Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Feasibility studies and you.

Admiral Miklos Horthy was the dictator of Hungary from 1920 until was deposed in a pro-Nazi coup in 1944. He had served as a reasonably competent officer in the Hapsburg Empire's navy, and declared himself "Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary," despite not wanting to let the Hapsburg claimants back in. The Hungarian joke was that Hungary "was a kingdom without a king, ruled by an admiral without a fleet, in a country without a coastline."

For a moment, Wyoming was threatening to resurrect that joke in an American setting. The context was the study of a doomsday continuity-of-government bill--not a crazy idea in a world of fast-moving disease, weapons of mass destruction and EMP. However, an early draft of the bill provided for a feasibility study for Wyoming's acquisition of strike aircraft and...an aircraft carrier.

An aircraft carrier.

For...Wyoming.

Wyoming.

WYOMING.

I hate to bring this up, Utah, and I'm not trying to get all rumory, but I think the folks in Cheyenne might have some long-term designs on the Great Salt Lake. You might want to consider some way to maintain naval superiority starting right...now.

Fortunately, the attempt to float a Nimitz class carrier in the nation's Mountain West has been axed from the current reading.

Or...has it?

Watch your back, Utah.

5 comments:

  1. Too funny! But do they know something that we don’t?

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  2. I'm sure there's SOME reason for this.... If not good, at least not as crazy as it sounds.

    Off the top of my head, I'd guess they were wanting some sort of boat that a helo can land on. (I've had nasty fights on line about those being "carriers" when I laughed at the idea that anything with a flat spot was a "carrier.")

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  3. Do they know something about the Yellowstone caldera that they're not saying? I can't figure how they'e get coastline out of any possible scenario on that, but then, I'm no expert.

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  4. Wyoming won’t consider starting its own army and buying its own aircraft carrier and aircraft? Why not? Granted, the last time you could get an aircraft carrier as far north as St. Louis was 1993. But a carrier is definitely something Missouri ought to look into acquiring for itself. Particularly if Iowans start putting on airs again.

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Be reasonably civil. Ire alloyed with reason is fine. But slagging the host gets you the banhammer.

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