With Friends Like These

Ayman al-Zawahri has declared Muammar al-Qaddafi an enemy of Islam. Yes, Qaddafi a major financier of Islamic terrorism who funded the Black September movement that slaughtered 11 Israeli Olymians in 1972, among other atrocities. He is also the principal money behind the group that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerby Scotland in 1988.

How could this happen? Qaddafi made a trip to Paris and Spain wherein he has abandoned “weapons and equipment to…crusader masters.”

Also probably because all of his personal bodyguards looks very much like a Bill Clinton dream:Qaddafi's Angels

Along the lines of the old adage "the enemy of my enemy ismy friend" this certainly makes for an interesting "friendship."

Supporting Service Members During the Holidays II

One of the very first posts on this blog warned about sending Christmas messages to unspecified service members. Apparently, the Red Cross has taken it up this year to help people get cards to the wounded soldiers.

I know its late but this news was only delivered to me today.

Taiwan?

Taiwan's Legislature has approved a starting budget for the island to acquire their first submarines. Electric Boat is awaiting approval from Congress to bid on the project, and has already set aside a sizable R&D budget for design of the boats.

Normally, being a free market economist, I would encourage Congress to make allow this sale to boost both the national security of a key ally in Asia as well as create jobs that will boost the American economy. This time I find myself in the quandry of international politics. As beholden as we are to protect the island of Taiwan if China attacks or makes other offensive moves, I can only see US supplies of submarines to Taiwan as a irritant that China will make at least overtly hostile gestures. It will only inflame the tensions already present in the region, requiring greater than normal US presence to deter an actual hostile act. Given the level of our other commitments at this time, I am not sure we would have the forces to meet all of our commitments if this came to pass.

Further China is growing trading partner in its own right, a powerful economic force in our economy. Beijing's movement towards capitalism needs to be encouraged while maintaining diplomatic pressures to allow Taiwan to remain an independent state. Supplying subs to Taiwan could damage relatons with China in many ways and needs to be carefully considered before we permit it.

HMS Astute pics

Pictures of the new British boat HMS Astute:






Some RN PR:

June 8, 2007 ... Britain launches massive sub that can hear a ship from across the Atlantic

She is four years late and a massive 900 million over-budget.

But when the Royal Navy's super-sub HMS Astute finally arrived, she made for an awesome sight.

More complex than the space shuttle, and able to circumnavigate the globe without surfacing, the 7,400-ton monster is the largest and deadliest hunter-killer submarine ever built.

[]

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall cracked a bottle of beer brewed by the sub's crew on her prow to officially name the 'boat', in Navy jargon, before she was gingerly wheeled out of her shed at the stately speed of one metre per minute.

[]

The specifications for Britain's biggest submarine make for mind-boggling reading, but it was the sheer size of the black behemoth which made its mark on the 10,000 dockyard workers, schoolchildren, VIPs and Navy personnel invited to the ceremony in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria!

[]

The Astute submarine under construction at Barrow

As long as a football pitch, at 318 ft, and as wide as four double-decker buses, HMS Astute is a third longer than any sub which has gone before.

Her nuclear-powered engine will propel her through the water at more than 20 knots, yet the UK's first stealth sub makes less noise than a baby dolphin, making her as good as undetectable by enemy ships.

Astute's sonar is so advanced that if she was lying in the English Channel she would be able to detect ships leaving New York harbour 3,000 nautical miles away (although the details of how she can do this are classified).

The nuclear reactor will never need refueling, and with an ability to make oxygen and drinking water out of sea water, the sub could stay underwater for its entire 25-year life sp an were it not for the needs of the crew.

Once she goes into operation in 2009, Astute will carry a 98-man crew and stay at sea for 12 weeks on a routine patrol.

[]

The massive submarine is slowly moved into position.

She will carry 38 Tomahawk cruise missiles, with a range of 1,240 miles, meaning Astute could attack targets in North Africa with pinpoint accuracy while sitting off the coast of Plymouth.

Spearfish torpedoes will also be on board for attacking ships and other subs.

But Astute will not carry nuclear weapons: The UK's Trident missiles are launched from the Vanguard class of submarines.

The Navy's submarine chief Captain Mike Davis-Marks said: 'The Astute class of submarines will quite simply be unbeatable worldwide for many years to come. Astute will have a capability that will keep us right at the top of the premiership of the world's navies the Manchester United of submarine nations. With our proud heritage, Britain deserves nothing less.'

Astute is the first of four vessels to be built by BAE Systems at a total cost of 3.85 billion, or 960 million each.

The funniest part of all of this is the supposed ability to detect ships leaving NT Harbor from 3000 nautical miles away. My STS friends were mocking that yesterday.

"Submarine" can now be used as a verb!?!?

Superboat Burns Human Fat to Zip Around World

A New Zealand-built boat that runs on biodiesel — and the fat of the captain —- is set to kick off an attempt to break the world speed record for circumnavigating the globe in a motorboat next year.

The 24-meter (78-foot) Earthrace, skippered by New Zealander Pete Bethune, will set off from Valencia, Spain, on March 1 and traverse the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Panama and Suez canals in its more-than-24,000-nautical-mile journey.

Bethune will be attempting to break the current world record of 74 days, 20 hours and 58 minutes, established by the Cable and Wireless Adventurer boat in 1998.

He has said he believes his trip could help promote biodiesel as a viable alternative to petroleum diesel.

"I wanted to do a positive project run on biodiesel and take it round the world," he has explained, noting that some 165,000 liters of biodiesel would be necessary for the trip, which will have a net carbon footprint of zero.

"Politicians in Western Europe must be prepared to stand up to the oil industry and be more supportive of the biofuels industry to make sure the production of biofuels is sustainable."

Along with its green fuel source, the Earthrace also has other ecologically friendly characteristics, such as non-toxic paint.

It was built in Auckland in 14 months at a cost of around $3.5 million, which Bethune helped fund by selling his house and possessions.

He also made a symbolic gesture towards the project, undergoing liposuction with two other volunteers, which produced 10 liters — a bit more than 2 1/2 gallons — of human fat, enough to power the boat for 8 nautical miles.

One attribute of the Earthrace boat is that it has the ability to submarine through waves, going up to 23 feet underwater, enabling it to maintain a higher average speed through big seas, according to the expedition's Web site.

100m Lawsuit?

Katerina Thanou is considering taking legal action against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to secure a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics' 100m sprint following recent admissions by Marion Jones of using steroids to improve her performance. The IOC has so far been reluctanct to determine the allocation of the five medals returned by Jones. The IOC has explained its reluctance to do so by saying they are awaiting the results of the pending investigation into the Balco scandal.

In Katerina Thanou's case, I would have to say this reluctance is justified. She just finished a 3 year suspension for missing 3 drug tests, one on the eve of the 2004 Olympics. As a matter of fact, criminal charges are still possible in that event for making false official statements in a criminal investigation when herself and another Olympian claimed they missed the drug test due to being involved in a motorcycle crash.

Certainly, the IOC is justified in defending itself from the embarassment handing out a gold medal only to have it revealed later that Thanou was not only a liar, a criminal, but also a cheater.

(Persoanlly, I think steroids are a personal choice, and as such should be legal. However, if an athlete belongs to a professional sports organization that specifies a rule prohibiting steroid use, that athlete then becomes bound by contract, to follow the rules the organization sets forth. The IOC clearly bans steroid use and doping so these athletes deserve the hammering they get.)

Great White Fleet sets sail

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Great White Fleet setting sail from Norfolk for a 14 month tour around the world by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. The trip had a dual purpose of projecting American power (especially to the growing power of the Japanese following the Russo-Japanese War and amid growing tensions between the two countries) and advancing
the knowledge and training of the sailors crewing the fleet.

In true American style, a number of humanitarian acts were accomplished during the deployment including aiding in recovery operations in Sicily following a major Earthquake.

The mission to project American power around the globe was a success as Japan had children lining the pier with American flags to greet the fleet at Yokohama in a show of the nation's desire for peace with America.

Route taken by the Great White Fleet. They sailed around South America because the Panama Canal wasn't completely built yet.


The Great White Fleet off the Coast of San Diego