Can someone explain what this is about ?

[Speed-Racer]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-off ... eparedness

[watcher]

What this is about is the belated appreciation that the "global economy" with its outsourcing and overseas manufacturing has screwed our national defense capabilities. This is a smart move on Obama's part to find the facts about the US's ability to prepare for war, something that has not been logically done since the end of the Cold War.

If you want an example of this my company uses an electronic component that is on the DoD's restricted export list since it can be used in weaponry. Guess what, that component is made by a US company in Asia. If we should lose the Asian supplier reverting to making the same component in the US would require at least a two year lead time and this same situation probably exists for hundreds of similar items.

[.300WinMag]

I vehemently disagree with that explanation. Furthermore, while the EO supersedes previously existing such authority, it is a step beyond. If it were really about analysis - it would not contain all of the empowering language that it does - which one should note gives the Fed Gov control over the Food / Water / Transportation / Means of Production / and Labor Force - in peace time, the run up to a conflict, and during war. I strongly suggest everyone read the entire EO and give it thoughtful consideration in the context of not just NDAA but Health Care and other such language as enacted by this administration; but also under Bush2 such as the Patriot Act.

Wake the F*ck Up America.....

[doubloon]

Any time the government gets involved there is no improvement in efficiency or responsiveness, it's quite the opposite.

So what's the part number and manufacturer of that electronic component?

[watcher]

The part is a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) manufactured by a well-known US company (whose name I am not going to give) in one of the more technically advanced Asian nations. It falls on to the DoD list because it is field re-programmable as opposed to a "one-time" programmable device, these are generally unusable after the original firmware has been "burned" into them.

a.7. ‘Field programmable logic devices’ having any of the following:

a.7.a. A maximum number of digital input/outputs greater than 200; or

a.7.b. A system gate count of greater than 230,000;

Note: 3A001.a.7 includes:
—Simple Programmable Logic Devices (SPLDs),

—Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs),

—Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs),

—Field Programmable Logic Arrays (FPLAs), and

—Field Programmable Interconnects (FPICs).

Our obsolescent product used an item with 212 inputs/outputs but we redesigned the equipment to use an item with only 144 inputs/outputs because of the restrictions and we use two of the units on two separate boards. The point is the same, both parts are made by a US company overseas.

Any time the government gets involved there is no improvement in efficiency or responsiveness, it's quite the opposite.

That is a pretty dumb statement. The Gov may not be great at organizing defense but what do you propose instead, a coalition of State militias building their own nuclear deterrent? Or perhaps you intend to load up your buddies in a rented boat and go invade Iran with your trusty AR's?


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[continuity]

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That is a pretty dumb statement. The Gov may not be great at organizing defense but what do you propose instead, a coalition of State militias building their own nuclear deterrent? Or perhaps you intend to load up your buddies in a rented boat and go invade Iran with your trusty AR's?.

WHOA there watcher. My SSNcN says you have some good points, but you're leaping from observations associated with a specific subject (off shore suppliers of strategic elements) to smacking doubloon for agreeing with you (that the "gobmint" made it this way) as the arguably accurate generalization that, for the most, political entities within the present (Fed) government are a cesspool full of self aggrandizing, self serving, hacks that have no understanding of what leadership is all about. Meh... I wouldn't hire most of them to organize a 6 yr old's birthday party.

Nope, you owe doubloon a cookie for that bit of nastiness.

Oh, BTW, I could probably load up some buddies, in a rented boat... with our trusty AR's... and invade Iran with a fairly high confidence level of arguable success.

Just saying.

[doubloon]

Mmmm cookie.

Meh, don't worry about watcher. He's a really important guy with a lot of secrets he can't tell because he'd have to kill us. You can't export it out of the country but I can't tell you what it is you can't export so be careful what you export because I'll be watching.

I understand the reasoning behind the need to keep a military edge and I understand the reasoning behind the need to be self sufficient but the same government that is "here to help us today" is the one that screwed us on both these fronts just yesterday. It has nothing to do with actual preparedness and everything to do with a more centralized government.

[continuity]

...He's a really important guy with a lot of secrets he can't tell because he'd have to kill us. You can't export it out of the country but I can't tell you what it is you can't export so be careful what you export because I'll be watching...

[watcher]

Actually you can export the stuff -- if you can stand the paperwork. As it is, US sales are OK and exporting would be a hassle for other reasons besides DoD restrictions (such as knock-off concerns).

The idea that, somehow, corporations are great but Government is always incompetent is a load of BS. Just last week a local Government employee saved me many thousands of dollars a year by pointing out an exemption to a regulation that both my CPA and myself were not aware of. She was one of the most knowledgeable .gov employees I have ever met.

On the other hand, a rep. from an electronics company had been bugging me for months so I finally decided to give his company a shot and I sent them a small parts order for $1400. A couple of days later I receive a paper that I was supposed to sign saying that I certified that none of the parts I was going to buy were going to be used in products supplied to the US military. I call back, "What's this US military restriction?". I am told that the owner does not approve of our foreign policy so he will not sell parts to be used by the military. I cancel the order. Next day I get a phone call from a senior sales exec. explaining this was all a mistake and as long as I could say that the parts ordered were not ordered specifically for a military project they would proceed with the order. I declined their offer. Dumb? first, if you have a restriction like that be up-front about it, don't blow 6 months of sales preparation with a sudden revelation. Second, if you need a guarantee that every part you sell is only going to have a civilian use you might as well not be in the business because you are going to PO a lot of people.

And if I choose not to provide certain information on a public website that's my choice, we have one customer who, as a condition of doing business, specifies that the company must not have a social networking presence - which suits me just fine because I happen to think that organisations like Facebook are garbage stations populated by morons - and I am not going to tell you who that is.

And, if any comment I made was taken as a personal attack I sincerely, truly, apologize, my Stupid for bad expression. If the attack I made was on someone's opinion, the game's on, hit me back, but with logic not with an unsupported gut-reaction such as "the Government can never do anything right".

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