The Cellar - Introducing your new Guard

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Introducing your new Guard

From the New York Times of 9 Dec 2006 in a two part article. What is repeatedly apparent is that political 'experts' and pork politics have ignored the Coast Guards own engineers to spend billions on ship, radios, and aircraft that do not work. The Coast Guard has always had severe problems. Many of its ships were built before WWII or just after. Most of the Guard ships are older than anyone in their crew. We have done almost nothing to upgrade the Coast Guard which is why National Guard choppers so often do the ocean ship rescues. Until recently, the Guard had no choppers that could perform these ocean rescues.

In the "Perfect Storm", what was that lost chopper? National Guard.

Suddenly we are spending money to buy everything new and all at once. New prototypes are built alongside every other ship in a rush to fix everyone at once with all new technology. No time provided to learn of any mistakes. Prototypes will work just fine the first time. Therefore ship hulls are cracking. Six out of eight cutters could not go to sea. Thrust bearings so poorly supported that propeller shafts misalign. Radios in small boats that stop working when splashed with seawater.

Quote:

Billions Later, Plan to Remake the Coast Guard Fleet Stumbles
Four years after the Coast Guard began an effort to replace nearly its entire fleet of ships, planes and helicopters, the modernization program heralded as a model of government innovation is foundering.

The initial venture — converting rusting 110-foot patrol boats, the workhorses of the Coast Guard, into more versatile 123-foot cutters — has been canceled after hull cracks and engine failures made the first eight boats unseaworthy.

A common factor exists. In every case, the people who come from where the work gets done were ignored. Sound exactly like 11 September or Challenger? Yes.

Virtually everything being replaced does not work or is in massive cost overrun.

After spending 4 years in the Coast Guard, I can say I am not surprised. We were constantly being social engineered, and second guessed by people who had never served a day, and would get seasick in a swimming pool.

The Coast Guard is using Civilian Volunteers to man offices and commercial vessel boarding teams. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is not a free labor force. But you cant tell that to the "experts" in Washington. I am dismayed by the amount of bullshite coming out of DHS, and the alphabet soup that our government has become.

It is time to re-think our government, and get rid of some stupid liberal bureaucrats and replace them with people who do not need to justify their existence with stupid programs that do not work.

Sixers too late in dealing Iverson
Don't expect too much in return for A.I., Philly fans

Sixers chairman Ed Snider said it best on Friday. "At a certain point," Snider said, "you have to come to grips with the fact that it's not working. He wants out, and we're ready to accommodate him."

What should bother Sixers fans is that this is the fourth season in which Allen Iverson and the only NBA team he has known haven't been working. Philly has been under .500 two of the last three seasons and was on its way to making it three of four this year. The one season over .500 saw the Sixers knocked out of the playoffs after just one postseason win.

thread seemed a little dull to you, Griff?