It was a case of:
Looks like there's enough gas
(fills gas tank anyway)
(Starts up)
Damn, there wasn't enough gas
(facepalm)

That had nothing to do with accidents, it was theft and proximity to another jurisdiction.

Oh, I get it now...there was a force field in place that the thieves couldn't penetrate. Why didn't I think of that.

The short of our conversation: while your claim employs sensationalism, it drives a truth home that there are American supply chain issues that could impact national security.


https://www.gao.gov/products/105519

We could not execute WW-II again today because 1) we do not have the industrial capacity to produce a 7000 ship navy and 2) we do not have the manufacturing capacity to produce everything our military needs.  As a matter of national security, the military needs to do a deep supply chain analysis and make sure every component needed is made onshore.  Otherwise, we will have the biggest broken military in the world.

Are you sure that's not just propaganda? I have some contacts in acquisition. I'll get back to you on that.

The Biden Administration green lighted companies to start sending manufacturing back over to China and abroad.   Increasing business regulation also impacts jobs and the economy.  Increasing tax rates on corporations also adds to a decreased economy. 

The constant attacks on the working class sent helping either.

What makes a company desire to move their company overseas? It isn't for convenience. It's the word: Profit.


How did Trump (presumably) make these same companies operate here? Penalties.


No patriotic American would send their manufacturing to China unless Profit was at issue. You want to address anything, POTUS cannot control those economics when labor and other costs exceed the import tax and fees. Look at what's happening off the coast of Los Angeles. You think those prices are going up? Supply and Demand.

Where I lived many years ago was within walking distance of a sovereign border. I recall a conversation with an Auto insurance agent that my rates would have been drastically different had my residence been a few yards away. Was my real accident rate any different? Probably not.

We must resist the temptation to think that because a particular societal malady doesn't affect us personally that it must not exist. This is the worst type of logic that stymies any real discussion.

Nonsense.  Every member of my family has been discriminated against - for being a dumb coal mining Pole, for being Irish, for being Mormon, for being Catholic.  Like I said, people were idiots in the past and some are still idiots today. 

We were taught to deal with it by not dwelling on the past, but rather on what we can do today.  No matter how hard you try, you cannot change the past.  I credit that attitude with why I can afford to fly a little while paying for a college education.  If I wallowed over the injustices done to my dead ancestors, I'd be a basket case and would probably be blaming everyone else for my failures.

An affront to one is an affront to all. While your ancestors didn't get certain things, it wasn't enshrined in law like it was for mine. While I'm free of that today, I recognize that tradition and culture takes longer to adjust. And people's attitudes and beliefs are colorful.


All services are in some fashion conducting a review of disparities. Military life is in many ways a microcosm of the society at large, but has a better chance at positive change because of the need for interdependence. The USAF recently published an addendum to their findings of 2020. I believed someone on this thread decried 'always talking in historical context', well this is right now and the legacy and shortcomings of racism is still here. The AF is considered the best example of cultural improvement and fairness and if it exists there...


The Marine Corps was last to integrate and took Pres FD Roosevelt to get involved to make it happen. Do you think I saw things (relatively recently) that shaped my views of race relations in this country? You bet I did! Did I sit down and cry about it? No, so stop saying (implying) that.

I don't wish to brag, nor give up my personal privacy. I'll say that back then I made an unpopular decision and I was mistreated (unlawfully) and forced out of the Corps. History has been my judge and she has seen my actions as necessary. Today, Marines and Marine leaders are discussing what happened back then and some of the lessons are being applied to keep it from happening again. Maybe someday I'll be able to share more about it, it's still bittersweet.