Persian Gulf Shots Fired

[Dudesky]

A spokesperson for the Navy's 5th Fleet, which is based in nearby Bahrain, said that a security team aboard the oil supply ship U.S.N.S. Rappahannock fired a .50 caliber machine gun at a "small motor vessel after it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship" off the coast of Jebel Ali, a city approximately 30 miles from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
The Navy is investigating the incident as details continue to emerge. A Navy official said the offending vessel was a white pleasure craft, but a UAE official told ABC News it was a fishing boat with four Indians and two Emirates on board. There doesn't appear to be any indication the incident was terror-related, the UAE official said.

US Navy Fires on Ship in Persian Gulf, One Dead - ABC News

[Txjake]

too bad they didn't sink the offending vessel. most likely "fishing" to see how close they could get to it w/o a warning fired. planning phase for a USS Cole type attack/

[spdrun]

If the Cole hadn't been where it wasn't wanted and shouldn't have been, then the sailors aboard it would still be alive today. That is all. The sooner we get out of the Middle East, the better for us and the people living there as well.

Last I checked, we were a net EXPORTER of oil, so we can't even use the oil supply excuse any more. Establish a domestic oil exchange, forbid exports... let other countries that actually need Middle Eastern oil deal /w the problem if they dare.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by spdrun

Hope our sailor that committed the murder falls overboard and gets sucked into a prop.

PS - we have no G-d damned business in the Gulf anyway. I have no love for terrorists, but not much sympathy for American military thugs and their puppetmasters either. If the Cole hadn't been where it wasn't wanted, then the sailors aboard it would still be alive today.

What murder? They were warned and they didn't move off so they got fired on. I know you like to be flamboyant in your use of words but how is it within the realm of "murder"? What maritime laws did the gunner break? They had their perimeter so they enforced it

Yes we do. It affect us so we are protecting our interests. It is that simple.

[spdrun]

Originally Posted by aklim

What murder? They were warned and they didn't move off so they got fired on. I know you like to be flamboyant in your use of words but how is it within the realm of "murder"?

Yes we do. It affect us so we are protecting our interests. It is that simple.

See my edited post. I realized that my anger at some brainwashed kid was misplaced.

We have no interests there any more, since if you believe our propaganda, we're a net oil exporter. Even if you look at import stats, only 16% of our imported oil comes from the Middle East. We could tighten our belts and reduce this # to zero inside of a year if we had the b@lls. This is a case of the military-industrial complex feeding off itself, corrupting government to support more wars, more troops abroad, more intervention, more "force projection." Basically, a giant corporate welfare program, where everyone other than the companies loses long-term.

Let other countries that are net importers take care of the problem. As far as Israel, grant all Israelis American visas if they desire, but don't spend a red cent on their defense. Nor the Saudi gangsters for that matter.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by spdrun

See my edited post. We have no interests there any more, since if you believe our propaganda, we're a net oil exporter.

Let other countries that are net importers take care of the problem. As far as Israel, grant all Israelis American visas if they desire, but don't spend a red cent on the defense of that terrorist state. Or any other terrorist state like Saudi.

Importer or exporter don't matter a whole lot. It will throw the world into chaos if something bad happens there. We don't live in an isolated world where what you do cannot affect me in some way simply because I am exporting oil or importing oil. More to the point, we are a net petroleum product exporter.

What is Israel got to do with this?

[spdrun]

No it wouldn't. The world survived the energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s just fine. If anything, it was on the right track, moving to nuclear and renewables in a serious way, rather than giving lip service to a few insignificant projects.

You're also implying that the American presence there is stabilizing, rather than destabilizing or at best neutral.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by spdrun

See my edited post. I realized that my anger at some brainwashed kid was misplaced.

We have no interests there any more, since if you believe our propaganda, we're a net oil exporter. Even if you look at import stats, only 16% of our imported oil comes from the Middle East. We could tighten our belts and reduce this # to zero inside of a year if we had the b@lls. This is a case of the military-industrial complex feeding off itself, corrupting government to support more wars, more troops abroad, more intervention, more "force projection." Basically, a giant corporate welfare program, where everyone other than the companies loses long-term.

I don't know. Maybe he didn't want to get blown up by a ship he knows nothing about that is approaching him at high speed and refused warnings? I guess if that is brainwashed, perhaps he should let them ram him first and ask questions later. I suppose since you are so enlightened, you will let me advance on you in your own house after ignoring warnings to stand down and let me slit your throat before you protest? Really?

Product exporter. We don't have the fields of Saudi if I am reading it right. But if you think that just because we don't need the oil from that region, it cannot hurt us regardless, well, I don't know what to say about your impression.

[spdrun]

Sure they can hurt us. They can't hurt us enough to make spending trillions of dollars there worth it, when that money could be better spent on a true defense. A true defense means becoming independent from oil, and then exporting the technologies that allowed us to do so.

The analogy to my home is flawed. It's more like walking around South Central L.A. at 3 am while carrying a KKK banner, and then having someone attack you.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by spdrun

No it wouldn't. The world survived the energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s just fine. If anything, it was on the right track, moving to nuclear and renewables in a serious way, rather than giving lip service to a few insignificant projects.

You're also implying that the American presence there is stabilizing, rather than destabilizing or at best neutral.

I suppose it depends on what your definition of "just fine" is. During the 80s, with the Iran-Iraq war, are you sure there were no consequences of the 2 states shutting down production or coming to a bad slowdown?

No, I am not. We are looking after our own interests the best way we can or know how. You either row the boat and try steer it in your favored direction or let the current or someone else steer you.

[spdrun]

What we've done over the past 60 years is sail around with an M-16 and shoot many other people who were attempting to steer *their* boats.

"Steering our own boat" would have resulted in a crash program to become independent of oil within 5 years ... 25 years ago. We have the technology. It's an engineering problem at this point.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by spdrun

Sure they can hurt us. They can't hurt us enough to make spending trillions of dollars there worth it, when that money could be better spent on a true defense. A true defense means becoming independent from oil, and then exporting the technologies that allowed us to do so.

The analogy to my home is flawed. It's more like walking around South Central L.A. at 3 am while carrying a KKK banner, and then having someone attack you.

That's all good IF we can ever achieve it and if something hasn't overtake the situation by that time. Is it a good thing to put all your eggs in that basket?

No it is not. The boat was coming in at a pretty good clip and disregarded warnings. What is it you suggest the sailor do? Wait till the pull alongside and ask if they can borrow a cup of sugar?

[spdrun]

Originally Posted by aklim

That's all good IF we can ever achieve it and if something hasn't overtake the situation by that time. Is it a good thing to put all your eggs in that basket?

No it is not. The boat was coming in at a pretty good clip and disregarded warnings. What is it you suggest the sailor do? Wait till the pull alongside and ask if they can borrow a cup of sugar?

The sailor was probably right to shoot. The policies of the American government are 100% wrong, and I pray that we end up too bankrupt to continue them inside of 5 years.

[aklim]

Originally Posted by spdrun

What we've done over the past 60 years is sail around with an M-16 and shoot many other people who were attempting to steer *their* boats.

"Steering our own boat" would have resulted in a crash program to become independent of oil within 5 years ... 25 years ago. We have the technology. It's an engineering problem at this point.

You do forget that their steerage does have an effect on us. That is the issue. Sure you say it is your boat but if that boat does affect mine, it becomes my issue also.

It is a cost problem. Anything can be done if you don't have to pay for it.

[Dudesky]

Originally Posted by spdrun

See my edited post. I realized that my anger at some brainwashed kid was misplaced.

We have no interests there any more, since if you believe our propaganda, we're a net oil exporter. Even if you look at import stats, only 16% of our imported oil comes from the Middle East. We could tighten our belts and reduce this # to zero inside of a year if we had the b@lls. This is a case of the military-industrial complex feeding off itself, corrupting government to support more wars, more troops abroad, more intervention, more "force projection." Basically, a giant corporate welfare program, where everyone other than the companies loses long-term.

Let other countries that are net importers take care of the problem. As far as Israel, grant all Israelis American visas if they desire, but don't spend a red cent on their defense. Nor the Saudi gangsters for that matter.

That brainwashed kid didn't fire without higher command approval.
That craft was warned multiples times. Before using deadly force several shots would have fired close in to warn of intent. They chose to ignore.
Have a nice day.