by Barry Hastings

Bad news first… ’cause that’s all we have here. Besides the disgusting lack of progress in our battle against radical Muslim terror, we’re seeing rebirth of the cruel, grasping Russian bear; revival of Chinese naval expansion after a seven-century hiatus; repeated, repeat, repeated, successful attacks on government computer systems and web services in very nearly every government department (including many state government agencies) from Defense, through Intelligence, to (nothing’s safe in) Congress, and Homeland (in)security – particularly TSA, but also in most of their other law enforcement divisions (Coast Guard, almost alone, excepted), particularly where related to critical infrastructure.
If you find the opening paragraph difficult to read, imagine being chief executive and having to deal on such critical emergency with Republicans in the U.S. Congress. As always, Congress has dual-split personality, split by party, but also by nuts within party. (Some 15 – mostly-pathetics – seeking the White House under GOP banners, are manifestation of t/ie/rself-destructiveness.)
It could come down (again) to Mitt Romney. How many times must he throw himself onto his own dull sword? The GOP-controlled Congress comes together on two issues – keeping us broke, and under tight surveillance, and refusing to be of any help to, “the ‘nigra’ in the White House.”
The most critical overall world situation in modern times, and we’re not exhibiting anything approaching leadership. Our foreign policy is a policy of reaction — to Russians, to Chinese, to web attacks, to ISIL and al-Quaeda, to breakdown of our most critical government functions. Our American “social contrac”‘ is in tatters, and it started with FBI and CIA meddling in politics fifty-some years ago, and continues today — so many state and federal agencies spying on us, we can no longer recall the 18 + acronyms for Federal Spy Agencies, alone.
Well, let’s just send some more money our ‘allies’ can surely find ways to spend, and some slightly more sophisticated arms, so they can retreat a bit further while they learn to use (probably ‘to lose’) them.
Our military is used up, and it was a cruel hoax on the nation, and those they bled white, physically, mentally, in many cases, morally. Face it, gang, as many of us predicted when the change to an all-volunteer military was made, there is no army like a national army. Much as people fear “changing horses in mid-stream,” revival of a fair military draft, and a much larger, inclusive (across social, racial, economic lines) military of World War II quality, if not quantity, is urgently necessary. Mental/intellectual quality of current troops requires a short leash.
It must be an army (unlike the present) that “can walk and chew gum at the same time” from top to bottom. When you’re surrounded by enemies, “they’s no sech thing” as proxies. Let’s get some people into the ranks and ratings who will add to overall intellectual and moral capacity and skill of the force. Right now, the military is beset by a force largely (not completely, but enough to cause unease in the ranks) made-up of petty criminals, gang-bangers, other under-educated persons. Many would be easy to persuade to turn their weapons on critical citizens. A lot of this dates to the Bush (Shrub) administration.
More women are ‘reporting’ sexual assault or harassment in the services, but not a whole helluva lot is being done to end it. And it takes forever, with complainant living and working midst comrades who, “through the grapevine,” know everything that’s going on.
The Air Force has a long tradition of sexual harassment and assault, though strangely enough, forte at their Colorado Academy has been one fundamentalist-religious scandal after another.
I’ve often mentioned a (longish) list of scandals already laid at the doorstep of our naval high command, or acts they’re suspected of being behind. I’ll try to keep all this in a linear time-frame.

• John Paul Jones. Cheated by naval administrators of his true seniority to keep him from being both senior admiral and victor of sea battles. Left navy to serve Russia’s Catherine the Great (in every sense of the word “serve”). A very big loss to the nation.
• Thomas Truxton. Cheated of seniority by naval administrators in the Quasi-War with France, he fought three victorious frigate actions against larger, more powerful enemies, won them all decisively. Irritated by bean counters, he left the navy, then refused to serve when the War of 1812 occurred. A very hard loss to the nation.
• The Somers Mutiny. The son of a government official is hanged ’til dead at sea, aboard a small navy vessel, and there’s hell to pay.
• Explosion of the Dahlgren gun. Naval types and powerful government types are killed, wounded in first test-firing of a monster naval gun. SecNav one of them.
• The Hunt for Admiral Sims. How naval bureau chiefs tried to sabotage the career of a young officer who knew,”something had gone amiss.” Action soon put things strait. Sims rose to command U.S. Naval Forces in Europe during World War I, among them a squadron (five ships) modern, powerful, new U. S. battleships.
• Admiral Kimmel’s Tale. Naval commander of Pearl Harbor at the worst possible moment.
• The Torpedo Tale. How faulty torpedoes robbed U.S. Submarines and PT boats of many victories 1942-43, and caused deaths of many U.S. Sailors
• USS Indianapolis. How the ship was lost (honorably), and how at least two Pacific commands lied and concealed evidence of their own command failure, resulting in court martial for skipper and his eventual suicide.
• Pueblo’s Tale. Unarmed navy vessel crammed with up-to-the-minute-electronics gear sent by superiors into dangerous waters of North Korea. Attacked by air and sea, without so much as a decent rifle aboard, with dead and wounded, CO surrendered, and was vilified by Navy.
There is more (seven), and worse, but space exists not. Next time.