US Rep. Mike Pompeo is very excited that he is bringing Boeing KC-46A tankers to McConnell Air Force Base. He seems to be taking the angle that this will bring jobs to his district, but it wouldn’t bring near as many jobs as it would have if he had gotten Boeing to build those planes in Wichita. They build them in Seattle. Most of the new jobs will be for military personnel. So maybe Pompeo figures those planes will help the economy as military people spend their money here in the Wichita area.
Pompeo really likes the military and military secrecy as he has blasted those as Edward Snowden and others who have provided information to the public as to what our military actually does in other countries. Pompeo has said that is treason.
I’m sure he doesn’t care that these planes will be used for foreign adventurism and not for defense.
In his e-mail he said:
”And, of course, a special thank you to the hardworking men and women of McConnell Air Force Base for continuing to demonstrate the kind of excellence that keeps America safe.”
Keep us safe? Hardly. These planes are designed to help in long distance attacks on other countries. They carry fuel on long distance flights so planes won’t need to land. They also carry personnel and equipment.
According to Boeing the planes have:
Enhanced Survivability -- New robust defensive systems and cockpit armor protection enhances KC-46 crew survivability.
Superior Situational Awareness – Large Boeing 787 15” displays allow KC-46 pilots to quickly optimize flight parameters for critical decision making and mission success.
Clearly they are not hiding the fact that this plane is designed for military mission far from our shores.
Today our military is involved in conflicts all over the Middle-east. We still have troops in Afghanistan, some in Iraq, some involved in the civil war in Syria, and some involved in Colombia. This is not about our “safety” as Pompeo said. It is about building up an empire in accordance with the “New American Century,” a bi-partisan policy of forcing other countries to accept US style government, culture and lifestyles. It is a clear attempt to set up the US as the major imperialist country in the world. This will be an empire carved in blood and we have already lost human lives to this idea.
It’s time to tell Pompeo we don’t need to trade blood for jobs.
