOM versus USNORTHCOM for spot #10 and USNORTHCOM won).

Another one of our adversaries made a similar maneuver in the WESTPAC during the 1920s/30s and we know how that turned out. Back then Folks didn't start shaking in their boots until Dec 1941. See - the Japanese Mandate for the South Seas Islands/South Pacific Mandate. The terms of the mandate required Japan not to fortify the islands. However, these terms were ambiguous and poorly-defined, specifying only that Japan should not build "fortifications" or construct "military or naval bases". From 1921 the Japanese military began making surveys and plans so that rapid military deployment to the islands would be possible in case of war. The Imperial Japanese Navy divided the territory into five naval districts in Palau, Saipan, Truk, Ponape and Jaluit Atoll, all reporting to a rear admiral at the naval headquarters at Truk. During the 1930s, the Imperial Japanese Navy began construction of airfields, fortifications, ports, and other military projects in the islands controlled under the mandate, viewing the islands as "Unsinkable Aircraft Carriers" with a critical role to play in the defense of the Japanese home islands against potential US invasion. These became important staging grounds for Japanese air and naval offensives in the Pacific War. Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands was a major base supporting the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Wake Island. Palau was used to support the invasion of the Philippines by Japan. Saipan in the Mariana Islands supported the Battle of Guam. Truk (now known as Chuuk Lagoon) in the Caroline Islands became the base for amphibious landings on Tarawa and Makin in the Gilberts, as well as Rabaul in the Australian mandate Territory of New Guinea. Majuro in the Marshall Islands was used in air strikes against Howland Island. Jaluit Atoll, also in the Marshall Islands, was the base from which the Japanese Navy seized Nauru and Ocean Island (now known as Banaba Island). The Imperial Japanese Army also utilized the islands to support air and land detachments.

Just another normal day a Minot. Additionally, the Secretary of the Air Force Michael Winn and Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Michael Moseley were s#&t canned (rightly so IMHO) as a result of this SNAFU. The recommendations from the investigation of this incident also resulted in the creation of Air Force Global Strike Command to control all USAF nuclear bombers, nuclear missiles/bombs, and personnel.

Yep. These type deals can take a loooong time to reach any logical state of fruition. Here's a look back/few highlights from the last time we conducted nuclear weapons negotiations with an adversary that actually had "Real Live Nukes" with Short, Intermediate, Strategic range/reach. - Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty; US/USSR negotiations started in Nov 1981 and the INF Treaty went into effect in June 1988 (it took 7 years, 5 months to cut this deal). Key note; The INF Treaty was approved/ratified by the US Senate. - Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START); US/USSR negotiations started in June 1982 and the START Treaty went into effect in Dec 1994 (it took 12 years, 6 months to cut this deal). Key note; The START Treaty was approved/ratified by the US Senate. Here's my take on the current status of the US/Nork Nuke negotiations. We have taken the first baby step by CNX/suspending Joint US/ROK exercises and have 6,969 more steps to go; - We have seen these type of actions taken by the US and our allies before. I'm cautiously optimistic but wouldn't be surprised if we get screwed "again" in the long run. Hopefully this move (CNXing Exercises) will be considered a signal of good faith to the Norks and it's also reminiscent of something right out of the President Reagan/HW Bush playbook. - We did something similar to this back in the late 1980's/early 1990's in Europe/NATO. These US/NATO actions were in direct response to the US/USSR Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF-Treaty) which went into effect in 1988, ongoing comprehensive START Treaty negotiations, and finally the collapse of the USSR in late Dec 1991. Also the end of the Cold War ushered in the era of the "Peace Dividend" which resulted in drastic cuts to US/NATO military spending. Note; the Peace Dividend era pretty much sucked for us military folks. - Basically we started scaling back our troop levels/equipment/armament, cancelling or scaling back our exercises, etc, etc. Here's one of maaaany Examples; The massive "Reforger Exercise" was cancelled in 1989 and by the early 1990's it was officially terminated (many other NATO exercise were also terminated or scaled way back). The downside today (last 5 to 10 years) = Russia is acting up again and we're starting to ramp some of this stuff back up again.

Yep. When in doubt cut the catapult hose. The Fire Dept/EOD folks have the proper tool for cutting this hose and the EOD guys know where to cut it (done this a few times myself way back when).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/06/03/an-fbi-agent-did-a-backflip-in-a-club-dropped-his-gun-and-accidentally-shot-someone-police-say/?utm_term=.03c9777e9417

I'm not sure how many executive orders President Trump has revoked so far? He might need to up his game if he wants to compete with some of his predecessors. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/trump-hasnt-rolled-back-obamas-executive-orders-so-far/