Nov 2023 Mod notice:
There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.
If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations
and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines
before posting here.
Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.
If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules
when posting here.
In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
![]()
Nah, not really. We have a military fetish — a raging hard-on — in certain parts of the social landscape, but U.S. society as a whole is pacifistic to a degree unprecedented in our nation's history, with the proportion of citizens who have served at an all-time low, I believe.
edited 14th Oct '16 8:50:23 AM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"You just need to translate it a bit. Carriers have a much larger force projection range than a squad of archers, but it's still not infinite. There is still a limit to how much they can cover, and if you spread them too thin you're screwed. It's just that you can spread them much farther before you have to worry about that.
Writing a post-post apocalypse LitRPG on RR. Also fanfic stuff.@ Fighteer:
And of course, all of those can have a military justification. Weren't the Interstates built using a military justification?
Keep Rolling OnBesides, plenty of military funding goes to research and that eventually goes to the civilian market.
Even the bloody internet began because ARPA, now DARPA, required a communication network designed to survive a nuclear exchange.
Carriers and carrier battle groups don't need to be stretched thin or cover a lot of ground...or sea. They are mobile, so instead of covering specific spots statically they can be moved around to where they are needed.
Which is the difference between building a military base near a hot spot or just sending a CBG where the conflict spots show up. That is why whenever a CBG showing up somewhere is a big deal, as the US doesn't need to build or make a lasting presence in order to alter the military power landscape of the region, they just need to show up when needed and leave they they are no longer needed.
edited 14th Oct '16 8:56:45 AM by AngelusNox
Inter arma enim silent leges![]()
Yes, but the issue we are currently facing is not technological; to maintain the current American hegemony, we need more troops and more equipment for those troops.
That means pulling people who would otherwise be active in other parts of the economy, which weakens those sectors in favor of the military.
edited 14th Oct '16 8:59:39 AM by CaptainCapsase
The Wiki article on the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956
suggests Eisenhower did invoke military utility in his selling of the projecting to the public.
And? You should call yourself Captain Obvious.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"We've certainly gotten more pacifistic. Certain expressions of Military culture,like flying the flag or letting your children play army will earn you side ways glances or outright banishment from polite society these days. The whole hollow support the troops thing is just a meaningless gesture most people repeat because everyone else does it. The right doesn't really give a dam about them as people, and the left secretly thinks their all ether deluded idiots, racists, or psychopaths. And everyone who returns form war is automatically considered to be suffering from PTSD, and treated like a ticking time bomb.
edited 14th Oct '16 8:58:51 AM by JackOLantern1337
I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.![]()
Dude, you should know better than to spew unsupported, hyperbolic statements like that in this forum.
edited 14th Oct '16 9:00:02 AM by Fighteer
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"Not necessarily, while the US has been having problems with refreshing their military forces with more personnel, the US since the late 70's has focused on a higher technological edge in order to overcome disadvantages. Which translate in better equipped and trained troops over sheer numbers alone.
There isn't a need to expand the number of active personnel, just to make sure there isn't a sharp drop in available able bodied manpower.
Not more, just better.
edited 14th Oct '16 9:06:36 AM by AngelusNox
Inter arma enim silent leges![]()
The American sphere of influence encompasses most of the world. We lack a traditional colonial empire largely because it isn't economical anymore.
I also mentioned equipping those additional soldiers, which is at most an engineering task. Military research has its upsides, but it severely neglects the basic sciences.
edited 14th Oct '16 9:07:54 AM by CaptainCapsase
Trump Backers Unfazed by Claim of Bad Behavior
.
“It’s baloney to come out now,” she said. “They’re opportunists. Listen, no man attacks a woman unless she’s looking like she’s asking for it.”
Okay, seriously lady, fuck you.
Oh God! Natural light!
I kind of wish I could flat out ask a Trump supporter what, if anything, would be a Moral Event Horizon for Trump.

edited 14th Oct '16 8:50:48 AM by CaptainCapsase