Stephen Colbert absolutely destroys Harold Ford, who has decided to try to run for Senate in New York, or maybe he’s just looking for a payoff not to run, but he’s been showing just how little he believes in.
He confronts him on his flip-flops, and exposes the fact that he has never voted in New York.
It couldn’t happen to a more smarmy hypocritical lying bastard .
So, the F-35 B has finally engaged its lift fan in flight, (video below) which is a step toward, but considering the fact the aircraft flew only 10% of the scheduled test flights in 2009, I guess you take what you can.
The bigger news is about the F-35 C model, where a study has been released showing that it will be significantly more expensive to operate than its predecessors:
Moreover, NAVAIR estimates the total of 680 short take-off and vertical landing F-35Bs and carrier-variant F-35Cs, ordered by the US Marine Corps and USN, respectively, will cost $30,700 to fly each hour. This compares to $18,900 for the Boeing AV-8B Harrier II and Boeing F/A-18A-D, the aircraft types the Joint Strike Fighter will replace.
Although NAVAIR projects the F-35 will fly 12% fewer flight hours than the AV-8B and F/A-18A-D fleets, the agency expects the modern aircraft to cost as much as about 25% more to operate at peak rates, the briefing says.
The unexpected cost increases mean the F-35 “will have a significant impact on naval aviation affordability”, the NAVAIR document concludes.
Note that this is competing against an F/A-18 with 2 engines, and roughly the same level of installed thrust and weight.
In fact, it is more expensive to operate than the F-15 Eagle, which is significantly larger, but costs only $30,000/hour to operate and only slightly less than that of the F-22, which is nearly twice the size, and costs $44,000/hour to fly. (scroll down)
When the inevitable costs escalation is included, and part of the hourly cost is the amortization of the initial purchase, I think that the “smaller cheaper” F-35 will be nearly the cost of the F-22.
I do not consider this an argument for the F-22, just an argument for a 2nd tier that costs less (inflation adjusted) than an F-4 Phantom to operate.
The US has air dominance because it dominates the situational awareness in any potential conflict, which is done with things like advanced communications, AWACS, etc., not a plane that can break mach 1 in a vertical climb.
Lockheed-Martin’s response is that the study is “not definitive,” which is defense contractor speak for, “I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for your meddling kids.”
I think that he highlights nicely the stupidity, hubris, and absolute lack of value of the big banks and the markets.
(3:27)
Jon Stewart called out Keith Olbermann, complete with a Special Comment style rant, and to his credit, Keith Olbermann included the whole bit in his broadcast, and replied, “You’re right, I’ve been a little over the top lately………Sorry.“
I count it as manning up, though his one complaint, that he wants to be interviewed by Stewart, is completely legitimate. It would be a lot of fun.
(8:18)
Jim Cramer claimed that the Scott Brown victory drove markets up on Tuesday, but the markets closed before the polls did, but stocks actually fell when they got the news, on Wednesday.
Scroll forward to about 7:50 for complete pwn463 (ownage), or hell, just watch the whole thing, it’s Jon Stewart:
H/t Calculated Risk
Jimmy Kimmel bitch slaps Jay Leno:
It’s brutal.
It really does say it all:
The Boston Globe calls it for Scott Brown, so he will be the 41st Republican in the Senate.
I was right with my prediction, and that sucks. Normally I’m wrong.
For the optimists, refer to my earlier take on potential positives of Coakley losing, (the bullet points toward the end of the post) but for me, this just sucks.
Two words: Budget Reconciliation.
Jon Stewart captures the essence of what is wrong with both candidate Coakley (first 5½ minutes), and the Democratic Party (after).
He explains why we need to pay the banks, but the banks don’t owe us sh$#:
Meh….What’s more, the driving guitar line sounds like something that a 60 year old ad man came up with because he thought it sounded like heavy metal.
Banker bonuses:
H/t Calculated Risk.
Craig Ferguson on the late night shenanigans at NBC, and on Haiti, and on Rush Limbaugh’s drug driven paranoid delusions. (3:37)
Brilliant!
Intended as a replacement for the Hellfire, Maverick, and TOW missiles.
I’m still a bit dubious of replacing the Maverick with the missile, seeing as how the warhead for the Maverick is heavier than the whole JAGM, and so I cannot see how the JAGM won’t be at a disadvantage against fortifications and military naval vessels (i.e. bigger than drug-runner’s speed boats).
Or at least what they think of our cable news-droids:
This is absolutely brill! (7:31)
Seriously if we had 200 guys like him in congress, we’d have 300 Dems in the Congress, and better policy:
H/t Crooks and Liars.
*In a 110% purely heterosexual kind of way, of course, as the General would say.
And yes, the artist has gotten death threats, so go to Mark Fiore’s site, and buy his stuff, so that he can spring for additional security.
He can always be counted on to say something hurtful and stupid, and this time, it’s the earthquake in Haiti.
He’s saying that the Haitians made a pact with the devil to drive out the French, and so they are cursed, which is why their country is poor, wracked with violence and instability, and struck by natural disasters.
What he is really saying, and I need to credit Juan Cole for this insight is that the Blacks of Haiti, much like the Blacks of New Orleans that he also attacked, are defying god because they are revolting against God’s will by refusing to be slaves.
It’s the Curse of Ham, a and comes from the story of Noah in Beresheit (Genesis) and was used by evil men who took up the role of clergy to justify slavery and the slave trade in pre Civil War days, because one of Ham’s sons Canaan, was cursed to be a slave.
It’s clear that in his heart of hearts Robertson believes this story: He thinks that black people in general are cursed because they have rejected the role that God has given them, that of a slave.
A transcript of what he says: “
And you know Christy, something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, uh you know Napoleon the third and whatever. [Actually, you moron, it was Napoleon the first] And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. [No, local priests who practiced african religions issued a blessing] They said we will serve you if you’ll get us free from the French. True Story, and so the Devil said OK it’s a deal. And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since they’ve been cursed by one thing after the other desperately poor. That island is Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle. On one side is Haiti on the other side is the Dominican republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc.. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island.
(H/t Username4242 at Daily Kos for the transcript)
He also studiously ignores the history there, where both the US and France conspired to keep their respective boots on their neck, starting with Thomas Jefferson, because as a slave holder, he was terrified at the prospect of a successful slave revolt.
To quote Christopher Hitchens, as much as it pains me, “If you gave him an enema you could bury him in a matchbox.”
Jon Stewart is amazing.
This video with humorist Calvin Trillin in Junk 19, 2006 predicted the underwear bomber:
