Refried Boogaloo: Trump Just... Sucks

A society that has to depend on Rand Paul to say the right thing is probably justifiably doomed.

 

My point is we don't need "Nex Gen Jets." And I'm not necessarily speaking about AI either.

We can use drones that are controlled by humans to obsevre the battlefield and use JDAMs/Cruise Missiles, etc. We cam also use armed drones or precision artillery (Ideally controlled by the infantry) to conduct close-air support.

The entire warfare paradigm the fighter jet is predicated on is a legacy of WW2. We need to move on.

 

Nope sorry

Drones controlled by humans can be jammed and will eventually be jammed. The fighter jet is here to stay for a while. AI is the closest thing to a man in the loop as in theory it does not need a constant connection

 

As you say, we should be abandoning the F35 immediately as the supplier is unreliable.

There are already some pretty competent alternatives to the F35 anyway such as the Saab Gripen E...



But, tbh, talk of direct comparison between two aircraft like that is completely missing the point,

It's a bit like that old joke about the two guys in the woods who are discussing whether they outrun a bear and the one guy says, 'I don't have to outrun the bear - I just have to outrun you'

We're probably not going to be attacked by a country with a significant number of F35's.... even with donny tiny hands as potus.

We just need to have something better than the russians and in suffficient numbers for it to matter.

According to google, the russkies only have a few dozen 5th gen fighters and, if the figures for the F35 in that vid are anything to go by, probably less than half of them are operational at any one time.

So we should be using them and other current European NATO fighters and forgetting about the F35 whilst developing our own aircraft and systems, including high end drones, of course.

 

We got a treaty with the USA called DAFT.
No, I'm not joking.
But to me it is daft. It allows Americans, based on it to come to the Netherlands and start a business.

DAFT is an agreement between the United States and the Netherlands, established on March 27, 1956. The treaty allows US Entrepreneurs and Freelancers to acquire Dutch residency for the purpose of "starting a business".

Now why do I mention it?
On the news it was a topic, because since trvmp got his second term, there's a sharp rise in applications.

The Netherlands popular destination among Americans who want to leave the US

The number of Americans who want to move to the Netherlands has not been this high in at least ten years. This is evident from an analysis of figures from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) by the NOS and Nieuwsuur. Up to and including November, 6690 Americans have applied for work, family and study migration. With the usually busy December month still to go, the numbers are already higher than the final figures of the previous two years.
For almost all types of migration, the number of applications by Americans is higher than in recent years, but especially in the categories of family and knowledge and talent. The latter is intended for often highly educated employees from countries outside the EU to work in positions that require specific knowledge or experience. In addition, in recent years, a striking number of entrepreneurs have come to the Netherlands on a Dutch-American Friendship Treaty visa. DAFT is a treaty from 1956, intended to offer people from the United States and the Netherlands the opportunity to do business in each other's countries relatively easily. Up to and including September this year, 700 people had already received such a permit, while five years ago there were about 300.

Starting capital
Americans are 'only' required to start a business in the Netherlands and bring a start-up capital of 4500 euros. (that's not a starting capital, it's 1 month holiday budget)
Moreover, they have a good chance of getting permanent residency after five years. Figures from the IND show that DAFT applications are almost always granted. That makes the Netherlands an attractive country to emigrate to, says Jana Sanchez. She is the founder of GTFO Tours, which helps Americans move abroad. "Americans who want to emigrate usually prefer to go to an English-speaking country: Canada, England or Ireland, for example," says Sanchez. "But there it is almost impossible to get a visa. In contrast to the Netherlands, which is actually also an English-speaking country. Almost everyone speaks the language here."

'Rising fascism'
According to her, the main reason for leaving the US can be summed up in one word: Trump. "There is great fear about the rising fascism under his leadership. Especially people with Latin American roots or a different orientation are very scared at the moment." The expensive healthcare system and the many gun violence are also important reasons for leaving, Sanchez sees. "You just don't want to have to worry about your child being shot. Or that you have to pay thousands of dollars if you have to go to the emergency room." These are exactly the reasons that Daniel (39) and Jolissa (38) call Acosta. On November 17, the Texans-born landed with their 1-year-old daughter Sophia at Schiphol. They had always toyed with the idea of living abroad and they had been interested in the Netherlands for some time. "We had seen documentaries about the Dutch education and healthcare system. We are very enthusiastic about that."

 

Yup, as I elsewhere in BS, forgot where, already asked/said...what do we need f35's for anyway?

 

I haven't followed the case in detail, but the issue is rather Dassault than Airbus, isn't it ? I'm not sure Macron is on Dassault's side on this one. He really seems determined to see the SFAR project through. It was his idea after all, as well as Merkel's.

 

'Rising fascism'
According to Jana Sanchez, the main reason for leaving the US can be summed up in one word: Trump. "There is great fear about the rising fascism under his leadership. Especially people with Latin American roots or a different orientation are very scared at the moment." The expensive healthcare system and the many gun violence are also important reasons for leaving, Sanchez sees. "You just don't want to have to worry about your child being shot. Or that you have to pay thousands of dollars if you have to go to the emergency room." These are exactly the reasons that Daniel (39) and Jolissa (38) call Acosta. On November 17, the Texans-born landed with their 1-year-old daughter Sophia at Schiphol. They had always toyed with the idea of living abroad and they had been interested in the Netherlands for some time. "We had seen documentaries about the Dutch education and healthcare system. We are very enthusiastic about that."

With developments in the US "rapidly moving in the wrong direction", the Acostas have pushed ahead with their plans this year. "We are both born and raised Americans, but we do have Mexican roots. We now also see stories of people who are arrested, while they were just born in the US. That's pretty frightening. Because of the combination of Trump and the possibility of coming to the Netherlands via the DAFT visa, we have decided to take the step now." The Acostas both had good jobs in the US: Jolissa as an IT professional in the financial sector and Daniel in the hospitality industry. Jolissa is going to try to find something in her own field, but first wants to learn to speak Dutch fluently. Daniel is busy setting up his own catering company. "It will be a combination of Mexican spiciness with Texan grill."

 

Critical voices
On social media, many Americans enthusiastically talk about how they were able to settle in the Netherlands thanks to DAFT. Various agencies - such as Sanchez's - support Americans with their application. According to these agencies, interest in the Netherlands as an emigration destination is growing rapidly.
After the publication of an article in The New Yorker last week - in which DAFT has a prominent role - that will probably not decrease.
There are also critical voices about the Netherlands among Americans. For example, it is often about the crisis in the housing market and the relatively high cost of living. Is DAFT mainly for the happy few? "We have been lucky to have the financial means to take this step, but we have also heard stories of people with very little money who have come to the Netherlands," says Daniel Acosta.

More asylum applications too.
Those who do not choose the DAFT route are Americans who apply for asylum in the Netherlands. That number has also risen remarkably this year, to 67 - and that does not include the last two months.

More Americans apply for asylum in the Netherlands

This too cannot be seen separately from the fear of President Trump's policies, especially among LGBTI people. This is according to Sandro Kortekaas of LGBT Asylum Support, an NGO that works for LGBTIQ+ asylum seekers. "This group is now seen as extremists by the Trump administration. Unfortunately, the US has become a particularly unsafe place for trans and queer people." But asylum applications are not yet honored, because the Netherlands considers the United States a 'safe country'. However, last spring, the travel advice for LGBTI people who want to travel to the United States was tightened.

 

To fight the American F35s?



Not yet, but possibly...

 

Can these take off from an aircraft carrier?

 

One of the versions can, yes. There are 3 distinct types..

 

Found this:
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-navy-has-f-35-problem-it-wont-ever-solve-209997

So we simply have to deny aircraftcarriers coming within the range f35's are able to fly in, do their act and return to the ship.
Seems the f35's have a problem to take off with full load of fuel and bombs/rockets.



So, if we have F35's these would take off from airfields with superior fuel and weapons conditions for battle, while the ones coming in from carriers would have a problem even to come near the continent.

 

Selling to both sides is a dream come true.

 

Another issue is that according to Dassault's (and France's) specifications, the aircraft will have to carry out nuclear missions and be able to be deployed on an aircraft carrier. Two French requirements that Germany and Spain do not share. This is not negotiable for the French (understandably).

 

I'm very much into this French requirements.
We need to be able to project our power from the shores of Greenland, and when the time is right from Canada's shores when they entered in some sort of allience with the EU.

 

Yup I wrote it wrong. I meant Dassault.

 

Could it get worse? You know it can



https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3ma2j24nqbz2m

 

Speaking of a deranged person. *sigh*

 

And this is why mainstream media is useless. Here's the link to CNN's article about Trump's post about the murder of Rob Reiner and his wife...

Analysis Trump undercuts the GOP’s moral high ground with ugly Rob Reiner post

What GOP moral high ground? When Pelosi's husband was attacked, within hours of his attack Republicans were blaming Nancy's politics for her husband's attacks and creating conspiracy theories that the attacker was Paul Pelosi's gay lover and that it was a lover's quarrel. Or when the guy went around killing Minnesota Democrats, yet again, within hours the GOP was claiming it was their horrible politics that caused their deaths..

FFS, Trump's attack on Reiner doesn't undercut the GOP's moral high ground. They never had a moral high ground. This is just a continuation of the standard MO for Republicans.

 

"Trump has a different take on the Reiner murders"

 

Maybe the son, if found guilty, gets a trvmp pardon.

 

Finally reached the pointy wiener phase of MAGA support. Only took 10 years.