Trump Says U.S. Is Ready for War.

Not All His Troops Are So Sure.
By T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose, and Robert Faturechi for ProPublica

Between the killing of Iran’s most important general and Iran’s missiles hurtling toward American troops in Iraq, President Donald Trump took time to discuss America’s military prowess.

“The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment,” he tweeted on Jan. 5. “If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way.”

Besides being wrong (the military has not spent that much), he repeated a mistake that military leaders have made for years: emphasizing weapons over the fitness of the men and women charged with firing them.

Over the past 18 months, ProPublica has dug into military accidents in recent years that, all told, call into question just how prepared the American military is to fight America’s battles.

If forced to fight in the Persian Gulf or the Korean Peninsula, the Navy and Marine Corps are likely to play crucial roles in holding strategic command of the sea and defending against ballistic missiles.

Those branches, though, do not need billions of dollars of new weapons, our examination revealed. They need to focus on the basics: its service members, their training and their equipment.

The Government Accountability Office, Congress’ watchdog, has been sounding the alarm for years, to little effect. In 2016, the GAO found that years of warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan had taken their toll: “The military services have reported persistently low readiness levels.”

In 2018, the agency focused on the Navy and Marine Corps. All seven types of aircraft it tracked, from cargo planes to fighters like the F/A-18D, had repeatedly missed goals for being prepared for missions. “Aviation readiness will take many years to recover,” the GAO said.

In a report last month, the GAO found that only about 25% of Navy shipyard repairs were completed on time. “The Navy continues to face persistent and substantial maintenance delays that affect the majority of its maintenance efforts and hinder its attempts to restore readiness,” it said.

If you're one of those "none of the above" types, leave the space empty

Don’t waste your vote on Todd Giroux

By Will Collette (I originally posted this article on Rhode Island’s Future)

Todd Giroux at the 2012 Democratic State Convention asking
to be given the House seat for District 68 in return for dropping
his primary challenge to Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (Photo by Will Collette)

In every election, there are fringe candidates who end up on the ballot and pick up a few votes from confused voters or those who, for whatever reason, think “none of the above” is their choice.

In the hotly contested 2014 Democratic primary for Governor on September 9, we have one of the fringe candidates in Todd Giroux. 

Though he is currently polling at 1.4%, the three principal contenders, Clay Pell, Gina Raimondo and Angel Taveras, are all running within 6 points of each other.

Giroux’s numbers, whatever they turn out to be, will not get him elected, but could hurt the real candidates.

Before you throw your vote away on Todd Giroux, let’s take a closer look at him.

Todd Giroux emerged onto Rhode Island’s political stage two years ago when he challenged incumbent Senator Sheldon Whitehouse in the 2012 Primary. I will never forget Giroux’s speech to the State Convention. It was a 15-minute ramble during which Giroux shared his muddled vision of a future. 

Then came Giroux’s punchline. 

Mystic Aquarium releases THREE rescued seals at Blue Shutters Beach

Also, DON’T do what one candidate for Governor did

By Will Collette. Photos courtesy of Mystic Aquarium unless otherwise noted

Hereeeeeeee's Pluto!

On May 15, the good people at the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Team did the unusual, releasing three seals – two harps and one gray seal – at the same time at Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown. 

Rescued marine mammals come to Mystic from all over New England to be treated for illnesses or injuries before they are set free from one of Charlestown’s beaches.

They also run educational programs and also try to inform the public on the right thing to do when encountering a stranded or injuries marine mammal. If you read on, you’ll see how one guy who would like to be Rhode Island’s next Governor obviously didn’t get the memo.