"Is it over?" Topic

Some on here, whose opinions I disagree with a fair amount of the time, have on occasion stepped into the area of attacks on the person. When that was pointed out, they withdrew the comment. On those occasions I certainly came away with a greater respect for the person.

"… as bottom line I really don't give a Bleep! …"

I had already suspected that you didn't.

SB +1

On the two issues you mention, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the ammo shortage.
I am quite prepared to put the Abraham Lincoln in the bucket of political theater. Can some things be learnt by the Navy to improve the mental heath of some sailors on long combat deployments – yes; but that is really up to the Navy to deal with.

On the subject of ammunition supply. I think that is a subject worthy of being taken seriously. There are a lot of implications of the low level of some important precision munitions.
Short term, how it affects the defense against ballistic missiles in both Ukraine and around the Gulf and Israel is important. With ballistic missile technology gaining increasing accuracy there is the risk of significant casualties, not least US casualties at Gulf bases if they run out.

Medium term I would say that the US is in no position to defend Taiwan even if it decided it wanted to. The risk of casualties is too high. Even a long distance maritime blockade strategy could be deemed too risky as it runs the risk of ballistic missile counter strikes against US assets in Japan, S Korea and Guam.

It also runs the risk of countries such as Japan and S Korea not wanting to get involved and potentially denying the US bases in their countries for offensive operations.

None of the above suggests that stocks of missiles were anywhere near sufficient before the conflict. They were not. However, it does expose the reality that weren't and continued usage increases the length of time to build to a sufficient level.

The other impact is on the US defense industry. They are going to do very nicely in the short and medium term with orders from the US military. The one potential issue that I see is that other nations (NATO, Japan, S Korea, etc etc) are not going to be able to obtain extra missiles for a considerable period of time as priority is going to go to US needs. This poses a risk to them. I see European defense companies being called upon to fill the gap here. I am not sure how it all plays out in 5-10 years.

Should this low ammunition be a political issue, probably not,; but that is not the world we live in. Putting aside the politics of the matter for the moment, it is still a very important issue with serious consequences.

Martyn most of what you have just posted, I've gone in depth on either in here, or other Iran themed posts.

We agree we cannot defend Taiwan in a pitched battle during a Chinese invasion. I suggested the "broken nest" and went into great detail.

Either type of confrontation will end with an economic disaster for the world and all involved. Unlike they have ever seen.

A pitched battle, (which nearly every wargame scenario says we cannot win), ends with our navy and Air Force in shambles, as well as our allies. China ends up with Taiwan.

The broken nest allows our forces to stay intact and gives China nothing but the island. It then allows us to make life miserable for China. Forcing them either out away from their home bases to stop us, or suffer horrendous shortages. Possibly bringing down the regime.

Of course it could easily end in nukes., either way.

But even having all the munitions we have expended to date in Iran and the Ukraine, would only have prolonged the "direct" conflict for a bit longer.

I've also gone into detail as to why we have this shortage of "precision" munitions. Which goes back via many Presidents and Congresses.

That is, if we indeed do have the shortages. We have insiders who say we do and insiders who say we don't. Only one side makes it to the MSM.

Yes the Abe Lincoln was exactly what it was. Tomorrow they will develop some new catastrophe and they will be posting it.

As I have said: No one is safe from radical fundamentalist Islam! Anywhere.

FBI arrests woman who allegedly plotted ISIS-linked attack on New York state Capitol building

Federal authorities say Jessica Bowie spent weeks surveilling the New York State Capitol and preparing an ISIS-inspired bombing aimed at killing state senators.

A New York woman plotted to bomb the New York State Capitol and kill state senators inside, repeatedly surveilling the building and buying materials for an explosive device before the FBI arrested her, according to a criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital Thursday.

Jessica Bowie, 35, of Albany, is charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS. The FBI says she pledged allegiance to the terror group, discussed disguising a bomb in a DoorDash delivery bag and wanted to carry out the attack when state senators were meeting.

She converted to Islam about five years ago and began going by the name "Aisha Saif." The affidavit also said that on May 28, 2026, Bowie, using the username "nusaybahsaif" on a social media platform, and told another user in Arabic: "Praise be to Allah for September 11th."

The alleged plot unfolded over about a month as Bowie communicated with an FBI source posing as an ISIS facilitator, according to the affidavit. Beginning in mid-July, she told the source she wanted help making explosives and identified the Capitol as her target, saying she hoped to damage the building and kill lawmakers.

Bowie allegedly began scouting the Capitol in Albany soon afterward.

Investigators said she walked around the building on roughly five separate occasions between July 21 and Aug. 9, taking photographs and studying the surrounding area and security.

In one exchange, she told the FBI source she would make a point of having picnics near the Capitol and drinking coffee nearby so she could observe the building.

She allegedly told the source she wanted to destroy as much of the Capitol as possible and kill senators while they were meeting. She also discussed putting the device in a bag that would make her look like a food-delivery worker.
…

The article proceeds from there, even with her purchasing and preparing to do it.

Images only show her in full Muslim dress with the hijab.

So the radical version even converts your own citizens.

Why New York? One of our more liberal states.

Why was her conversion to Islam, not to the peaceful version of Islam?
This is not Palestine. Not Yemen! Not Somalia!
This is the U.S. and New York.
One has to ask, why so easily to hate and why are those preaching it, allowed to remain?

Iran eyes US military bases in Europe as targets if war ramps up, report says

"American military installations in Europe could be in Iran's crosshairs if the United States escalates the nearly six-month-old war, according to a recent news report. U.S. bases in countries such as Bulgaria have been assessed as possible targets by Iran, two unidentified Iranian insiders told the Financial Times. One said Tehran was preparing a plan to expand the conflict further if Trump makes good on previous threats to attack Iranian infrastructure…"

link

Armand

On the subject of ammunition supply. I think that is a subject worthy of being taken seriously.

I'd normally agree with you, yet the nature of the story is suspect. It appeared fully formed, everywhere all at once among left-blogs and social accounts, rapidly adopted by establishment media and Democrats as a way to attack Trump, and repeated in lock step, ad nauseum. Then abandoned when people got bored by it and before facts could catch up.

Just like the USS Lincoln story.