Tag Archive for: Death

Spending More On Nukes: STRATCOM’s Nuclear Death Wish

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Thursday, 6 May 2021, 12:46 pm
Article: Binoy Kampmark

Being sufficiently able at your job is a good thing. But
beware the trappings of zeal. When it comes to the business
of retaining an inventory for humanity’s annihilation, the
zealous should be kept away. But there Admiral Charles
Richard was in April this year, with his siren calls, urging
the US Senate to consider a simple proposition.
“Sustainment of modernization of our modern nuclear forces
… has transitioned from something we should do, to
something we must do.” As Commander of the United States
Strategic Command (STRATCOM), he was aching to impress the
Senate Committee on Armed Services that the nuclear
deterrent was there to be polished and improved.

Much
of his address as part of the Posture Statement Review
should be treated as the conventional lunacy that comes with
that cretin-crusted field known as nuclear deterrence.
“Peace is our profession” remains the somewhat obscene
motto of STRATCOM, and it is a peace kept by promising the
potential extinction of the human species.

For the
Admiral, strategic deterrence is the holy of holies. If it
fails, “we are prepared to deliver a decisive response,
decisive in every possible way.” This decisiveness will be
achieved “with a modern resilient, equipped, and trained
combatant-ready force.” To avoid the failure of such
deterrence also required revisiting “a critical forgotten
lesson that deterrence operates continuously from
peacetime, through the gray zone, worldwide, across all
domains, and into conflict” [Richard’s
emphasis].

The fate of the US (Richard humourlessly
calls it safety and security) is indelibly linked to an
“effective nuclear triad; a reliable and modern nuclear
command, control and communications (NC3) architecture; and
a responsive nuclear weapons
infrastructure.”

Deterrence is a fetish, an idol.
“Strategic deterrence,” he explained, “is the
foundation of our national defense policy and enables every
US military operation around the world.” Linking the nuke
to impunity and roguish behaviour (the Admiral would see
this as preserving freedom, of course), he makes an…

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Parler CEO goes into hiding blaming Amazon flak, death threats

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By Joel Rosenblatt | Bloomberg

The chief executive officer of Parler says he’s gone into hiding after receiving death threats.

John Matze Jr.’s social media platform was briefly the new home to conservative supporters of Donald Trump who flocked to it after Twitter banned the president. But Parler went dark Sunday after Apple Inc. and Google removed it from their app stores and Amazon.com pulled the plug on its web-hosting service, citing violent content that the e-commerce giant says played into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

“Many Parler employees are suffering harassment and hostility, fear for their safety and that of their families, and in some cases have fled their home state to escape persecution,” Matze’s lawyer said in Parler’s lawsuit aimed at forcing Amazon Web Services to put the platform back online. Matze had to “go into hiding with his family after receiving death threats and invasive personal security breaches.”

The CEO didn’t specify the source of the threats, but his lawyer said in a filing that Matze’s covert action was required because he’s been spotlighted “as the CEO of the company AWS continues to vilify.”

Source…

Navy pilot dead after crash in “Star Wars Canyon” in Death Valley [Updated]

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An F/A-18 from VFA-151, "the Vigilantes." A similar aircraft from the squadron crashed on Wednesday flying through what aviation enthusiasts refer to as "Star Wars Canyon" in Death Valley, California.

Enlarge / An F/A-18 from VFA-151, “the Vigilantes.” A similar aircraft from the squadron crashed on Wednesday flying through what aviation enthusiasts refer to as “Star Wars Canyon” in Death Valley, California. (credit: VFA-151, US Navy)

The US Navy has confirmed the death of a pilot in the crash of a Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet in Death Valley National Park in California on Wednesday. The pilot, who has not yet been named, apparently crashed into the wall of what is known as “Star Wars Canyon”—an area frequently used by the Navy and other services for low-altitude flight training, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake. The area, called “Jedi Transition” by the military, is open to the public and is a hotspot for military aircraft photographers and enthusiasts because of how close aircraft pass when traversing the area. Seven onlookers suffered minor injuries as a result of the crash.

The Navy is waiting for notification of family members before releasing the pilot’s name. Navy spokeswoman Lieutenant Commander Lydia Bock said in a press statement that the aircraft—from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151 (“the Vigilantes”), out of Naval Air Station Lemoore in California—crashed at about 10am PST on Wednesday. “The cause of the crash is under investigation,” Bock said. At the time of the initial release, the status of the pilot was unknown, and search and rescue personnel were at the scene.

[Update, 5:32 PM] The Navy has now identified the pilot as Lt. Charles Z. Walker, 33. “The NAS Lemoore aviation family is grieving the loss of one of our own,” Capt. James Bates, Commander of Strike Fighter Wing Pacific said in a statement. “Lt. Walker was an incredible naval aviator, husband and son. He was an integral member of the Vigilante family, and his absence will be keenly felt on this flight line. Our aviators understand the risk associated with this profession, and they knowingly accept it in service to our nation. The untimely loss of a fellow aviator and shipmate pains us all. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.”

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