The British Empire is dead, and the sun is setting on Britain herself. A once-great naval power, they are losing their aircraft carriers to budget cuts:
HMS Ark Royal: Their final mission
Watching the last flight of a Harrier jump jet from HMS Ark Royal, Con Coughlin mourns the scrapping of two much-loved symbols of British military prowess.There were no crowds, no bands and no bunting. Instead, the final flight of the iconic Harrier jump jet from HMS Ark Royal took place yesterday against the forbidding back-drop of a stormy North Sea sky in freezing sleet.
In many respects, it was an appropriate end to the glittering career of one of Britain’s most iconic warplanes. For none of the Royal Navy crewmen and women who braved the sub-zero temperatures were in much of a mood to celebrate the Harrier’s last appearance on the deck of a British aircraft carrier.
Most of them are still too shell-shocked over the Government’s decision to consign the entire Harrier fleet to the scrapheap, together with the Royal Navy flagship which has been the fighters’ proud host for nearly three decades.
This should stand as a stark warning about what will happen to us if we continue down the path we are on. Make no mistake, there are Democrats like John Kerry who love to consign ships like the USS Ronald Reagan to the scrapyard, and Obama has already drastically cut our F-22 program. What decision will the Congress make when it comes down to paying Warren Buffet’s social security and medicare or paying to keep the Seas safe for the passage of all? There is no real question there, is there? Above all, the Federal Government is there to wage war and provide common defense for the States. We have turned it into a social welfare organization to wipe our collective asses and give us goodies. As Britain has proven, you can’t have both.
Tags: National Defense, Socialism
