COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Tough Guy Trump Show Up to Aipac Wearing a Kippah and Kneepads - Klinton at Full Neocon - Sanders a No Show Declines to Pander

Bravest man in Politics: Bernie Sanders harshly criticizes Israeli Occupation: ‘Absurd’ Settlements, 44% Unemployment

The Vermont senator called himself a “friend” and “partner” of Israel but called for an end to occuption of Palestine. 

After Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders decided against attending the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference, he outlined his views on the Palestine-Israel conflict and the wider Middle East via video, calling himself a “partner” and “friend” of Israel but not shying away from criticizing one of the United States’ closest allies.

“To my mind, as friends – long-term friends with Israel – we are obligated to speak the truth as we see it. That is what real friendship demands, especially in difficult times,“ said Sanders.

“I am here to tell the American people that, if elected president, I will work tirelessly to advance the cause of peace as a partner and as a friend to Israel.”
Sanders then addressed the need to help Palestinians given the challenges they face. “But to be successful, we have also got to be a friend not only to Israel, but to the Palestinian people, where in Gaza unemployment today is 44 percent and we have there a poverty rate which is almost as high,” Sanders explained.

A week after Israel appropriated huge tracts of land in the occupied West Bank, Sanders joined the United Nations and the European Union in criticizing Israel’s expansion of settlements, saying it “undermines the peace process” and Israeli “security.”

“It is absurd for elements within the Netanyahu government to suggest that building more settlements in the West Bank is the appropriate response to the most recent violence. It is also not acceptable that the Netanyahu government decided to withhold hundreds of millions of Shekels in tax revenue from the Palestinians, which it is supposed to collect on their behalf,” Sanders said.
The Vermont senator also called for an end to the economic blockade of Gaza and a “sustainable and equitable distribution of precious water resources so that Israel and Palestine can both thrive as neighbors.”

“Peace has to mean security for every Israeli from violence and terrorism. But peace also means security for every Palestinian. It means achieving self-determination, civil rights and economic well-being for the Palestinian people,” said Sanders.

“Peace will mean ending what amounts to the occupation of Palestinian territory, establishing mutually agreed upon borders, and pulling back settlements in the West Bank, just as Israel did in Gaza – once considered an unthinkable move on Israel’s part,” he added.

In contrast, Hillary Clinton attended the AIPAC conference and praised the “deep emotional connection” the U.S. shares with Israel.

The Democrat front-runner made it clear she would not remain neutral in the Israel-Palestine conflict and would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the U.S. as one of her first moves in the White House.

Clinton also criticized the growing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, telling Netanyahu: “Don’t let anyone bully you, or shut down debate … especially in places of learning like college or universities.”

Sanders was the only presidential candidate to skip AIPAC this year, which hosts more than 18,000 pro-Israel advocates and lobbyists. 
Via TeleSur 
——
Related video added by Juan Cole:

51 comments:

  1. ...” Here’s my hands. Now I have my hands, I hear, on the New Yorker, a picture of my hands. A hand with little fingers coming out of a stem. Like, little. Look at my hands. They’re fine. Nobody other than Graydon Carter years ago used to use that. My hands are normal hands....”

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  2. BEST LINE OF THE DAY

    let’s build a wall around Trump, Kasich and Cruz and make Trump pay for it.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. American Teen Survives Attack in Brussels, His Third Brush With Terrorism

    Mason Wells, 19, was injured in the bombing at the Brussels airport along with two other American Mormon missionaries who had gone to help check in other missionaries who were traveling to the U.S.

    Wells suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon, shrapnel injures, as well as second- and third-degree burns on his face and hands after the bombing, his father Chad Wells told ABC News.

    The teen missionary had previously been impacted by other terror attacks in Paris and Boston.

    “This is his third terrorist attack," Chad Wells said, noting he was with his son just a block from the Boston Marathon bombing.

    "This is the third time that sadly in our society that we have a connection to a bomb blast," Wells told ABC News. "We live in a dangerous world and not everyone is kind and loving."

    Wells said that during the Boston Marathon bombing, he was with his son a block away from the finish line, where the bombing took place, waiting for Mason Wells' mother, who ran the marathon.

    "It had shaken their bodies and he had taken Mason to our hotel and said to stay there," Kymberly Wells told ABC News of her son and husband being near the Boston bombing. "Mason was very calm and composed."

    The family said Wells was in France during the Paris attacks last year that lead to a wide mobilization to find the terrorists and disrupt future attacks.

    "Mason has always assured us that he is safe and careful," Kymberly Wells said. "I told him first and foremost always be aware of your surroundings, please be very careful when you’re traveling be very observant to people around you."

    Chad Wells said they were able to speak to their son, who was in the hospital, and they're optimistic he will make a full recovery. They said the teenager was basically at "ground zero" of the blast.

    "He shared with us that he was extremely close to the blast where he was burned by it," Chad Wells said. "It’s a blessing from God he’s alive."

    Chad Wells said his son is a "strong kid" who was able to remain calm throughout the ordeal today.

    "I think the Boston experience helped him to stay calm," Chad Well said.

    He explained a Mormon official relayed to the Wells family that Mason, "despite being on the ground and bleeding actually had a sense of humor and remained calm through the situation. That’s our Mason."

    The family said that their main concern is that Mason will be able to pursue his dream of joining the U.S. Naval Academy despite his injuries and that he has always wanted to serve his country in the military.

    "The way we get back on our feet after something like this happens is a true test of character," Chad Wells said. "He was blessed significantly by God. We see a blessing by this, not a terrible curse."

    http://abcnews.go.com/International/american-mormon-survives-attack-brussels-brush-terrorism/story?id=37850974

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  5. Should have known this was coming - ISIS sets up shop in India. South Asia has 4 1/2 times as many Moslems as the mid-east. Pakistan right next door to aid and abet. ISIS seems hell bent on taking on the entire world.

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    1. ISIS is the Palestinianization of the Sunnis.

      :)

      Delete
    2. March 23, 2016

      ISIS has set up shop in India

      By Richard L. Benkin


      In November, I asked if ISIS was establishing itself in South Asia and suggested that we will face severe consequences if we ignore this “possibly game-changing threat.” Having just returned from almost a month in South Asia, I can say confidently that this is no longer a question: ISIS is in South Asia, and it might already have set up shop in India.

      My November piece focused on Bangladesh and a suspected ISIS headquarters in the capital of Dhaka. In the short time since then, more evidence of an increasingly powerful ISIS there has emerged. Its November claim taking credit for the murder of a Bangladeshi policeman is no longer in dispute. More recently, ISIS has murdered a Hindu priest in Northern Bangladesh and takes credit for killing a Shiite in Southwestern Bangladesh. Police dispute the claim, variously attributing the murder to “drug addicts” and “groups aligned with political parties that are in opposition to the current government.” Statements by the Bangladeshi police should be suspect, however. They are notoriously corrupt and openly beholden to political parties. As the ruling Awami League and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed have a strong interest in maintaining the fiction that Bangladesh is a “moderate” country and that any threats to moderation come from their political rivals, the police denial is not unexpected.

      On February 12, 2016, the US State Department issued a travel advisory, “alert[ing] U.S. citizens to the ongoing potential for extremist violence in Bangladesh…. Since September 2015, Bangladesh has experienced a series of increasingly sophisticated violent attacks. These include the murders of two foreign nationals, as well as bombs and other attacks against gatherings of religious groups and security forces. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) publicly claimed credit for many of these attacks.” State never equivocated about ISIS/ISIL or doubted the ISIS presence, despite its penchant for mollifying local governments.

      Pakistan is hardly worth a mention as the ISIS presence is so well-established that even the mainstream media acknowledged it over a year ago.

      Delete
    3. The most frightening development, however, is the opening of an ISIS center in Kolkata [formerly Calcutta], India. During my time in that city, I was able to investigate the alleged center, map out entry points and security, and even snap some photos. Moreover, I was able to walk from that office to the undisguised office the Islamist Jamaat e Islami in less than five minutes during a high traffic time of day. While some questions remain, it is clear that we are seeing increased Islamist activity and cooperation in India. The State of West Bengal (where Kolkata is located) has long been hospitable to radical Muslims; and whether under communist rule (1977-2011) or since, the state has refused to plug gaping holes in its border, allowed agents to smooth the illegals’ merger into West Bengal society, and has sat by idly while the process has led to marked demographic change in the state; as documented in my book, A Quiet Case of Ethnic Cleansing: the Murder of Bangladesh’s Hindus.

      Officially, the region’s major intelligence agencies (India’s Research and Analysis Wing or RAW; Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Forces Intelligence or DGFI, and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI, which the US lists as a terrorist group) deny any ISIS presence; however, those public denials do not comport with their private statements.

      The danger is serious and growing. South Asia has more than 4.5 times as many Muslims than the Middle East, which means a greater pool for radicalization. It is easier for South Asians to enter the US, and it is almost automatic for them to enter the EU, gain citizenship, and take a plane here. We have opportunities to stop it, especially by supporting the one regional ally as opposed to radical Islam as we are: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He faces a host of domestic and regional challenges where we can help (job-creating joint ventures in the growing economy; backing for anti-terrorist actions in Kashmir; and more). Unfortunately, Modi like Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, is not one of the Obama Administration’s favorites; and that window of opportunity is closing.

      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/03/isis_has_set_up_shop_in_india.html#ixzz43jS4IoN7

      Delete
    4. Of course, of course......

      We have opportunities to stop it, especially by supporting the one regional ally as opposed to radical Islam as we are: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He faces a host of domestic and regional challenges where we can help (job-creating joint ventures in the growing economy; backing for anti-terrorist actions in Kashmir; and more). Unfortunately, Modi like Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, is not one of the Obama Administration’s favorites; and that window of opportunity is closing.

      Delete
  6. "My kids won’t give in to Islamic State’s terror tactics – neither should you.

    Patrick Martin
    The Globe and Mail
    Published Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2016 6:00AM EDT



    “If there was no Islamic State, there’d be no Donald Trump running for president,” my youngest son said to me just before I dropped him off at his high school on Tuesday morning. I was surprised by how authoritatively he spoke; like someone who had spent a long time considering his position.

    I had only asked if he had heard the news of the Brussels attacks that had killed more than 30 people that morning, for which the Islamic State has claimed responsibility. That was tragic, he said, but noted how IS is having its effect even in North America.

    He had just returned from spending 10 days with his grandfather in Florida. My father-in-law, an active man in his early 80s, insisted on rousing his grandson from sleep every morning at 6:30 so that they could play tennis with two of his elderly buddies.

    Every day, my son played, and every day he got into an argument with the old men after the match. All of them, including his grandfather, supported Donald Trump, the candidate and likely Republican nominee for president. And it was all because of Mr. Trump’s views on Muslims.

    The enclave in which my father-in-law spends his winters is predominantly Jewish and people there worry about becoming targets of extremists such as the Islamic State. They cite Israel as a Jewish state under constant attack from such people.

    They don’t think that the United States should allow into the country any refugees from Syria, or pretty well any other Muslims.

    In Mr. Trump – who would close the borders to Muslim immigration and closely monitor U.S. Islamic communities, especially in their mosques – they have found someone who speaks their kind of language. It is a language that seems to be shared by many Americans.

    Mr. Trump’s response to the Brussels attacks on Tuesday was even shriller. On every talk show possible, he said he would “do a lot more than waterboarding” to extract information about possible future attacks by Islamic extremists, and would “close up or borders to people until we figure out what’s going on.”

    Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said it is “unrealistic” to shut down the U.S. borders. “That would stop commerce,” she said, “and that’s not in anybody’s interest.”

    Not all Muslims are terrorists, my son told the old men in Florida one day. But this one older gentleman kept on and on about how “you can’t take a chance and better to keep all of them out,” he said.

    “I told him that at my school [a French-language public high school] there are quite a lot of Muslims. I said that one of my best friends is a Muslim from Syria [whose family came to Canada a few years ago]. That made him quiet,” my son said. “He didn’t know what to say.” But he didn’t change his point of view.

    Without firing a shot here, the Islamic State movement can chalk up another victory – it is succeeding in triggering an overreaction against all Muslims by otherwise intelligent, conservative people all over North America. That blunt attitude will, in turn, take its toll on North America’s Muslim community, driving otherwise moderate young Muslims to support and maybe even join IS operations.


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    1. The Islamic State’s victory will come if it succeeds in dividing Western society into a veritable clash of civilizations.

      But rather than fall for their crass politicking and succumb to the fear of mostly unlikely attacks, there is an alternative approach, as my daughter recently pointed out.

      Just last week, I took her out for coffee and told her that, as a present for graduating from university, I wanted to take her on a trip to a city of her choice from a list I gave her: Paris, Prague, Istanbul or Cairo. She chose … Istanbul.

      I was delighted. I know just the hotel, I told her, right in the area of some jazz clubs and great cafés. We’ll also go to the ancient city of Ephesus and stay in this mountain village I’ve heard of. She was thrilled.

      Two days later, however, came the attack on Istiklal Street in Istanbul – right near that hotel and those jazz clubs. It killed four people and injured dozens of others. Even I began to wonder if I should take her there.

      But my daughter took it all in stride and sent me a note the next day: “I’m so excited about our trip to Istanbul,” she wrote. “Bombings be damned.”

      Neither of these young people, I’m proud to say, is willing to give in to the Islamic State’s kind of intimidation."

      http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/world-insider/my-kids-wont-give-in-to-islamic-states-terror-tactics-neither-should-you/article29352555/

      Delete
    2. Istanbul Bomber Tailed Israeli Tourists From Hotel to Scene of Attack, Turkish Media Report

      Turkey's Haberturk newspaper says footage suggests the bomber followed the Israelis before detonating; Turkey hunts three more would-be bombers.

      Israel has confirmed that three of its citizens died in the blast. Two of them held dual citizenship with the United States. 

      read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.710033

      Turkish official 'tweets she hopes Israeli tourists are dead' in Istanbul terror attack

      http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/erdogan-official-tweets-she-hopes-israeli-tourists-are-dead-in-istanbul-terror-attack-a6942546.html

      A Turkish official has reportedly been sacked over a tweet in which she appears to have wished almost a dozen Israeli tourists wounded in a bomb attack in Istanbul “were dead”.


      The attack on Saturday saw five people killed, including the bomber himself, three Israelis and an Iranian, while 11 other Israeli nationals were among 36 injured in total.

      Shortly after details emerged of the victims of the attack, a tweet was posted by the account of Irem Aktas, a board member in the women’s branch of the ruling AK Party for the Istanbul district of Eyup, which read: “I wish that the wounded Israeli tourists were dead.”

      Can ya feel the LOVE......




      Delete
    3. That's really so sappy Ash.

      And how young and foolish to give one's tourist dollars to a place run by Erdogan.

      Delete
  7. REPORT: Israeli firm helping FBI open iPhone......DRUDGE

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  8. Bob, get out from under the bed and have a look at this chart of terrorist victims in Europe over the years:

    https://www.statista.com/chart/4093/people-killed-by-terrorist-attacks-in-western-europe-since-1970/

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  9. Ash, get out from under the bed and have a look at how many mega-millions the moslems have killed over the centuries.

    Long live Charles Martel.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Humpf, Sanders won Idaho over Hillary by 18.600 votes to 5,000.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Idaho !

      The Tip of the Socialist Spear !!

      And Quirk has the ring fingers to call us hicks out here. WE are the uber-cool, the super progressives !

      :)

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. :)

      I was thinking the same.

      Ash, here's the opinion of somebody who actually knows something, unlike yourself:

      Geert Wilders: 'We Ain't Seen Nothin Yet'......DRUDGE

      Delete
  12. .

    Bob, get out from under the bed and have a look at this chart of terrorist victims in Europe over the years:

    Quit with the visual aids, Ash. Bob doesn't think, he emotes. Besides figgerin or thinkin always gives da boy a headache.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good mornin', Q-fuddy.

      You got any idea what dirt The Donald has on Ted Cruz's wife ?

      I know you often read those magazines that you can get at the checkout lines in grocery stores, and keep up on the Mafia hits too.

      So I turn to you.

      Delete
    2. And notice my post above.

      Many of the hicks in Idaho are going pinko.

      Delete
    3. Good Grief.

      I'm thinking of putting you on my list for a free one way airline ticket to Gaza, standard conditions apply.

      Delete
    4. .

      Just send me the money for the ticket and I'll deal with the booking.

      .

      Delete
    5. :)

      I'm NOT sending you to Rio de Janeiro with Maria !

      You think I'm THAT stooooupid ???

      Delete
  13. Lyin' Ted is hinting at the VP spot for Kasich.

    Which is what Kasich is angling for.....

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    Replies
    1. Hint hint from Cruz: I think John Kasich would be a tremendous addition to a GOP administration


      posted at 2:01 pm on March 23, 2016 by Allahpundit

      Yeah, the problem is that the guy who’s several hundred delegates ahead of Cruz right now would doubtless agree. If both Trump and Cruz are willing to purchase Kasich’s endorsement with promises of a cabinet position, why would Kasich accept the offer from the man who’s in second place?

      Real talk, and I say this as a Cruz supporter: Sketch me a scenario where Cruz wins not only the nomination this year but the general election. Winning the nomination is comparatively easy — Trump makes it to Cleveland with 1,100 delegates or so, he can’t find another 137 unbound delegates to support him on the first ballot, so he ends up losing to Cruz on the second or third ballot. At that point, most of Trump’s hardcore supporters bolt the party, convinced that their guy’s been robbed by the establishment of what was rightly his. Essentially, they end up as #NeverCruzers. Cruz limps into the general election needing to replace roughly 20 percent of his own party’s voters, and because he’s a conservative ideologue, he’d conceivably struggle more than Trump would to put purple states in play.

      #NeverTrumpers are right that Trump polls terribly against Hillary (worse than Cruz does, it’s true), but Trump can and will move to the center as nominee in ways that Cruz won’t. Trump is also superb at keeping his opponents on defense, which makes it more likely that he’ll choose the ground on which the general election is fought. And of course Trump has already turned around bad polls once before; remember, when he first announced his candidacy, his favorable ratings among Republicans were net negative.

      I still think he’d probably lose and might lose catastrophically, enough to put the House in play (especially if the #NeverTrump faction is larger than expected). But you can at least imagine how he might win — continued media dominance, unusual appeal to working-class voters for a Republican, and maybe some game-changing act of chaos somewhere, like a major terror attack, that tilts the electorate towards authoritarianism. How might Cruz win, though? He doesn’t have the same working-class appeal, he’s apt to end up in the familiar general-election role of playing defense once the media decrees him a frightening conservative “extremist,” and he’s a constitutionalist, not an authoritarian. If anything, I think foreign-policy chaos might benefit Hillary in a contest against Cruz.....

      Delete
    2. http://hotair.com/archives/2016/03/23/hint-hint-from-cruz-i-think-john-kasich-would-be-a-tremendous-addition-to-a-gop-administration/

      Delete
  14. .

    Jeb Bush endorses Ted Cruz aka The Kiss of Death.

    .

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  15. Rudy Giuliani is 'probably' going to endorse The Donald, he says.

    The Donald is up by, oh, only about 40+ % in New York.

    ReplyDelete
  16. OBAMA ADMIN ADMITS: RELEASED GITMO PRISONERS KILLED AMERICANS.....DRUDGE

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hopeful news on the horizon for Ash -

      Scientists claim simulator can UPLOAD knowledge to brain.....DRUDGE

      Delete
    2. Here Ash -

      http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/654714/Education-of-the-future-Scientists-figure-out-how-to-UPLOAD-knowledge-to-the-brain

      I'll try to help if you can't comprehend the article.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  17. Doesn't Ash's chart's trend result from the history of the conflict in Northern Ireland ?

    https://www.statista.com/chart/4093/people-killed-by-terrorist-attacks-in-western-europe-since-1970/

    ie, NOT from Muslim terrorism.

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  18. Interesting day...

    The world is learning what Israel and the Jews have known for quite a long time...

    Islamic jihadists, islamists, moslem brotherhood, Hamas, Hezbollah, Isis, Isil, al queda, are cut from the same cloth

    Good luck world

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please don't bring up their evil, worthless, fence.

      Delete
  19. Strikes in Syria

    Ground-attack, attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Syria:

    -- Near Manbij, a strike destroyed an ISIL mortar position.

    -- Near Mar’a, six strikes struck six separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL bomb cache, an ISIL tunnel, and four ISIL vehicles.

    -- Near Raqqah, a strike struck an ISIL weapons storage facility.

    Strikes in Iraq

    Rocket artillery and attack, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 17 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

    -- Near Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL front end loader, an ISIL machine gun position, and an ISIL bed down location.

    -- Near Haditha, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL staging areas.

    -- Near Kirkuk, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed four ISIL assembly areas and an ISIL supply cache.

    -- Near Kisik, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position and three ISIL assembly areas.

    -- Near Mosul, three strikes struck an ISIL headquarters, an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area and an ISIL vehicle.

    -- Near Qayyarah, two strikes destroyed an ISIL vehicle and an ISIL used bridge section.

    -- Near Ramadi, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed an ISIL tactical vehicle and an ISIL front end loader.

    -- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL mortar position.

    -- Near Tal Afar, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL heavy machine gun position and an ISIL fighting position.

    -- Near Hit, two strikes destroyed an ISIL staging area and an ISIL supply cache.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I count two front end loaders, and a bed down position wiped out.

      The pressure is on.

      Delete
  20. F-35 Program Making Progress, Executing ‘Fairly Well,’ Program Chief Tells Congress

    By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

    WASHINGTON, March 23, 2016 — The chief of the F-35 program detailed “the good, the bad and the ugly” aspects of the Joint Strike Fighter during testimony before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces yesterday.

    Air Force Lt. Gen. Christopher C. Bogdan said that overall the once-troubled fighter is “executing fairly well across the entire spectrum of acquisition to include development and design, flight test, production, fielding, base stand-up, maintenance and support and building a global sustainment enterprise.”

    The F-35 program is at a pivot point and is changing and accelerating, the general said. The development portion of the aircraft will end late next year and will transition to a modernization program.

    Anticipated Production Amps Up

    Production will grow from 45 aircraft in 2015 to more than 100 aircraft in 2018 and up to 145 aircraft per year by 2020, Bogdan said. The program office will continue standing up 17 operating bases globally and developing the supply system to keep them all flying, he said.

    Still, it is a complex program, not without its troubles, Bogdan said. “I’ve often said that the mark of a good program is not that it has no problems, but that it discovers problems, implements solutions, improves the weapon system and at the same time keeps the program on track,” he said.

    The Air Force is now receiving F-35As at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Training is underway and the service should have its first combat-coded squadron this year, the general said.

    The Marine Corps is flying the F-35B from austere air bases and is dropping and shooting live weapons, the general said.

    To date, he said, 172 aircraft have been delivered to test, operational and training sites.

    “On the cost front, the cost of an F-35 continues to decline steadily lot over lot,” Bogdan said. “This is a trend that will continue for many years. I expect the cost of an F-35 with an engine to decrease from about $108 million this year to about $85 million in 2019.”

    ReplyDelete
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    1. He added, “The program is moving forward -- sometimes slower than I’d like -- but moving forward and making progress nonetheless.”

      F-35

      Delete
  21. Joint forces launch military operation to cleanse Saqlawiyah in northern Fallujah

    (IraqiNews.com) Anbar – The leadership of Hashed al-Shaabi in Anbar Province announced on Wednesday, that the joint forces started a military operation to cleanse Saqlawiyah vicinity in northern Fallujah, while pointed out that the first few hours of the operations witnessed the killing of dozens of ISIS members.

    The commander of Karmat Fallujah brigade in al-Hashed al-Shaabi, Colonel Khamis Bahr al-Halbusi said in a press statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “Today the joint forces from the police, army and tribal fighters launched a military operation to cleanse Saqlawiyah vicinity from ISIS terrorist gangs,” pointing out that, “Dozens of ISIS members were killed in the first few hours of the operation.”

    Halbusi added, “The military operation was launched from the Technical Institute axis and Maftool crossing axis toward Albu Shajl areas in northern Fallujah.”

    Iraqinews

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  22. University president says students scared, 'in pain' after 'Trump 2016' written on campus.....DRUDGE

    These students need a little talking to by Quirk.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anbar Operations forces repulse ISIS attack in southern Fallujah

    (IraqiNews.com) Anbar – The commander of Anbar Operations Major General Ismail al-Mahalawi announced on Wednesday, that the security forces repulsed an attack carried out by the so-called ISIS on Albu Daeij area in southern Fallujah.

    Mahalawi said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Today, ISIS launched an attack using booby-trapped vehicles and weapons on the army’s 8th brigade that were stationed in Albu Daeij area north of Amiriyah Fallujah.”

    Mahalawi added, “The security forces managed to kill dozens of ISIS members, while the Iraqi Army Aviation bombarded three booby-trapped vehicles driven by suicide bombers,” pointing out that, “Albu Daeij area is now under the control of the security forces.”

    Iraqinews

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  24. TATP

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/24/world/europe/brussels-explosives-tatp.html?_r=0

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    Replies
    1. I read somewhere that the suicide vest left behind contained about one pound of explosives.

      Delete