Fascist Priorities
US military eagerly uses Russian cargo planes to bring equipment to Iraq
"The Air Force has been forced to use Russian commercial cargo jets to rush mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles from the U.S. to Iraq because it does not have enough C-5 and C-17 planes to do the job, the service’s top civilian official said recently.
Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said at an Oct. 24 House Armed Services Committee hearing that American reliance on Russian Antonov jumbo jets to move critical war supplies indicates that the Air Force may need more than its current 300 C-5s and C-17s.
“We are now sharing the mission of flying MRAPs over to Iraq between C-17s and Antonov airplanes,” Wynne said."
US consistantly refuses offer to use giant Russian water air tankers
Ilyushin-76TD supertanker, "a rugged, airborne behemoth that can haul 11,000 gallons of liquid to a fire, nearly four times the carrying capacity of the C-130 Hercules, the largest tanker used by the Forest Service. "
"11,000-gallon tanker plane pours 'too much water,' officials say."
The Greek Miracle
"It was in 1999, and Greece was enduring its worst wildfires in over a century. Infernos were raging in the mountainous terrain, and winds were so fierce the air tankers of the Greek Air Force were grounded.
As he tells it, "There were two 3,000-foot-wide fires that were going unabated because of windy conditions through the mountains, burning all their monuments and forests. CNN was there and said it was unstoppable. But we filled up at the Greek Air Force base, then went to the first fire. We flew by on an observation run, came back around, lined up on the fire, judged the wind direction, opened the doors on the tanks v and whoosh v 10 seconds later we looked back and that 3,000 feet of fire was gone, absolutely gone."
That took care of the first fire. The pilot returned to the base, the tanks were refilled, and they went to the second fire and put that one out just as quickly. "These fires had burned for a week, with hundreds of firefighters and all kinds of equipment brought in from Germany and other countries," said Robinson.
"The Greek media called it a miracle."
Here are the reasons why the the feds will never allow this clearly superior fire fighting plane to be used in the US. First, I have personal experience that fire suppression is Big Business in this country. I fought fires with the Forest Service for two summers and it's a monstrous, intertwined bureaucracy that involves complex interstate agency cooporation and gargantuan amounts of funds. All the bureaucrats involved are firmly entrenched in this top heavy endeavor and jealous of their positions. As Jon Rappoport puts it:
"...realize that the US government and state governments have put together this wonderful exchange program, through which fire fighters go from one state to another when fires break out---and they have daily teleconferences to determine where the needs are greatest, blah blah blah. It's a whole sophisticated network, and the media are completely on board with it.
Now one plane flies over a fire and puts it out.
The plane is from Russia.
The contract for the job was $500,000.
Poof.
How much insanity does that expose?"
Also there is intense opposition in corporate circles to the federal government giving contracts to anyone outside the usual suspects. Like Lockhead or Evergreen. Even though clearly superior equipment could do the job quicker and much cheaper.
And the fires rage on.
"The Air Force has been forced to use Russian commercial cargo jets to rush mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles from the U.S. to Iraq because it does not have enough C-5 and C-17 planes to do the job, the service’s top civilian official said recently.
Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne said at an Oct. 24 House Armed Services Committee hearing that American reliance on Russian Antonov jumbo jets to move critical war supplies indicates that the Air Force may need more than its current 300 C-5s and C-17s.
“We are now sharing the mission of flying MRAPs over to Iraq between C-17s and Antonov airplanes,” Wynne said."
US consistantly refuses offer to use giant Russian water air tankers
Ilyushin-76TD supertanker, "a rugged, airborne behemoth that can haul 11,000 gallons of liquid to a fire, nearly four times the carrying capacity of the C-130 Hercules, the largest tanker used by the Forest Service. "
"11,000-gallon tanker plane pours 'too much water,' officials say."
The Greek Miracle
"It was in 1999, and Greece was enduring its worst wildfires in over a century. Infernos were raging in the mountainous terrain, and winds were so fierce the air tankers of the Greek Air Force were grounded.
As he tells it, "There were two 3,000-foot-wide fires that were going unabated because of windy conditions through the mountains, burning all their monuments and forests. CNN was there and said it was unstoppable. But we filled up at the Greek Air Force base, then went to the first fire. We flew by on an observation run, came back around, lined up on the fire, judged the wind direction, opened the doors on the tanks v and whoosh v 10 seconds later we looked back and that 3,000 feet of fire was gone, absolutely gone."
That took care of the first fire. The pilot returned to the base, the tanks were refilled, and they went to the second fire and put that one out just as quickly. "These fires had burned for a week, with hundreds of firefighters and all kinds of equipment brought in from Germany and other countries," said Robinson.
"The Greek media called it a miracle."
Here are the reasons why the the feds will never allow this clearly superior fire fighting plane to be used in the US. First, I have personal experience that fire suppression is Big Business in this country. I fought fires with the Forest Service for two summers and it's a monstrous, intertwined bureaucracy that involves complex interstate agency cooporation and gargantuan amounts of funds. All the bureaucrats involved are firmly entrenched in this top heavy endeavor and jealous of their positions. As Jon Rappoport puts it:
"...realize that the US government and state governments have put together this wonderful exchange program, through which fire fighters go from one state to another when fires break out---and they have daily teleconferences to determine where the needs are greatest, blah blah blah. It's a whole sophisticated network, and the media are completely on board with it.
Now one plane flies over a fire and puts it out.
The plane is from Russia.
The contract for the job was $500,000.
Poof.
How much insanity does that expose?"
Also there is intense opposition in corporate circles to the federal government giving contracts to anyone outside the usual suspects. Like Lockhead or Evergreen. Even though clearly superior equipment could do the job quicker and much cheaper.
And the fires rage on.
posted by nolocontendere at 8:03 PM
2 Comments:
Another major example of how fascist capitalism has corrupted the so-called compassionate conservative govt of the US.
I've wondered for almost 2 decades now why they don't employ more dirigible blimps for fire-fighting. Now I know its all due to the Fast Kaps that dominate the US govt.
Couple decades ago I fought fires in the Rockies. You wouldn't believe the resources instantly available as soon as fires were designated as high priority.
I've always maintained that profiting from calamities was a tipping point for our collapse. Eventually forces will ensure those destructive events will continue. These days it's labeled disaster capitalism.
Post a Comment
<< Home