• DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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      9 months ago

      The F-15 is an air superiority fighter

      The F-15EX, the only one for which the production line is still open, is very much a multirole fighter, developed from the Strike Eagle bomber. Sure it can do air superiority, but it can carry a shitton of weapons to strike ground targets just the same.

      But you’re right, this is a long term order, which won’t have impact on the current situation in Gaza. Additionally, it’s a request that was initiated over a year ago, long before the whole situation in Gaza escalated: https://breakingdefense.com/2023/01/israel-formally-requests-25-f-15-ex-from-the-us-sources/

      • FiniteBanjo
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        9 months ago

        I’m glad you more technically inclined folks are here to spell this out in the comments, my day was almost a very sad one. Now that sad day is future Banjo’s problem in 5 years.

    • pachrist@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      The Ford F-150 is a work truck. Doesn’t stop millions of people from using them as a commuter vehicle, even if they’re not great at it.

      Hell, I used my impact driver as a hammer the other day, and I used a screwdriver as a pry bar.

      Just because it’s not the primary role for a object doesn’t mean it can’t perform the role. The sale of arms to Israel is irresponsible at best and complicit at worst.

      • Krono
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        9 months ago

        Yes the Ford F-150 can be used to commute, but you dont see UPS purchasing a new fleet of F-150s to deliver packages. People dont usually accept that level of inefficiency when the price tag is measured in billions.

        My point was that the US has a variety of child-shredding and apartment-exploding warplanes that they would be happy to sell to Israel, so why did Israel choose the plane-destroying version instead?

        Other commenters gave a good answer: these are likely in the F-15E family, which are equipped to shred children and explode apartments.

    • mlg@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      I mean yeah sorta

      F-15Es are still used somewhat often for Air to Ground stuff, just not as much as other aircraft.

      • DefederateLemmyMl@feddit.nl
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        9 months ago

        F-15Es are still used somewhat often for Air to Ground stuff

        Somewhat often? It’s their primary role. It’s called the Strike Eagle and its nickname is the Mudhen for a reason.

        • mlg@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Lol sorry I meant in the sense of multiple squadrons, lots of nations usually have other A-G aircraft and don’t buy the F-15E because its an expensive heavyweight that also doubles as an interceptor.

          But yeah obviously by itself that’s what it was designed for.

    • maryjayjay@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      If the US didn’t have planes specifically designed for air to ground, the F-15 would do the job more than adequately. The F-15E has been used in that role

      Edit: see below

      • PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml
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        9 months ago

        The US didn’t have planes specifically designed for air to ground

        They do have three, not counting the big bombers: Harrier, AC-130 and A-10, though they are more specialised and niche.

        • maryjayjay@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Sorry, I typoed. I meant to say “If the US didn’t have…”, my bad. You are absolutely correct

  • krolden@lemmy.ml
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    9 months ago

    Be sure to get out and vote for a piece of shit in November everyone!

    • The Bard in Green@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz
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      9 months ago

      It’s a shitty choice between

      “Business as usual center right Joe Stability Biden, representing rich old business people with a smile and a grandfatherly handshake” and

      “My followers LITERALLY want Hand Maids Tale style Christian Fascism in this country and they have a plan to do it and that’s fine with me as long as I get to win and avoid criminal prosecution, also I’m a wannabe Russian mobster! Donald Trump”

      So yes, DO make sure to get out and vote against a piece of shit this November.

      • Melkath@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        I love how dumdums are making genocide center right and stable.

        And making it acceptable for both of the whole 2 parties to be right wing.

        • The Bard in Green@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz
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          9 months ago

          And Trump wouldn’t be supporting the genocide a million times worse?

          Hate him, he deserves it. It’s a terrible situation, but it will become even more terrible if it turns into a Republican victory, and some of that responsibility is in fact on the heads of people too angry to see and do what needs to be done.

          Underneath it all, there’s a tragic, numeric reality and we have to confront it.

            • The Bard in Green@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz
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              9 months ago

              The American electoral system just doesn’t work that way. That is a steaming shit sandwich, but… sitting out the election or voting 3rd party because you’re pissed (rightfully so) is like headbutting a goat. It hurts you more than it hurts the goat and the goat doesn’t care or change it’s behavior. The goat in this case is 100% the collective body of American Democratic voters and the assholes who run the DNC. They will NOT care. They will learn all the wrong lessons. They are old and out of touch and they pull to the right every time they lose.

              • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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                9 months ago

                It works the other way around too! Voting is trying to drag the goat by her lead and she doesn’t care or change her behavior that way either.

                • Facebones@reddthat.com
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                  9 months ago

                  Every cycle the DNC moves 5 steps right, but they’re the lesser evil so they move 5 more steps right. Everyone keeps rewarding them for marching rightward than shocked Pikachu that they won’t do anything about anything.

                  Of course nobody blames the dems for not listening, or even Republicans for yknow the christofascism - It’s always the lefts fault. Pay the lip service to Trump than it’s diatribe after diatribe about how leftists who get told to eat shit constantly for SOME REASON don’t like the mid right milquetoast genocider they put up.

                • The Bard in Green@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz
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                  9 months ago

                  Agreed. You can have a stubborn goat who won’t change or White Jesus with an AK-47 riding a dragon, leading a glorious army to put women and transpeople back in their place. It’s a STUPID choice, but there IS a right answer.

                • The Bard in Green@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz
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                  9 months ago

                  No, I want you to vote AGAINST the insane vampires. Stop thinking of the US electoral system as something where you vote FOR somebody. We haven’t had an option that truely represented us in literal lifetimes. You have a button for bullshit as usual and you have a button for “FUCK WOMEN, FUCK TRANS PEOPLE, FUCK IMMIGRANTS, HAHAHAHAH JESUS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS BABY.” If you DON’T push the first button… that IS in fact a reality fail and LOTS of vulnerable people will suffer for the sake of your principals.

          • Facebones@reddthat.com
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            9 months ago

            The number one thing I’ve noticed about this election cycle is that all dems can come up with, even mainstream sources, is “Yeah Biden does it but Trump will do it worse!”

            #JustFuckingDont2024

            • Melkath@kbin.social
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              9 months ago

              It’s okay that our party has completely imploded, is wholesale ignoring its voterbase, and is putting ALL effort into courting the right voterbase. At LeAsT iTs NoT TrUmP!

  • Melkath@kbin.social
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    9 months ago

    I hate that man SO much.

    Slowest pitch in American history (except maybe Hilary who just HAD to rig the DNC and legitimize Trump) and he is still hellbent on losing.

    • DevCat@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Unlike the precision guided munitions, the new F-15s would need to be built from scratch. A US official said there are no plans to expedite delivery of the jets to Israel so, if approved, they would not be delivered to Israel for at least five years.

      Is that enough time to vote in some Dems who will stop it?

      • EmptySlime@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        9 months ago

        Don’t get your hopes up too much, but potentially yes. Congress is the one that has the power of the purse. They appropriate money to be used for certain purposes and the Executive is responsible for spending that money on the things Congress appropriated it for by a certain date from the bill that did the funding. But usually the form this takes is Congress giving a number and the President deciding exactly what to do to meet that number. Any time before that deadline Congress can decide to reappropriate funds for something else. They usually just opt to change the numbers next time around. Biden tried to get them to do this with some sections of border wall that were funded under Trump. So theoretically yes Congress could cancel this later if they wanted to.

        But even if they don’t, if what you quoted is accurate this is probably one of the best case scenarios for us non-Genocide Enjoyers. This means that the Biden admin is eating up $18 billion dollars of the money Congress appropriated for Israel aid to build jets that they won’t get in time to further their genocidal aims. Since that money has to get spent arming Israel regardless since that’s what Congress appropriated it for it’s much better if it goes to expensive shit they won’t get for years than munitions they could use within weeks to bomb more civilians.

      • Melkath@kbin.social
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        9 months ago

        Sadly, the 5 dems I would have voted for are all hanging back and letting the rest of the Dems shut them out.

        Time to make another run at ending the 2 party system.

        It will hurt, but when you let it stay 51/49, everything rapidly goes right.

        Also, I would imagine the military contractors have already pocketed the 18 billion that was moved from public trust to Israel to the contractor.

        If the deal were cancelled, that’s another 18 billion out of the public trust refunded to Israel to buy something else from the military contractors.

        • stewie3128@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          The two major national parties are rushing rightward no matter what you do. Best I’ve come up with is moving to a state where the controlling party is as left as possible.

          The only way out is through. Best case scenario I believe we can expect is patchwork fascism across the country, so choose your enclave wisely. After things really collapse, and after the fighting is settled, we can do our best to set things right. But as long as we are going to be shackled to the whims of previous generations going back to the 18th century, actual progress is a dream.

          The foxes have run the henhouse since the late 70s, and they’re not about to give it up.

        • pachrist@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Actions speak louder than words. Right now the words are many and inconsequential, and the actions are damning.

    • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      Why would they do that? Everyone is going to vote for him regardless of what he does (other then die of natural causes, but even then.) There is absolutely no downside for the people behind this decision, and they all stand to benefit either monetarily or for future career prospects.

      • UnfortunateShort@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Except a majority in the US disapproves of Israels recent actions and they are risking their victory - which is likely gonna be a close one - for next to nothing. Even if they really don’t give a fuck, they could have just postponed the decision.

        • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
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          9 months ago

          So what? Do you think the dems care about what “blue no matter who” liberals approve of? What are they gonna do vote for trump?

          • EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com
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            9 months ago

            What are they gonna do vote for trump?

            They might choose to sit it out, abstain. This election is not a sure thing for Biden, and the polls are pretty clear that Biden needs to stop supporting Israel like yesterday. Hilary had hubris in 2016, and so too does Biden seem to have hubris right now.

  • AllonzeeLV@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Our God here in the US is Mammon, even though he usually goes by other names; rational self-interest, the invisible hand, etc.

    Mammon would never let genocide get in the way of glorious profit.

    • tetris11@lemmy.ml
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      9 months ago

      Some of you are going to die
      Martyr’s, of course, to the Freedom that I shall provide…

  • lennybird@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    Here’s a fascinating piece of what appears to be censorship or extremely selective transcribing from transcripts of yesterday’s press briefings. You won’t find this in the transcript of C-SPAN, or the WhiteHouse.gov transcript.

    During the White House press briefing yesterday, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby remarked the following — note that’s in brackets was cut from the transcript:

    REPORTER: THESE ARE VERBAL URGINGS, NOT COMMITMENTS.

    MR. KIRBY: [I KNOW, YOU WANT US TO HANG SOME SORT OF CONDITION OVER THEIR NECK] WHAT I AM TELLING YOU IS WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE ISRAELIS TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE AS PRECISE AS THEY CAN BE AND MORE AID IS GETTING IN AND WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE THAT APPROACH.

    Yes, verbal conditions would be excellent. He claims the weapons are for defense, but they are clearly being used for disastrous offensive effect to civilians.

    https://www.c-span.org/video/?534613-1/white-house-daily-briefing

    Starts around 15:15.