Tag Archives: History

Military

Fury and the Sherman

32 Comments

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First off, I just want to say that this is a fantastic WWII film that shows the dark side of American Armored Warfare at the time.  We learned of the Sherman’s handicap not from school… but from a different movie.   In school we were taught of the American Supremacy thanks to the Sherman’s great design and heroic manufacturing output from Detroit.


The reality of the Sherman was far from what we were told in school.  too little armor, too little gun, and running on gasoline instead of diesel.  It was probably one of the very worst tanks we could have fielded.   I can’t say it was one of the worst in the war – because the Brits and the Russians take those honors.  The Germans had the best tanks on the planet.  They were not as fast, but they were fast.  And they had big accurate scary good guns.  Their armor was incredible.  Basically everything the Sherman was not.

This movie, Fury, brings this all to light in one scene that had me at the edge of my seat and gritting my teeth.
Go…
Go to the theater, and watch FURY.

Government

Since 1805

17 Comments

I’m so sick of hearing that we’re only “fighting for oil” or “our Foreign Policy is only about oil”.  That’s such BS, and History proves it.   You know the Marine’s Song?  “From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli…”
That song comes from a US action in the Mediterranean region back in 1805.  By order of President Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd President, US Marines and Berber Mercenaries marched 500 miles across Egypt to Derna Tripoli to combat Piracy.  Pirates who were interfering with shipping, and to support a Pro-US Administration.  This is what defending our foreign interests is all about.  It’s not about secret cabal of oil barons squabbling over our planet’s oil fields.

If that was the case, where are the great battles in Alaska, Canada, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, the Dakota’s and the Gulf of Mexico?  Where are the Armies that are invading Venezuela?  These places are all rich in oil resources.  How come the US has not gone in and taken Venezuela’s oil?   Because it’s not about the oil.   It’s about Regional Stability and protecting our interests and those of our allies.  Do you think Thomas Jefferson was concerned about Middle Eastern Oil?  No, he wasn’t.  Was he concerned about Egyptian or Tripolian oil?  No, he wasn’t.  He was concerned about the Pirates.  Just like Bush was concerned about Saddam Hussein.  Who, you may remember, was the concern of the Democrats, who all VOTED FOR that war, and as soon as Bush pulled the trigger, suddenly cried about it because he did what they voted for.  Insanity.  Oil its self had nothing to do with it.  Saddam Hussein threatened the Regional Stability.  Oil is only merely the main product from that region.  The US has other interests there as well.

On another note:
This is why I scratch my head about Obama’s handling of ISIS.  It seems everything Obama has been doing has been to undermine Stability in as many regions has he can.  Middle East, Egypt, Russia, Korea, Libya, China… if he can screw it up, he can and will try.  Who has been reaping the benefits from Obama’s meddling and failures?   The Islamic Brotherhood.  This makes me question what Obama would have done in 1805, had he been in charge.  Because I’m having a hard time deciding if Obama is just a pure pile of incompetence… or if he really is smart and doing just what he promised to do.   He’s always talking about it.