Posted on 05/03/2021 7:02:32 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
See post above plus this: 20 (short) ton rated strap - https://www.amazon.com/Smittybilt-CC330-30-Recovery-Strap/dp/B004XG3MJ8?th=1
No, I get your point and it is valid. I’m on board...I just can’t shake the concept of a fraying strap which I have seen give out and need careful inspection, and chains which I never saw give out and didn’t require a lot of inspection, just...corrosion control, and not even a huge amount of that.
I’m just being an old fuddy-duddy. Can’t help it...:)
I can nearly hear myself “These new-fangled strap thingies...”
We are, and have been complacent for some time, IMO. And throwing money at them hand over foot.
And, eating out our military from within at the same time.
It is going to leave a mark.
There is a great book I have been hawking to everyone I can find, titled: "Stealth War: How China Took Over While America's Elite Slept" by Gen. Robert Spalding (Ret.)
Remarkable guy, and in this excellent interview Gen. Robert Spalding Interview with Patrick Bet-David he discusses MANY things of concern.
Note this is a long interview, nearly two hours, but I tell people that, instead of watching a movie some night, watch this instead.
There is one part where he says Communist China, at the individual small business level, is probably the purest form of capitalism in the world. He says that you can start nearly any small business you want, there is no regulation, the government doesn't really care...as long as you don't get in the way of the Party. You can steal, lie, rob, cook the books, anything. It is dog-eat-dog. But if you cross the party...
Anyway, great book, best on the subject, and the interview is stellar. Hearing we have men like him on our side gives me hope.
Next thing you know, you’re going to tell me to get off your lawn. :P
The spec for these modern straps when used in mission critical application is “Is it fraying? If so, just throw it away and get another, don’t ask stupid questions.” So, yeah, chains will last longer in heavy service if you don’t want to replace anything.
the alert five pilot in rough seas prefers chains
Technology moves on...
Does the alert five pilot also want to be flying around in an F4U Corsair? :P
With the exception of a small number of better trained and equipped units this is still true of most non-Western militaries. It also explains why when Western militaries intervene they still kick the locals' asses. It also means any non-Western force tries to avoid anything like conventional warfare.
The Chinese are trying to buildup a large, conventional force. But I suspect many of their weapons programs are greatly hampered by corruption and defects that are covered up so party poobahs can save face. Plus I seriously doubt they have been able to inculcate the same degree of cohesion and flexibility.
I'm afraid this will create the illusion for Xi (especially since he's surrounded by yes-men) that they are stronger than they really are, and this might provoke them into trying something stupid. This is compounded by the fact that they simply don't understand us. We look weak and disorganized to them because they do not comprehend that this amorphousness is a reflection of the fact that Americans in particular are self-organizing- we don't need a great leader to plan our societies and that, in fact, through centuries of trial and error we devised this way of living as the best. This amorphousness hides the fact that in the face of outside threat the plastic bodies of our societies can suddenly become very, very hard indeed.
Plus China's military is still far from capable of compensating for China's geostrategic weakness: except for a few areas it is completely dependent on imports of material by sea, exporting by sea and importing food by sea. They would need a navy large enough and powerful enough to avoid any chance of blockade, including chokepoints at Malacca, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. They are clearly trying to secure these with bases and proxies like the Iranians. But it is doubtful they can succeed unless we just roll over.
Ask him
For an alternate perspective, I present for your consideration the geopolitics of Hopper:
Why bother stealing with pedo joe ‘in charge’...
No 0-0 ejection system?
See post 10.
All anyone has to do is to review videos on the web from the carrier as they move the planes from the hanger to the deck and back. The plane is almost too long to go on the elevator, and only one at a time can be brought up.
Their whole movement is way too slow and they do not seem much interested in moving the planes any faster or operating any faster. The same for carrier operations such as loading and launching. Everything is too slow and they do not have the integral NCO corps with institutional knowledge to fix the problems.
All anyone has to do is to review videos on the web from the carrier as they move the planes from the hanger to the deck and back. The plane is almost too long to go on the elevator, and only one at a time can be brought up.
Their whole movement is way too slow and they do not seem much interested in moving the planes any faster or operating any faster. The same for carrier operations such as loading and launching. Everything is too slow and they do not have the integral NCO corps with institutional knowledge to fix the problems.
British guy who lived in Communist China
—
Serpentza - a South African. The reason for all the disrepair is that, by law, you can only lease an apartment for 7 years and then must move out. The other reasons are that builders only use cheap materials often using paper mache as concrete filler, looks nice for a while then crumbles. Investors use building projects to shelter their money, knowing that the government will buy them out in 7 years at original value.
He, like many others, were forced to flee China for their lives when the Deng “golden years” ended and Xi took over
His YouTube videos can be found here
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7mAGnY4jh4Ps8rhhh8XZg
Where are the Clintons...?
I’m not saying they’ll have a use count. I’m saying that if it starts fraying after just 100 uses, they’ll cheerfully throw it overboard and use a new one because they’re that cheap and they make so much of the strap material.
LOL...I think I WAS saying “Get off my lawn!” but in not so many words, and more irritatingly to me...not intentionally.
Sigh. One of the things I am having trouble with lately is the somewhat justified feeling of being “fossilized” and hardened mentally.
But then, I lay in my hammock with a beer and a pipe, and...things seem less fossilized to me. Thank goodness for warmer weather now...:)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.