Posted on 02/15/2008 5:27:11 AM PST by Travis McGee
Not quite. The low earth orbit spy sats are the "low hanging fruit" that would be simple to target, and would remove our "big eyes" in space. But GPS sats are in very high orbits, I think above 10,000 miles up. There is a large "constellation" of them, and hitting a few would not take down GPS.
Most comm sats are in medium to high orbits, and are also harder to target.
THe other vulnerability of low earth orbit spy sats is that destroying them will put a cloud of debris into that altitude that might render low earth orbits unuseable for years.
Better put in a BIG order for Agent Orange.
Not yet, at least!
LOL........weedeater.......:o)
IMHO being hunted by one of these things is the definition of terror. It never rests, or feels pain, and you can’t hide from it.
I wonder if the “real” pilots sit in a different part of the Nellis mess hall from the UAV pilots, and shoot each other dirty looks?
I wonder if the “real” pilots would give one of their bretheren hell for dating that female UAV pilot captain I photo’d back around reply 5?
If it comes to that, then the war has been lost. No group of patriots, or militia, or whatever you want to call it has jet fighters and tanks. Not to mention satellite surveillance and nukes.
No modern government has been overthrown without significant elements of the military switching sides. In Russia in 1917, the army resorted to using peasant conscripts, who were more sympathetic to the Bolsheviks than their officers. In China, the communists had been part of the WWII effort, and were a de facto part of the military, well-trained and well-equipped. In Russia in 1991, the coup failed because the tankers decided to defend Yeltsin and company at the White House rather than attack them.
If it were to come to that in the US, our best hope would be in the Reserves and the National Guard -- folks who don't live in the isolated world of the military, but with and among us. If ordered to fire on an unruly crowd of their neighbors, they would be less inclined to shoot the crowd than to shoot the officer giving the order.
In my new book, the bad guys running the USA develop a kind of “mini-hellfire” that is more “useable.” Not as big of a crater, or collateral damage risk. Rides the UV laser down to its target, boom! But not too big of a boom. Just enough to take out a car or a few insurgents.
By storming the compound and taking the children out by force? Government negotiators repeatedly asked Koresh to send the children out, and he refused.
If the compound had been stormed by "patriots" instead of by government forces, I'm not sure the outcome would have been much different.
They're good, on balance. You can do many of the same missions as manned aircraft for a lot less money, and with much less risk. And you can also do more dangerous missions, again because there is much less risk.
The missions can also be much longer, and more frequent, because no "fatigue" factor -- with the UAVs you can just turn the stick over to the next shift.
There are downsides, of course -- the biggest being the need to maintain comm with the vehicle; and the rather natural temptation avoid risk by assigning UAVs to missions that (for now) are better suited to manned aircraft.
Dunno........ IMO , Honestly........ the professional Navy & Air Force fixed wing fighter pilots are above such real rivalry as the UAV’s save lives of our combat troops and life is precious to them as well......
I can’t see it . But it may be present , just in the O club maybe and all friendly ribbin I’d think.
There has also never been a nation armed to the teeth with literally uncounted millions of scoped deer rifles capable of “minute of man” at 500+ yards. Never.
In some ways it’s easier to occupy Iraq, than it would be for our military to enforce a tyranny here in the USA.
In Iraq, our forces live in protected firebases. THeir families are thousands of miles away, safe at home in America.
If the military tried to stamp out a hypothetical insurgency here in the USA, it would get very messy. THose troops have homes and dependents mingled among the population they would be trying to suppress. THey can’t live buttoned up inside of tanks and APCs.
It would get old, living “on base” 24.7, afraid to go to the shopping mall, or the civilian golf course etc. It would be a long walk in the open across the parking lot at Walmart for the off-duty State Security goon.
I sincerely hope we never have the opportunity to test either sides of that equation.
Plus, nobody can naysay their great results. They are a winner for our “team.”
That's the attitude I'm talking about.
"The Government" did so and so, so I have no responsibility.
If the children died, frankly, if anyone living in peace on their own land died, then -WE- did something wrong.
The attitude has become "The Government" is not synonymous "The People."
That means we have no responsibility for what the government does, and thus, no control over it either.
Congress won't have to.
Jan 20, 2009 President B. Hussein Obama will order all U.S. Forces to stand down, return home, and deactivate.
What is the greater number, half of the USA’s population, or a quarter of China’s?
Anyway, that’s besides the point. Even a country like Korea can now field many times the number of techno-wiz’s that they would ever need. Our monopoly on techno-wiz production is over, is what I’m saying.
Here’s a giggle for ya I have to run.......gotta go to a funeral !
Later !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSPQKwEJcn4
Oh geeez, that is TOO funny! “Don’t mess with Big Grandma!”
Actually...no need to storm anything.
If 500 'patriots' had just shown up and taken up camp between the jackboots and the nuts, then what would've been the harm of the police standing down and handing "the seige" over to the local sherriff?
They could've arrested Koresh at a press conference or a book tour.
Tell me. What would've been a better outcome for the confidence in our civil liberty?
A* To have had the Government 'lose face' and back down having lost some of their own in the line of fire during the ill-conceived initial attack/assault on the compound...and to have peacefully arrested Koresh later on for an orderly trial and death penalty a la McVeigh...
-or-
B* To show for once and for all that no amount of force and pre-trial violence will be spared if you dare oppose the iron fist of "The Government," essentially mooting the real utility of the 2nd amendment forever.
Really. Which do you think would be better for the health of the Republic, not to mention the health of the children?
The latter shows that the POLICE are the Law. The former shows that THE PEOPLE are the Law.
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