War

What happens when you have a corrupt military bureaucracy purchasing weapons from corrupt, monopoly weapons contractors? The most expensive fighter plane in the world can't reliably deliver oxygen to the pilot, and the Air Force knew about the problem.

"RAW-G proposed a range of solutions by 2005, including adjustments to the flow of oxygen into pilot's masks. But that key recommendation was rejected by military officials reluctant to add costs to a program that was already well over budget. Kevin Divers, a former Air Force physiologist who led RAW-G until he left the service in 2007, believes the cost of adjusting the oxygen flow would have added about $100,000 to the cost of each $190 million aircraft."

That's rounding error. Just like every other government bureaucracy, power corrupts, and the worst of the worst rise to the top, so those at the top have little regard for the lives of others except as those lives serve their personal interests.

Needless to say, the Air Force brass, located at Wright-Patterson, tell a different story.

"An Air Force working group found the jets’ oxygen system was giving pilots too much oxygen, which caused the cough. The service is refitting pilot life support gear, redesigning vests with modifications due in the fall, and adding an automated backup oxygen system by the end of the year, the AP reported."

I never heard of anybody passing out from too much oxygen, and why would they need to supply backup oxygen if too much oxygen was the problem. This sounds like dissembling at best and more likely a cover-up.

"The Air Force has said the jet is safe to fly, and temporarily deployed a squadron to Japan but has imposed altitude and flight radius restrictions on operations."

This conflict would be funny if it wasn't deadly.

Can you imagine a better headline than this?

"Syria: The Strange US/Israel/Al-Qaeda Ménage à Trois"

Can you imagine a more corrupt situation than the own our government has engaged in that prompted this headline?