Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The Stand-Off

mrfudd: You may have caught me on that one. You can just send me back to school, and now that you mentioned it, I'm drawing a complete blank. But it's the one the Brits just turned back over. And I think the same one that were in arms deals with to sell a new class of destroyer. I may have the two mixed up, messed up, turned all around, talking about both, and neither one. See now you did it (grin)<P>Phil

I actually had to work today, and now that I'm back home, all mixed up, and see our guys returning from China, taking off at this very moment. What all did I miss? What did we do now? We didn't throw in the towel did we?<P>Phil

President Bush was in a no win situation, if he didn't handle it with kid gloves and get the troops home unharmed he was a war monger. If he did as he did he is too soft and has shown weakness, this all according to the liberal press and the hard right. My opinion is, you say and promise anything to get a hostage(s) out of the situation and when he(they) are out, you take appropriate action. I seriously doubt that anyone thinks that we are going to continue on with business as usual with Red China. Our Service Men and Women are coming home safe, let's rejoice and then pay the *******s back. I, for one, will make every effort NOT to buy any more Chinese made goods. I didn't say I wouldn't because it is so pervasive that it is difficult to avoid. Anyone bought any Mcdonald's Happy Meals lately, the toys are almost all, if not all, made in China. Cheap labor, don't you know? If you really care, let Mcdonald's, Walmart, etc. know, but it is not their fault, they are just getting the best deal for their customers. Standing on principles almost always cost money. Are you willing to make the sacrifice?

Our intelligence-gathering (NOT "spy") aircraft was in international air space when Wang Wei's ship collided with its port wing.<P>THEN it entered China's air space in the emergency necessity to get it onto the nearest flat dry slab of terra firma ASAP.<P>Did anyone else here notice and study the photo, briefly flashed on the tube, of the gash in the ventral surface of that port wing? I'd like to know whether anyone else noticed what I'm not entirely sure I saw.<P>That gash in the skin of the wing appeared to be narrower toward the rear, wider toward the leading edge of the wing. I'm pretty sure I saw, in that brief flash, that the skin metal from that gash was crumpled into a pleated wad at the forward, wider end of the gash � indicating that some essentially vertical and narrow object had pierced the skin of the wing and pushed that torn ribbon of aluminum forward without tearing it off.<P>If I saw it right, that evidence strongly suggests to me that the tip of an antenna or more likely a vertical member of the empennage of Wang Wei's interceptor rose into the underside of the wing and tore that gash before that section of Wang Wei's ship gave way. Wang Wei's wing man said he saw the US plane tear the empennage off Wang Wei's plane.<P>To me, this looks like clear physical evidence that Wang Wei was solely responsible for the accident, in a unique parallel of a tail-gating collision. The faster ship came forward and up under the bigger and slower ship (this seems to say), and the pilot simply misjudged his rate and shrinking margin of closure � not a lot unlike a Volkswagen beetle convertible or a Honda motorcycle running under the back end of a semitrailer on the Interstate.<P>So WHO clipped WHOM? No doubt in my mind, if I saw what I think I saw.<P>Did you see it too?<P>I'd sure love to amble over to the shade of that wing and take a long, close peek at that gash � and at the other "abrasions," plus the paint smears transferred onto that Navy Aries. Kind of like studying the nicks, scrapes, and fragments of a burst gun and listening closely to what they whisper into your ear.

Our people are coming home. I hope George W is dining on Panda bear steaks tonight.:P We should not forget this incident. Accidents happen to even good people, pilots are no exception. Political types and Rulers need to keep that in perspective, George did good.<P>Bullwnkl.

Our boys, and girls are home! And believe me I'm glad. I think that while the hostages were being held, and treated fairly well. Both sides played nice. Now I'm wondering what hands will be played, when the stakes are just political. I don't believe they will continue to play their game as clean.<P>Phil

Yes, thank god our men and women are back and safe. The real battle has only just begun. As an ex intell weenie, I can tell you the chinese don't think like us and consider us as weak, soft, and nothing better than mongrels. They respect our high-tech weaponry but believe our warriors anre just high-tech button pushers. They know this was an accident, but used the situation as a test for the resolve of the nation and to see how far they could manipulate the new president and his staff. We, as americans confuse them with the way we think and they constantly misjudge us. After the last eight years with ol' Bill, they are not sure of how far they can push us. Now that our people are safe, I look forward to seeing what happens over the plane and the payback that is sure to come. They will squeal like stuck pigs when it happens. Should be interesting and entertaining to boot! Rick