Friends, on this week's Newsmakers show, Brian and I reflect on the increasingly desperate economic predicament of the Islamic Republic of Iran...or more accurately of its miserable inhabitants, since the leadership seems to be somewhat oblivious to the suffering of ordinary people. But for how long? Iran can only sink so far before even the mullahs have to reacquire some sort of grip on reality. In addition, Brian and I talk over class changes in the last several generations in the U.K. and the U.S., the expansion of SpaceX infrastructure in the context of the recent softening of the Trump-Musk relationship, the precipitious rise in our national debt, the feasibility of third party candidates for high office, and more!!!
https://wysl.podbean.com/e/newsmakers-8-29-26/
In other news, DJT has announced a big new deal to expand Venezulean oil production, and to channel a lot of the profits into American hands. Sounds nice! Can the government there be trusted, and will private enterprise play ball, as it undoubtedly would need to in order to make production rise? We shall see.
RAY TO JACK
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you that is off subject for this post on the Mullahs. I meant to ask you before, but let my thoughts drift until now. I know you can answer it because you were on an aircraft carrier.
I see clips about life aboard The George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and I get the feeling that the content is managed, for want of a better word.
I see a lot of clips on sailors dining, brief views of living quarters, everyone looks happy. Sorry about this feeble description, which is the reason I am asking you. Was in the Air Force, and no nothing about a sailor's life, and especially aboard a ship.
Thanks in advance in getting me straight on this. Having been in AF Public Affairs, I know how things can be managed, and made to look good. However, your talking about your life aboard a carrier sounds realistic.
Dr. Waddy: Re the Newsmaker broadcast: In considering the Meta decision I am reminded of what I see as the prosecution of alleged class action victimhood often simply as a cynical way to make money for either individuals, organizations or government. We often see the proceeds used to enrich those persons or entities.Ostentatious palatial living for those bringing the charges on behalf of perceived oppressed groups is an example of this kind of injustice . We need tort reform. (And you are right in asserting that banning access to social media will certainly result in very widespread avoidance of such barriers. Similarly, Prohibition and prohibition of alcohol and drugs does not prevent extensive usage.
ReplyDeleteOn the broadcast you cast doubt on the rationality of our electorate apparently both in connection with runaway gov't spending and the persistence of a dominant Dem/GOP dichotomy in elected office and in the unelected bureaucracy empowered by elected office holders . I agree with you; when I took Poli Sci 100 we immediately considered how personal non political preferences like looks , personality, personal style, ancestry , sports and entertainment celebrity , neighborhood, etc. are commonly decisive in the choices voters make. So very many voters are very busy living positive lives and don't have the time or the desire to think about politics. Too, we expect our representatives to bring the bacon home from the state and Federal gov't's taxing them and are not happy with reps who propose cutting spending directly benefitting their constituents.
Marxism holds that it is possible to impose comprehensive reason on a political system by having a wise elite dictate all policy. They think Marx, Lenin and Mao manifested careful reasoning in discerning compelling lessons from history which, if followed, guarantee rationality in government. The consequences show that uncertain and often irrational democracy yields far better government than that of cold "logic" and other contrived schools of reasoning such as dialectical materialism.
above, by "persons or entities " I mean those taking such concerns to law. Jack
ReplyDeleteRay: I think we were half crazy due to crowding, heat , ambient extreme noise , virtually no privacy , home sickness and worry about family, thought of how much longer we had to go in our enlistments , the "Micky mouse" regulations always experienced in the service, inevitable personal clashes with people some of whom you were almost sleeping with but who had the rank to sit while you painted, standing relentless monotonous watches , lack of sleep, ( sometimes during training for Vietnam we were on watch for 24 hrs. at a time) etc, etc.
ReplyDeleteWe compensated with never ending obscene language and allusions, sometimes hilarious horseplay, watching movies, mail call and chow (which on the ship I was on was available almost 24/7 and was of excellent quality and variety), bitching, long talks with friends some of whom I still have, liberty in some fascinating foreign ports , enthusiastic drinking in exotic settings, reading , planning for our post Navy lives and oh yes, attention paid to duties. The sea was sometimes very interesting to be in.
Almost none of us wanted to be there and I knew nobody on their first enlistment who "shipped" for more service. We had a few higher ranked guys who were making it their career. Military service was a lawful obligation then ((68-72 for me) and me and the guys I still hear from are I think glad we did it. You can make uniquely close friends in the military. Too, America rewards us with excellent veteran's benefits and much public respect now.
How about your experiences or those of any vet reading at this site?
MY guess is that the LIncoln guys had it much as we did BUT: they were out for over 250 consecutive days without a port call in the greasy clinging heat of the Indian Ocean; I've been there and it was worse than the S.China Sea we were in .The longest I was ever out was 60 days Plus , they have women in the crew ,which we did not. I understand there are far fewer women than men aboard and that may have a bad effect on the men's morale and those of their families.
As for actual combat the ship's crew of the carrier I was on did not experience it though we were sometimes in sight of the North and South Vietnamese shores. But our pilots were in very frequent combat. We went to ship battle stations several times because of the near possibility of attacks which did not materialize. The ever present danger was the ship itself, with jet fuel, bombs, rockets and napalm in storage and use. Several carriers had very bad fires with fatalities; they almost lost the Forrestal to one .
RAY TO JACK
DeleteThanks so much for sharing all this with me. Much appreciated.
Never had any experiences in the Air Force that even came close to yours. Hope some veterans will read your comments on this site.
What you have said makes me appreciate even more what our carrier crews are doing out there. God Bless all of our Armed Forces! God Bless the leadership our country has at this time, with hopes it will continue for many years to come.
Dr. Waddy: Doesn't surprise me that a brilliant business man , a proven common sense manager and a patriot would want to move his flagship enterprise out of a hostile California to a state which insists on perpetuating American values and verities.
ReplyDeleteYou never know what's coming next from CA's dictatorship. Why its sorta like those Marxist hellholes; first its one infallible, unchallengeable truth , then its a completely contrary one for which you must consequently and unfailingly devote your undoubtable allegiance, on pain of alot of , well, pain.
That's not a great setting for conducting serious free enterprise ; why you never quite how or when CA will make it even less free. Luckily we have a still free country and I think those commissars can't interfere when common sense moves common sense entrepreneurs and thinkers to haul ass, though they would if they could. Gee, just like those Iron Curtain countries were.
You'd almost think that California doesn't want any person or entity aside from its all knowing government making decisions effecting the generation and distribution of wealth. But, but . . .that's Marxist ! Who woulda thought? A no nonsense American achiever like Musk is who. And he has no time for their "progressive" dreck; he's too busy working real progress. And maybe as a loyal American he derives some satisfaction from shaming a most unAmerican regime like that of CA.
Jack, I have no doubt that pure greed explains why many states joined the class action suit against Meta, but on the other hand social media platforms have indeed been implicated in the misfortunes, including the deaths, of plenty of children. That should hardly surprise us, of course. But if a child committed suicide because they received a nasty letter in the mail, would dozens of states sue the post office and demand an end to postal delivery? Of course not. Would they demand that stores stop selling paper and pens? No. That would be dumb. The same logic applies to the attacks on social media, if you ask me. We're blaming the medium when we should be looking at the bigger picture.
ReplyDeleteJack, as I think you make clear, sailors are far, far better off in today's Navy than their counterparts were in the Vietnam era, in every respect EXCEPT, perhaps, the length of deployments. In any case, the current focus on morale and living conditions for our servicemen in the Gulf is ENTIRELY tactical and cynical for the media and for the Democrats. It certainly has nothing to do with the rationality or moral rectitude of the mission.
I agree: Musk is wise to hightail it out of the Golden State, which is ironic since his companies got their start there. California sure does know how to eat its own.
Dr. Waddy: "Our heretic President does but intensify the far left's hatred of him by willingness to make sound business practices and profit a key part of his diplomacy. Why, doesn't he realize that such practices are historically proven by definition oppressive ; how terrible that he forces them on a country recently embarked on the road to perfect justice but cynically done to atavistic regression by us! President AOC will make great haste to set Venezuela back on the path to progressive enlightenment and absolute equity. 2029 cannot dawn soon enough! "
ReplyDelete. . . NOT! Let Lenin do endless disaffected laps around his fiery cell.
Jack, I shudder to think how the Dems would redraw our agreement with Venezuela if they ever took power again. Free puppies for every South American Bolshevik?
ReplyDelete