Posted on 12/09/2004 2:07:54 PM PST by dandelion
It's a great question: why don't we have enough armor? Kind of like it's great to see a contestant win a lot of money on a game show - but it's a LOT better when it's not manufactured.
Fixed. Staged. Chroreographed.
Whatever you want to call it, the news is always better when the reporter doesn't insert himself into the mix, as Edward Pitts has supposedly done.
According to Drudge:
From: EDWARD LEE PITTS, MILITARY AFFAIRS Sent: Wednesday, December 8, 2004 4:44 PM To: Staffers
Subject: RE: Way to go
I just had one of my best days as a journalist today. As luck would have it, our journey North was delayed just long enough see I could attend a visit today here by Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. I was told yesterday that only soldiers could ask questions so I brought two of them along with me as my escorts. Before hand we worked on questions to ask Rumsfeld about the appalling lack of armor their vehicles going into combat have. While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the Sgt. in charge of the microphone for the question and answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd.
There was this thing, and we called it "journalistic ethics". But enough about ancient history - when the chips go down the press will always say "it doesn't mean the story/question/incident/expense report isn't true". Fair enough, it's a great question and it deserves to go on the editorial page. It does not deserve on the "news" page when a soldier (who was coached by the reporter) is picked by the mic man (who was also coached by the reporter) so other reporters can specifically target an individual with the administration. These Q&A sessions have been held in the past, but always without the Old Media present. This is the reason why.
But on to the great question: yes, they should ask this, and they should get an honest answer. Do you really want to know why we don't have enough armor? Let's find out why Dick Durbin (D, PA) says we don't have any armor...
From the Congressional Record, Feb. 11, 2004. (PDF):
We should do better. I said to the Secretary of the Army: Isn't this a priority? He said: It is our highest priority to build the 8,400 doors for these Humvees. He told me that many will be made in my State at the Rock Island Arsenal . I visited the Rock Island Arsenal and saw the first sets of doors come off for the Humvees, and the workers were so proud. They knew they had done something significant.
I said to the commander at the arsenal : How long will it take us now? We need 8,400 sets and we are also doing them at Anniston. He said: We are going to get these doors built in one year.
One year? In World War II, we were building bombers in 72 hours and ships in 30 and 60 days, and we need 1 year to make the armor-plated doors to protect the Humvees so that fewer of our men and women in uniform will have to go to Walter Reed Hospital for prosthetic devices and medical treatment.
I said: Why is it taking one year? He said: Because there is only one steel-fabricating plant left in America, and it is in Pennsylvania. It makes the steel that we can convert into the armor plating for these doors. We are using everything they produce as fast as they produce it.
So when the issue comes up about loss of manufacturing jobs, and loss of American jobs, and loss of our industrial base, it is more than a cold discussion of statistics; it is a discussion about the reality of our economy and the reality we face. Whether you live in North Carolina, where we have lost textile jobs, or you live in Illinois, where we have lost steel jobs, the fact is, as we lose these jobs, we lose our capacity. When it comes to something as basic as steel, that capacity plays out so that our soldiers in Iraq today are more vulnerable to enemy attack because we cannot produce the steel in America.
What makes this all the more damning is the fact that this information came from a Democrat in the now-dashed hope of making the economy a priority in an election year. Never mind that Durbin never points to the fact that this decimation of American Steel and the manufacturing industry happened as a whole under the Clinton Administration. Obviously, American products should be used to create American Armor, so as to avoid any chance of sabotage or low quality. But now we have to buy the vast majority of our steel from foreign countries, many of whom may disagree with our policies, and to whom we have to pay top dollar. Americans weren't supposed to do that anymore, remember? We were all going to work in those new Hi-Tech industries, we were all going to have cushy high-paying service jobs, so Clinton gave away our manufacturing jobs and all the contracts to foreign governments. Now most of our steel comes from China. Remember?
The real recipient of this question should be ever member of Congress who let American Steel die - NOT Donald Rumsfeld. A real reporter would ask the question of those who are responsible, not send in a stooge to ask it of those they'd like to see blamed for this mess.
Why don't we have armor?
Because we only have ONE American factory that makes steel for our armor, that's why. IF we want more American armor, we need to manufacture more American Steel.
It's really too bad the Old Media doesn't ask this question of those who could do something about it. But it appears they are only interested in manufacturing the news...
Not so quick, Rodney.
Don't forget, "steel" is a generic term that covers hundreds, if not thousands, of specialty alloys.
I don't know what the specs are, but you can be pretty darn certain that the "steel" that is used for armor is NOT the same "steel" that is used for cars, trucks, appliances, etc. etc. etc. It is very possible that we ARE down to only one mill that actually produces the exact type of "steel" that is required.
Ping
Please remove me from your ping list.
You're correct - there's really no way to know, so I went ahead and added the qualifier (IF what Dick Durbin says is true) to the Original posting at the blog. That clarifies and takes it back to the real question - if this is true, that we are not up to fabricated specialized steel, then the problem is outside the military - and it does not lie with Rumsfeld.
But the Old Media is not looking for "that" answer...
This is a story about two industries, the News Industry AND the Defense Industry. Both are clearly having their problems right now.
One other thing. I know taxes put a real burden on both consumers and corporations. I therefore challenge the DoC, DoS and DHS to double, or heck, even triple, the number of successful export control prosecutions over the next year or so, but they cannot increase their own operating costs. They could go a long way toward doing this by setting up an absolutely anonymous means of reporting violations. Think of the increased revenue brought in from the fines. So what if this sounds like a sheriff in a small town at month end. I am all for anything that would reduce lawlessness, take pressure off the tax burden and improve our long term economic and geopolitical prospects. Talk about a win-win!
You'd best Google NuCor and read the last few statements they've made...they are NOT doing well at all.
Come up with another excuse for the steel problem besides unions (that's irrelevant) and 1955.
Hint: X42 is a traitor for allowing PNTR/MFN for Red China in the first place, and GWB has his head stuck firmly where the sun doesn't shine on the issue of FAIR trade.
Dude - I love your blog. Thanks for the heads up on the Politburo article - I hadn't seen it yet. Cruising over there now...
It's NOT "steel fabrication," it's making a particular grade of steel with certain properties that is the problem.
"Steel fabrication" is what the Rock Island Armory is doing with the raw product.
Read that carefully and see my last post.
Okay, this is a technical question then: this would be "manufacturing" the steel as opposed to "fabricating" it, correct? Or is there another term?
I just said "make" in the article, because I wasn't sure. Nice simple word, but a little vague...
On CNN Lou Dobbs now is Congressman Gene Taylor (D-Miss),who just stated that the manufacturing producing company has stated that they are waiting on word from the pentagon. That they could up production by 22% over night.
The word is "make," correct.
Fabrication is done by thousands (used to be lots more...) metal-benders including those which supply Maytag, GE, etc., etc.
Generally, the automakers bend their own metal for fenders, doors, etc.
The particular steel they refer to was once produced and fabricated in many foundries with associated machine shops.
We have lost all of those, as I used to work for one.
Much of our business was military, but when the military was forced into competitive bidding, the business went to Germany, France, Japan and S. Korea.
They were able to found, fab and finish on ships that were underway.
We now find that these countries where most have a tremendous anti American opinion over the war, no longer have the ability to deliver such items in a timely way, or they cannot accept or complete orders for some unknown reason.
They have proved the fears we had early on, in the 70s and 80s when we said our military was at risk by not supporting U.S. based suppliers of military hardware, even though the cost was higher.
That's about it, as this man sees it.
You're not on a ping list. A lot of other lists, no doubt, but not a ping list.
What does an education have to do with it??? Ever worked in a steel mill??? I didn't think so...You probably couldn't hack it...
So apparently some of you people figure that if someone doesn't have 2 or 3 degrees, that person should be in the 8 dollar per hour bracket, with zero benefits...Sounds like your education doesn't pay what you thought it would...
But like they say, an education may make you more educated, but it shore don't make you any smarter...
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