Start Them - Hide From Them

[HARDCORE]

I just saw a piece on the History Channel that talked about the feasibility of bunkers! Mankind has always sought to hide from his enemies, either behind walls, in fortresses, under the earth, and even within his own mind!

The French too, sought just such a defense behind the Maginot Line, and even Hitler tried to hide in his bunker beneath the Berlin Chancellery! But the greatest of all bunkers, often rests deep within the person or the agency itself - a bunker of denials, lies, abuse and political protectionism!

One of the most famous of all domestic bunkers, was the Greenbrier facility (closed in 1992). This massive complex, once described as spartan (courageous, hearty and somewhat bare walled) in nature, was built to house Congress in the even of nuclear war. I assume, however, that no arrangements were made to house the families of these legislators?

The word ?Spartan?, however, conjures up more questions than answers, as ?Survival? can hardly be considered Spartan by any stretch of the imagination! ?Especially to those who are left on the outside looking in!?

Granted, the government must go on, even in time of conflict. It is, however, a bit oxymoronic to consider that those who start wars, no matter the nation of origin or the reason (be it noble or folly), usually go to great lengths to insure their own survival in these holocausts of their own design!

What ever happened to the old Alamo/Little Big Horn mentality? A time when leaders led their armies into combat, and shared in their command?s fate? But then I guess that things have really changed, as nowadays, a few politicians (worldwide) merely start wars, and then briskly walk away from their creations! (opinion)

I guess that leaders like Washington, Grant, and yes, even Napoleon and Richard the Lionhearted, are but specters of a bi-gone age! Washington too, would have probably landed a fighter plane aboard an aircraft carrier, had they been around some two and a quarter centuries ago. The only difference is that his carrier would have been in a combat zone under fire, and not sitting off of the coast of Southern California!

George Washington would also have seen to it (I think?) that his veterans were treated [medical and benefits-wise] a helluva lot better than the system is treating the veterans of today, had he now been running the show!! Nor would he have tolerated any thing as grossly irreverent as this (so-called) ?Adversarial Paternalism?, the credo of liars! (opinion)

VERITAS

[Andy]

I'm not being sly or any of that, just an honest question.

Did Revolutionary Soldiers receive any benefits from the government after that war? I don't know.

How about the Civil War? I know the government paid for things like peg-legs and canes for men who needed them but anything beyond that?
I know my great grandmother was receiving survivors benefits after her husband, a Civil War Vet, died but that didn't happen until after WWI. Don't know if that was the State or the Federal government.

I do know about Coxie's Army, after WWI, a very sad affair. Vets
did get treated a lot better after WWII, probably because so many of them were elected to Congress.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[HARDCORE]

Good points Andy! I guess that if no other benefit was derived by our Revolutionary War Veterans, the fact that we attained Independence will have to do!!

VERITAS

[Seascamp]

The only real concreat one in the US I ever visited was an abandon Army big gun fort on the mountain just west and across the highway from Sausalito, Ca. Sometime in the late 50?s or early 60? the Army did away with it?s big gun coastal forts. This particular one had a few 16 inchers at a time and it was massive, absolutely huge. During the VN War, some of the hippie community hung out there and had a commune of sorts going. Fun place to go when in port, er??..to throw a shoe so to speak and a good use for a retired bunker I?d say, LOL. And the deco art on the concrete walls was fantastic but a bit weird to tell the troth. But then that Annie Greensprings pop wine had a way of bringing out the weird. Another one I visited was in Stones River, Tennessee, but this was a Civil War earthmound bunker and not preserved at all, just a big pile of dirt, but still interesting to see what can be done with shovels and a bunch of Union Troops.

No comment on the rest but interesting commentary, thanks.

Scamp

[HARDCORE]

SCAMP et al-

A lot of the coastal hills outside of San Diego (Torry Pines), and even up in Los Angeles (Palos Verdes), are pot marked with old coastal artillery emplacements.

Some years back, my eldest son (now a PhD) took me over to see some of these abandoned, overgrown facilities, all of which overlook the Pacific! "Interesting to say the least"

I do, however, find it appalling that such sites, all integral pieces of our history, are abandoned in such a fashion! I must admit though, that it comes as no surprise in the face of the gross lack of concern for such things that is being displayed by a few governmental fools!!

"Ah, but it does take a fortune to address totally foreign concerns, while letting ours go to hell, does it not!"

Besides, with the current bureaucratic mindset of creating more veterans to keep the VA and eternal warfare going, while at the same time, funds are are lacking and the many existing veterans are treated like monetary, political, and ego fodder by far too many within the system, maybe we could find a little cash to preserve our past?

We may be able to accomplish this by making the existing sytem function as it was meant to - FROM TOP TO BOTTOM, AND ALL POINTS IN-BETWEEN! And by shit-canning all systemic non-hackers, no matter how highly placed!

"Change is needed, either through existing sources, or through new ones!!"

VERITAS

[BLUEHAWK]

Hardcore,
I had forgotten about Greenbriar... wonder what it's being used for nowadays? Wonder, too, what OTHER such places have been built for those who are gonna hit the deck when the s--t hits the fan!

Andy - No, the Revolutionary war vets did not even get paid their wages, for several years after the thing ended. Most governments make a big fuss about patriotism, and the ultimate sacrifice, national security, "Greater love hath no man...", families back home and flags etc etc etc, mainly when they need some fodder... and then they tend to get real busy with "other priorities" until they need the fodder again.

Or, is all this just my imagination.