Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

[ASH]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

Will our droid army be defeated by their clone army?

Or, just maybe, the US government's ability to borrow money turns out to be limited, real defense spending contracts right along with entitlements and everything else, and America is forced to pull its horns in.

[jk]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

Or, just maybe, the US government's ability to borrow money turns out to be limited, real defense spending contracts right along with entitlements and everything else, and America is forced to pull its horns in.

a national security justification trumps whatever mechanisms might limit borrowing.

[snakela]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

bravo! well said. we have our answers right here in the usa, with the will and good leaders we'll do just fine.

In that case we're F*CKED! I wish someone would just come along and promise blood, guts and tax-cuts so I can vote for them!

[snakela]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

Someone gets it! Believe me, there will be an economy of this kind of crap.

Resources dedicated to hot drone-on-drone action can't be as stupid as dedicating them to building some of the crap this country does. Spining rims come to mind....

[metalman]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

In that case we're F*CKED! I wish someone would just come along and promise blood, guts and tax-cuts so I can vote for them!

that'd be our post-obama/hoover head banger. if we're lucky its blood, guts, and tax cuts. but at that point the usa indebted consumer is bled dry. it's gotta be blood, guts, and debt cuts. we've been subbing debt for taxes for decades...

[Jay]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

a national security justification trumps whatever mechanisms might limit borrowing.

Who do they borrow from?

[ASH]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

a national security justification trumps whatever mechanisms might limit borrowing.

Well, I hope you're right, because that's the flavor of pork upon which I subsist, and things have been lean recently in DoD-funded small business innovative research land. (Not that I'm adverse to working on other sorts of projects... or that I glory in working on the tax-payer's nickel.)

[metalman]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

U.S. Says It Shot Down an Iranian Drone Over Iraq

By ROD NORDLAND and ALISSA J. RUBIN
Published: March 16, 2009

BAGHDAD — The American military confirmed on Monday that it shot down an Iranian drone over Iraqi territory last month, in what is believed to be the first time that has happened.

Col. James Hutton, a spokesman for the United States military commander in Iraq, said allied aircraft shot down an “Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle” on Feb. 25, about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad.

Although that location would put the drone relatively close to the Iran-Iraq border, Colonel Hutton denied speculation that it had simply strayed across the border accidentally.

“This is not true,” he said. “It was in Iraqi airspace and tracked one hour and 10 minutes before it was engaged.” Colonel Hutton added that allied jet fighters had shot it down without causing any civilian casualties. ...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/wo...20drone&st=cse

it's a start! don't forget the russian/iran mini mil industrial complex...

Conclusion
The material interests that drive Russian relations with Iran are strong and go beyond narrow interests of particular power groups. Iran is, in fact, an important trading partner for Russia, and one of the few larger markets for Russia’s industrial and technological output, which has been painfully insignificant in comparison with its fuel exports. Strategically, Iran is important as a neighboring power with a largely compatible structure of interests in a region vital for Russian security. It would also be a mistake to ascribe the pro-Iranian aspects of Russia’s foreign policy to anti-American sentiment and corresponding efforts to do everything it can to prevent the United States from achieving “world dominance.” That said, the prevailing nationalist mold of the Russian state today certainly reinforces material considerations.

The difficulty with addressing the issue of Russian-Iranian weapons cooperation lies with the confluence of the narrow and short-sighted material motives of power groups and the more widespread set of interests among numerous other actors, shored up with an ideology of rising geopolitical assertiveness.

All this raises questions about the efficacy of punitive and other reactive measures in addressing concerns about Russian-Iranian military cooperation. Targeting companies whose international connections are essential for their development, like Rosoboronexport and, especially, Sukhoi, is probably the most effective way for the United States to get its message across. At the same time, given the ideological undertones of Russia’s resurgent defense-industrial capacity and considerable opposition to U.S. foreign policy in many areas around the globe, a punitive approach might only strengthen the already discernible anti-U.S. logic of Russia’s weapons export policy.

Russian Weapons Sales to Iran

[WildspitzE]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

a national security justification trumps whatever mechanisms might limit borrowing.

Spot on and exactly what I was alluding to above, plus it allows the government to extract additional "sacrifices" from its citizens (if needed).

[WildspitzE]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

[double post, delete]

[ASH]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

a national security justification trumps whatever mechanisms might limit borrowing.

Who do they borrow from?

Actually, jk, could you follow up on that? Does that mean you don't buy into EJ's "balance of payments crisis" and the notion that we won't be able to fund our deficit?

[WildspitzE]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

it's a start! don't forget the russian/iran mini mil industrial complex...

A colleague of mine and I were joking about this ~6-9 months ago. We were talking about robot wars and how such potentiality would change the landscape of war - we jokingly referrred to it as playing risk (but with robots) around natural resources. Oh shucks! you sank my battleship!

Anyway, he is a trekkie and he was talking about an episode (or movie, I don't know - sorry trekkies if I mess this up) where they show a planet where the opposing forces have a a proxy war in a computer. Once the war was over, the casualties would be tallied up. People would then be rounded up "randomly" and sent off to be killed/discarded. I guess that way, the societies got to clean out the bad blood but preserve their resources. LOL.

[Fiat Currency]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

Anyway, he is a trekkie and he was talking about an episode (or movie, I don't know - sorry trekkies if I mess this up) where they show a planet where the opposing forces have a a proxy war in a computer. Once the war was over, the casualties would be tallied up. People would then be rounded up "randomly" and sent off to be killed/discarded. I guess that way, the societies got to clean out the bad blood but preserve their resources. LOL.

Yes it's called - A Taste of Armageddon

... from the first season of the original series. I'm not a trekkie but I was given the orginal series set for Christmas and have been watching them on the treadmill every morning. I just watched that one a week ago.

Perhaps the title is telling

[WildspitzE]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

Actually, jk, could you follow up on that? Does that mean you don't buy into EJ's "balance of payments crisis" and the notion that we won't be able to fund our deficit?

Don't underestimate the power of an emergency, of "survival".

Mass monetary inflation (which I think what has happened since 9/08 is unprecedented), indentured servitude, and national rationing can go a long way.

But, what if we convince large lenders (e.g. japan, taiwan) and other allies of the same emergency?

[WildspitzE]

Re: Who stole my cheesy economy? - Eric Janszen

Yes it's called - A Taste of Armageddon

... from the first season of the original series. I'm not a trekkie but I was given the orginal series set for Christmas and have been watching them on the treadmill every morning. I just watched that one a week ago.

Perhaps the title is telling

I would think that watching star trek while on the treadmill makes you a trekkie, entry level one I suppose since you don't speak the alien languages yet.

Thanks for the title, I may try to dig such episode up as it peaked my interest.