OlDawg

I read where no one is allowed to play on State test day. So, everyone had to move from Thursday to Friday & Saturday. That’s why we’re all having to update.

Spirit Airlines has claimed bankruptcy twice in the last 6 years. The Federal Government purchasing stakes in a private company is straight up socialism, and you’ll never see a dime.

Start your own thread.

Just a question. There were the automakers, banks, Fannie & Freddie, Intel, miners, and now Spirit Airlines? I have no desire to own an airline. When did it become okay for our tax dollars to be used for the government to take stakes in private companies? GM still owes us a ton. Not only does this create unfair competition and market manipulation worse than typical, but it's a form of socialism that's getting out of control.

If the naval blockade of Iran continues, and no end is finalized in the current conflict in short order, familiarize yourself with Khunjerab Pass. This crossing is part of the Silk Road Initiative, and is less than 1000 miles from China to Iran if passing through Pakistan. Would Pakistan allow China to resupply Iran you may ask? Simple answer: Yes. Although, they would deny it publicly. Iran, Pakistan, and China have an alliance, and both Iran and Pakistan are heavily reliant on Chinese support. Pakistan and Iran aren't allies. But, they're also not enemies. They--historically--have backed each other up in regional conflicts against others. This ceasefire is not helpful in the long term. China will do all they can to not allow their Iranian oil spigot to be turned off. They receive 95% of their oil from Iran, and will do what's necessary for them to maintain leverage with the Iranian regime. Weaponry and technology can be easily transported via this route, and the U.S. would have few to no options to stop it. It would be China's version of the U.S. supporting Ukraine.

Pentagon infighting led to Navy Secretary dismissal. The Pentagon is very political, and all of the Secretaries are political appointees. They're basically budget managers. Not planners, or anything dealing with actual military actions.

Schedule & Location Change: All games at Baytown Lee HS Fri. 6:30 pm Sat. 11:00 am If necessary, Game 3 will follow at 1:00 pm Sat.

Given enough time, the blockade of Iranian ports will work to starve the country economically. But, China will find a way to resupply their military via Pakistan, and other ground or air routes. The U.S. either can't--or won't--block that access. Trump is actually tying the hands of our military, and has from the beginning when he stipulated no ground troops. I'm aware--more than most on this site--of what our military can do when allowed to do it's job without restraints. What benefit are you seeking? If your answer is "No nukes", how will you assure that given the regime's history, and no ground troops? Did you really believe this would end positively without regime change? As long as people of similar ideology are in power in Iran, you're just spitting in the wind, and making our servicemen and women fight with one hand tied behind their back because of political concerns. Personal opinion: The ceasefire was--and is--a mistake.

If you weren’t committed enough to send ground troops, you weren’t committed enough to the purpose to start the conflict. Issue is, POTUS knew he wouldn't get public, or Congressional support for ground troops. So, he tried an end-around. Without public support, success will be hard to achieve. Success in this endeavor required eliminating the IRGC, and affecting regime/cultural change. I keep repeating myself there's a reason why conflicts are supposed to be difficult to start.

The sad part is, this will go down by many as another failure of our servicemen & women when—as usual—nothing could be further from the truth. Our politicians who are so quick to jump in, and too weak to finish are the problem. Again.

GIGO

Iran as the Black Knight, Language warning. But, this one never gets old.

La Porte vs. Baytown Sterling @ Sterling Thurs. 4/23, 6:30 pm @ La Porte Fri. 4/24, 6;30 pm If Necessary: @ GCM Sat. 4/25, 12:00 pm

Panama Canal, Hormuz, and now Malacca? Interesting... I would recommend all reading this article. Control over these 3 major waterways controls shipping for the world. China is heavily dependent on Malacca. [Hidden Content]

Opinion: Trump Brilliantly Calls Iran’s Bluff [Hidden Content]

For an ex JAG, he’s definitely a war monger. He and McCain went together like hand in glove.

My thoughts on this whole issue and in general...

I ignore trolls for the most part.

Yes. WTI—which is actually light, sweet crude—will remain slightly elevated against Brent simply because of access. It can’t elevate in price too much because it’s almost a byproduct for the U.S. We have more than enough light, sweet crude and our refineries are mainly set up to process heavy, sour. What many don’t understand is that it’s actually more expensive to refine the heavy, sour that we import. But, because of environmental policies through the recent decades, we don’t use as much oil as many think. Also, heavy, sour can be refined into multiple more products like diesel, asphalt, pharmas, and other petrochemical products whereas light, sweet is primarily only for gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel. It actually becomes more cost efficient to import heavy, sour and export the sweet. Plus, it’s a way of using our oil exports as diplomacy, and steadying the global market. WTI never really gets that much separation from Brent simply because global buyers know the U.S. has to pretty much just unload a lot of it because we can’t use it all. Hopefully, my comments are helping make more sense to some out of a hard to understand commodity market. If nothing else, y’all are learning more about the overall business. There’s a lot more to it than most know. They just see gas prices and hear the price of oil. They’re not getting a bigger overview.

It's not evil according to the zealots in control of Iran. They believe that by attacking and destroying Israel, they will initiate the second coming of their Mahdi, and Allah will return to reward them. So, they actually want a major war that kills however many it kills. Reading your posts these past few months, you should read the link. I think you--and others--may find it very interesting. (Of course, you have to separate the Iranian people from this view as many--if not most--aren't believers of these ideas.) Dr. Tim Orr isn't a 'Fly-By-Nighter.' He's a well known scholar with multiple degrees and decades of first-hand experience between religions. [Hidden Content]

Swalwell Staffers Stand with Accusers [Hidden Content]

Good link for those wanting actual, true, verified info direct from CENTCOM without going through any partial news sources. [Hidden Content]

If anyone is interested, Navy Divers also made the news for something positive yesterday. Good read. [Hidden Content]

Been mowing on this beautiful morning by the Bay. Just saw this post. Not sure which questions you want me to try to address. So, I’ll touch both best I can. Supertankers are coming to the U.S. because the Gulf facilities are operating at a capacity they can process, and still have enough to export—for a substantial profit I might say. Of course, this is a double-edged sword for us. Since a better price can be paid by foreign customers in a global market, we wind up paying a higher price at the pump when it’s all said and done. The only way to stop that would be to regulate how much U.S. companies can sell outside the U.S., and that would be a very bad idea for multiple reasons. The Panama Canal is now back in Panama & U.S. control instead of China, so passage to the Asian/Pacific region is actually safer for insurers. But, the total time will increase as supertankers have to be transloaded from U.S. facilities. You will also need smaller vessels with shallower drafts to reach most of the U.S. offloading facilities to then transport to the transloading stations to load the supertankers. In other words, a multi-stage process. As far as the Strait being cleared, I have no direct knowledge. But, as I described in an earlier post, Navy Divers are the EOD experts for all U.S. military activities. They are the unsung heroes that—many times—accompany our more known SpecOps groups as they are the experts on anything to do with underwater activities. If a mission requires any type of diving, an ND will be involved, and possibly accompany the Teams during the mission. Clearing the Strait will not involve SpecOps as most think of them. (No Seal Teams, or their counterparts.) It will strictly be handled by Navy Dive Teams, and their support groups. Navy Divers are a very specialized part of Special Ops. ND’s physical and tactical training is second only to the SEAL Teams in the Navy, and is actually tougher from the water related activities as that is the focus. ND’s are a proud group. Very few have the cajones to disable explosives in conditions that are somewhat less than ideal. Think of some of the recent movies you’ve seen with EOD personnel on land. Now, think of being underwater, with—sometimes—limited visibility, heavy currents, and various sea life interfering while diagnosing and disposing of an unknown explosive device. Add in possibly having to do this without being known. Jumping out of perfectly good helicopters 40/40 and naked doesn’t sound too bad at all after that. 😉 **NOTE- So I don’t get flagged for saying ‘naked’, 40/40 and naked means jumping from a helo that’s speed is 40 mph, at 40 feet, with no chute, into the water. Quick entry. 😂🤣