Great pic from MAA. Berthed are four aircraft carriers, the Coral Sea, the Hancock, Oriskany and the Big E to the far right. Notice the differences in design, deck structure and size?

Ice's take on the Petraeus scandal

Let's start off by saying, extra-marital affairs in the political world aren't exactly something new. Some of the most revered governmental figures (e.g. Lyndon B. Johnson, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, etc) have engaged in such acts and they're still viewed by the general public as successful, even beloved. I'm not condoning such behavior, however.

I find the fact that this is all coming up, right out in the open, after the election and before the Benghazi hearings very interesting. I'm not going to call it a conspiracy, but it seems that people in the current administration do not want to hear Petraeus's take on what went on at the US consulate on 9/11/12. 

The fact of the matter is, there's no man as qualified for the job as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency as him. His success in the Global War on Terrorism proves that. The problem here, is that lawyers and sponsored attorneys can, in fact, prove that his testimony is worthless on the grounds that his judgement might have been impaired or otherwise affected. That's when things get sticky. 

I, for one, would very much appreciate the opportunity to hear what he has to say about the CIA's involvement, especially considering the fact that most mainstream news outlets claim that they played a major part in what went on that fateful day. 

As for the affair part... well, as I said, I'm not condoning it in any way, but this was a sign of weakness in an otherwise perfect and stellar career. Cut him some slack folks, LBJ had his way with dozens of women, even with his wife fully knowledgeable of his affairs, and people still celebrate him as a hardworking, trustworthy man.

Iceman out.

Heroes of the Week

I'd like to give a shout-out to Team Rubicon and the awesome work they've done, helping the victims of Hurricane Sandy especially in New York and New Jersey.

Largely composed of veterans and reservists, TR has done an amazing job helping those in need when disaster strikes. 

You can check out their updates from Operation Greased Lightning, their Sandy relief efforts here:

http://teamrubiconusa.org/category/photos/

Mav out.

Fast and the Furious: Pacific Drift

In the last post, Ice gave you a size comparison of an aircraft carrier to a B-52 Stratofortress. Pretty big, right?

Now, imagine this: a high speed bank.

Typically, these awe-inspiring turns are performed as "rudder checks" during post-refit sea trials/shakedown cruises. Imagine a mass, longer than the Empire State building's height, doing a bank like that, at sea, at such an angle. The above pictures are of the USS Nimitz and the USS Harry S. Truman conducting those maneuvers. 

Awesome, isn't it?

Mav out.