MILITARY STRENGTH and lies and spins being told by GOP candidates

Every time I try to sit down and calmly watch my recorded Presidential debates ( Both parties)I get so frustrated that I switch to other recorded programs such as American Idol, Blacklist, The Grinder and Limitless.

By the way....I'm not sure how anybody can watch commercial TV without a DVR service.  Even sporting events, which are live, are so much better when you can jam through the advertisers and focus on the event.  Which means I watch a golf tournament, a football game and a baseball game on a one hour delay.  The only problem happens when a friend calls and says...."wow, was that a great shot or what?"

So I'm reduced to not answering the phone during certain athletic occasions, which doesn't really turn out to be a problem unless I miss a one call dinner opportunity.   I have a problem listening to messages and have always just checked my caller ID and returned calls.......most of the time.

Plus....while recording a show there is the PAUSE button which allows for trips to the kitchen and the loo.

One of the main things that gets me worked up is listening to the GOP dudes (no chicks left) keep verbalizing how WEAK our military has become.

TIME TO REMIND

SPENDING ON MILITARY .......ANNUALLY

USA..........$600 BILLION
CHINA.....$210 BILLION
RUSSIA....$84 BILLION
S. ARABIA....$80 BILLION
FRANCE........$62 BILLION


WARPLANES

USA....................13,500
RUSSIA................3,500
CHINA.................3,000
INDIA...................2,000
JAPAN.................1,600
S. KOREA............1.500
N. KOREA..............944

AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

USA......10
CHINA....1
RUSSIA....1
ITALY......2
INDIA.....2
BRAZIL....1
FRANCE....1
SPAIN.......1
THAILAND......1  (HUH?)

WE HAVE BUILT A TOTAL 0F 68 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN OUR HISTORY
UNITED KINGDOM BUILT 40 (NONE ACTIVE)
JAPAN BUILT 20 (NONE ACTIVE)

TANKS

RUSSIA......15,398
CHINA..........9,156
USA...............8,848

(I would assume that Russia and China might need tanks to protect their borders against each other but when was the last time a tank was used on America soil?)  Answer....Kent State.

SUBMARINES

USA.....75
NORTH KOREA.....70
CHINA.........68
RUSSIA.....60
IRAN.....33

The fact that North Korea has 70 subs is rather alarming but it also explains once again
why nobody has food.  Have to think that eventually all 26 million people will be in the military.
And then looking at Iran one has to also think that it's a bit crowded in the Persian Gulf.

STANDING ARMIES

1	People's Republic of China	2,285,000
2	United States of America	1,361,755
3	India	1,325,450
4	Democratic People's Republic of Korea	1,190,000
5	Russian Federation	766,055

China.....2.2 mil.....USA.......1.3 mi.......India...1.3.....N.Korea...1.1 mil
Russia.....766,000.
Now please note that China has 1.3 BILLION people
India has 1.3 BILLION people
USA has.......318 MILLION

WARSHIPS

1)NORTH KOREA..................967
2)CHINA..................................714
3)USA.......................................415

This is one reason North Korea can't feed their people.....but since the US and Japan have about 13,000 more warplanes than N.Korea I'd call their warships edge a non-factor.


NUCLEAR ARSENALS

(Click on image)

Considering that detonating probably 50 of these "things" would alter life on earth for the next
200,000 years 15,793 does seem like overkill....but then you already knew that.

And one more tiny detail.....if you are looking for a summer cabin I wouldn't pick anything near these locations.

Simply called.....

Weapons production complexes

I'm not even going to add our latest war darlings to this list because they are being built faster and deployed faster than anyone can count....and the amount of companies making them is unbelievable.

DRONES are the future of warfare and it looks like EVERYONE will have them.....
and
I
mean
EVERYONE.

Something else just occurred to me........if Donald Trump was President......what kind of Presidential library would he build and where?  Maybe on top of the Trump Tower in NYC.......or downtown Vegas.  Would his wall have his name on the side.....TRUMP WALL.

Imagine a Donald Trump aircraft carrier with his name running the entire length of the ship.....and remember he wasn't kidding when he said Sarah Palin would be in his cabinet.

You might ask what this has to do with GOP candidates always underestimating the USA military?

EVERYONE OF THE GOP CANDIDATES THINKS AMERICA SUCKS AND THAT BARACK OBAMA IS THE ANTI-CHRIST AND THE WORST PRESIDENT WE HAVE EVER HAD.

THEY ARE SO WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING AND THE DONALD IS THEIR LEADER

WE ARE THE GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WITH THE STRONGEST MILITARY AND PEOPLE THAT ARE SIMPLY CELEBRITY GRAZED ARE ABOUT TO TURN OUR LAND INTO A PLAYGROUND FOR IDIOTS.

DONALD TRUMP'S FINGERS ON BUTTONS AND TRIGGERS OF MASS DESTRUCTION SEEMS 
LUDICROUS
AND
VERY
SCARY

I tried writing a piece about our military might and ended up scaring myself with a Trump moment.

I'm going to try and ignore anybody who isn't positive about America.

I guess that means no more political coverage.........period!

Most likely......not possible.

By the way...have you seen those GoPro Drones with the AK 47's attached?

God help us.....


Michael Timothy McAlevey

Fire Balloons

I don't normally deal with historic events because I prefer current events but this story just simply blows my mind.

Wikipedia

The Japanese fire balloon was the first ever weapon possessing intercontinental range (the second being the Convair B-36 Peacemaker and the third being the R-7ICBM). The Japanese balloon strikes on North America were at that time the longest ranged attacks ever conducted in the history of warfare, a record which was not broken until the 1982 Operation Black Buck raids during the Falkland Islands War.

The balloons were ineffective as weapons but were used in one of the few attacks on North America during World War II.

From late 1944 until early 1945, the Japanese launched over 9300 fire balloons, of which 300 were found or observed in the U.S. Despite the high hopes of their designers, the balloons were ineffective as weapons: causing only six deaths (from one single incident) and a small amount of damage.

The Japanese designed two types of balloons. The first was called the "Type B Balloon" and was designed by the Japanese Navy. It was 9 m (30 ft) in diameter and consisted of rubberized silk. The type B balloons were sent first and mainly used for meteorological purposes. The Japanese used them to determine the possibility of the bomb-carrying balloons reaching North America.^[3] The second type was the bomb-carrying balloon. Japanese bomb-carrying balloons were 10 m (33 ft) in diameter and, when fully inflated, held about 540 m³ (19,000 cu ft) of hydrogen. Their launch sites were located on the east coast of the main Japanese island of Honshū.

Japan released the first of these bomb-bearing balloons on November 3, 1944. They were found in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Kansas,Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Michigan^[4] and Iowa, as well as Mexico and Canada.

General Kusaba's men launched over 9,000 balloons throughout the course of the project. The Japanese expected 10% (around 900) of them to reach America, which is also what is currently believed by researchers.^[5] About 300 balloon bombs were found or observed in America. It is likely that more balloon bombs landed in unpopulated areas of North America.

The last one was launched in April 1945.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_balloon

IMAGINE THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS REGARDING THESE OBJECTS

Truman learns about the fire balloons and makes a decision to drop one of OUR special " Little Boy" balloons on a balloon factory in Hiroshima and then the next day discovers another balloon factory in Nagasaki.......

Pilots in the Enola Gay look out their port window and say...."what the fuck are those things" as they fly past 50 balloons on their way to California.

A farmer in Nevada looks up and reports the first UFO in 1944 and the government says...."mind your own business Mr. MacDonald."

The scientist who created this device went on to start Toyota because he had access to millions of pounds of high grade rubber.

The Trojan prophylactic company was started because some guy in California stumbled upon a balloon outside of Bakersfield and suddenly was in possession of a thousand yards of interesting material that could be stretched very very thinly....and it was incredibly strong.

The agent who was handling the transaction between the rubber plantation in Honduras and the Japanese Government became a theatrical agent in Hollywood.

THE STRANGEST PART OF THIS STORY CENTERS ON THE FACT THAT I'VE NEVER HEARD ABOUT FIRE BALLOONS UNTIL THIS MORNING....

I must have had 100 war conversations with my father who was a marine in WW11 and he never mentioned them.  Wish I could ask him now but his rock at Westlake Golf Course always remain very quiet when I say hi every Tuesday morning.

I've watched numerous shows on the History Channel regarding WW11 and have never seen a story about Fire Balloons.

9300 balloons and one fatal incident.

Single lethal attack[edit]

Killed near Bly, Oregon[23]

1. Elsie Mitchell, age 26

2. Edward Engen, age 13

3. Jay Gifford, age 13

4. Joan Patzke, age 13

5. Dick Patzke, age 14

6. Sherman Shoemaker, age 11

Mitchell Monument

On May 5, 1945, a pregnant woman (Elsie Winters Mitchell, born February 26, 1919)^[24] and five children were killed when they discovered a balloon bomb that had landed in the forest of Gearhart Mountain in Southern Oregon. Archie Mitchell was the pastor of the Bly Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. He and his pregnant wife Elsie drove up to Gearhart Mountain with five of their Sunday school students (aged 11–14) to have a picnic. They had to stop at this spot near Bly, Oregon, due to construction and a road closing. Elsie and the children got out of the car at Bly, while Archie drove on to find a parking spot. As Elsie and the children looked for a good picnic spot, they saw a strange balloon lying on the ground. As the group approached the balloon, a bomb attached to it exploded, killing Elsie and all five children instantly. Archie and several members of the road crew witnessed the explosion and immediately ran to the scene and used their hands to extinguish the fire on Elsie's and the children's clothing, but they could not save them.^[25][26] Two members of the road crew gathered their bearings and headed to Bly. These are the only known deaths caused by the balloon bombs. Aside from the Aleutian Islands Campaign in the Alaska Territory, they are the only known deaths in the contiguous U.S. as the result of enemy action during World War II and the only civilian casualties on American soil after the US entry into the war.

Military personnel arrived on the scene within hours, and saw that the balloon still had snow underneath it, while the surrounding area did not. They concluded that the balloon bomb had drifted to the ground several weeks earlier, and had lain there undisturbed until found by the group.

Elsie Mitchell is buried in the Ocean View Cemetery in Port Angeles, Washington. A memorial, the Mitchell Monument, is located at the point of the explosion, 110 kilometers (68 miles) northeast of Klamath Falls in the Mitchell Recreation Area. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. Several Japanese civilians have visited the monument to offer their apologies for the deaths that took place here, and several cherry trees have been planted around the monument as a symbol of peace.^[26]

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time......

And then as I read about the balloons I discover that they started making them out of WASHI paper because of how strong the fiber is........and I use Washi paper whenever I do a painting not done on canvas.

WTF????????

Michael Timothy McAlevey

And then Libya becomes an ISIS playground......

This morning in the LA TIMES an article on the front page claims that The Islamic State is now seizing land in certain oil-rich parts of Libya.

How is one suppose to reconcile the idea of eliminating a crazy dictator KNOWING THAT THE ALTERNATIVE is a thousand times worst?

It has taken a little while longer, but as we apply pressure in Syria and Iraq the bad guys just move to another place where stability seems not to exist.  Libya has been having it's own internal struggle since Qaddafi and his loony sons were removed but it's never been clear who we are backing in that struggle.  I hear talk about civilian militia but how can we be sure who we are offering weapons and support TO?

North Africa is a literal time bomb that offers no hope to anyone thinking a calm and normal reality might emerge from all the chaos.

John Kerry is quoted as saying....."Islamic State threatens to gain a 'stranglehold' on billions of dollars of oil revenue."   

The population of Libya is 6.6 million.  It is 97% Sunni Muslim.

Libya has had no functioning central government since the NATO overthrow of Moammar Qaddafi in 2011.

MIGHT AS WELL HAVE PUT UP A GIANT SIGN SAYING......

"ALL RADICAL ASSHOLES WELCOMED....MO REGISTRATION REQUIRED." 

And then considering that the ISLAMIC STATE IS ALSO SUNNI MUSLIM....IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME.

Is it becoming clear that maybe asshole DICTATORS might be a more sensible choice than asshole religious radical GROUPS.

Egypt has to be involved in the end game process considering almost the entire eastern part of Libya runs along their border...but since they are 94% Sunni Muslim maybe they don't give a damn...and will just fold into whoever emerges victorious.   Egypt has 70 million people and the largest armed forces in the Middle East....but they seem rather quiet regarding this matter.

SERIOUSLY....IF THE ISLAMIC STATE 
HAS SEIZED TERRITORY IN LIBYA 
WHY HASN'T EGYPT STEPPED IN 
AND SPANKED THEM INTO THE MEDITERRANEAN?

and unfortunately I might have an answer.........

The countries that border Libya are
Egypt
Sudan
Algeria
Tunisia
Niger

ALGERIA, EGYPT AND SUDAN ARE PREDOMINATELY SUNNI MUSLIM.

Tunisia is the smallest African country, as well as the most liberal, and Niger is an Islamic country but at this moment seems to have it's own internal struggle between certain tribes.

THE FIGHT FOR THE ISLAMIC SOUL OF NORTHERN AFRICA IS A VERY REAL BATTLE BETWEEN SUNNI AND SHITE.

BUT AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE......
IS
THIS CONFLICT
JUST
A
BATTLE
FOR
OIL?

Could this be a reason for low oil prices.......IS IT OUR WAY OF SCREWING WITH THE ASSHOLES WHO KEEP TRYING TO CIRCUMVENT ENTREPRENEURSHIP........TAKING OVER SOMEONE ELSE'S WORK IS NOT THE AMERICAN WAY....unless of course you are a giant multinational corporruption and you take over through acquisition....but that is a contract between two parties.

THERE IS NO CONTRACT IN LIBYA WHEN THE ISLAMIC STATE SWOOPS IN AND TAKES OVER.

And one more thing....how did they move their equipment from Syria and Iraq to Libya?

They don't have an air force and they don't have a navy......

Maybe they have extremely large 3-D printers.......

I hope Egypt and Saudi Arabia  wake up and decide that the Islamic State should be a thing of the past.

And I hope they wake up soon...before their playground turns into a Islamic State Disney World playground.


Michael Timothy McAlevey

Officially underway.....

As the state of Iowa says goodbye to all the Presidential candidates and New Hampshire welcomes them in, things have become much clearer after the first caucus concluded last night.

Mike Huckabee and Martin O'Malley have dropped out of the race so that helps clear things up a bit.

Sarcasm and political maneuvering seem to go hand in hand when trying to explain the current state of affairs regarding who will take the oath of office next January.

AT THIS POINT THERE IS NO FRONT RUNNER...FOR EITHER PARTY.

The Donald lost his first attempt to validate that a celebrity doesn't have to have political experience to win a political office.  The people of Iowa made a small statement by selecting Ted Cruz over Donnie and the Rube from Florida.  It was close but Eddie Munster can now walk into New Hampshire claiming a victory.  Mr. Trump can simply write it off by saying something special like...."have you ever been to Iowa?"

On the Democratic side Mrs. Bill Clinton is claiming victory and if 49.6 vs 49.3 is a victory than God bless her.

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton will split the delegates in the state of Iowa and in my humble opinion that seems like a tie.  When you consider that six months ago Bernie had less than 3% of the vote and 98% of the people in Iowa wondered why an ex-Yankee center fielder thought he could be the new Potus... this was a monster night for him

To say Mr. Sanders made a statement in Iowa does his campaign an injustice.

HE KICKED HILLARY'S ASS.

SPLITTING THE DELEGATES WITH THE MOST FAMOUS POLITICAL WOMAN IN THE UNITED STATES, IF NOT THE WORLD, IS A HUGE WIN.

After he takes New Hampshire the pundits will finally have to acknowledge that there is not only a race on the Democratic ticket but BERNIE SANDERS CAN ACTUALLY WIN THE NOMINATION.

AND THEN WHEN HE PICKS HILLARY FOR HIS RUNNING MATE
LIGHTS OUT

Please don't suggest that Hilly's ego won't allow her to play second fiddle.  She's done it before and there's really no shame in being the first female Vice-President of the United States.  In fact....it might be the best job for her.  

She can travel the world with the sole purpose of elevating the plight of women on every social and economic level.  And then when she announces that she is gay that's another banner she could carry....and everybody loves rainbows....right?

The fact that Bernie is 74 should also make her think twice about not doing it.....the actual average life span of an adult American male is 77 so she might not have to wait that long.

It will be interesting to see how the southern primaries shape up...on both sides.  Texas vs Florida vs
Television star on one side and pinko commie liberal Jewish dude vs loud mouth probably gay babe on the other.

I'm just teasing.............................................................aren't I?

Hillary became well known through her Arkansas connection but she's actually from the Chicago area so there might not be a deep relationship for her with those loving tolerant souls in the south.  Bernie has multiple issues and it might be interesting to see a few primaries on the Demo side where the voter turnout is 5%.

I've said it before and I'll say in again....

BERNIE is the only person who seems interested in what happens to your good old middle class and underprivileged  Americans..........can he do anything about the banking industry or wall street?
Probably not....but at least he points out the problem.

The consolidation of the banking industry is borderline monopolistic.  

His vision of a actual health care system that includes everyone is the future of a government that taxes it's average citizens far beyond  any sense of reason and allows it's privileged citizens loop hole upon loop hole.

All the GOP candidates do is rip Obama, claim we have no more military and tear up Hillary.
All Hillary does is tell us how she gets things done.

The race is now on the course and within a couple months there will only be a few runners left.

I still think the conventions will yield some epic surprises.

Bye Bye Iowa....hello America.

Michael Timothy McAlevey