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Eric
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A few years ago, I was standing in a South Korean field, knee deep in mud, incredulously asking one of my maintenance Marines to tell me again why he couldn’t fix a broken generator. We needed the generator to support training with the United States Army and South Korean military, and I was generally unaccustomed to hearing anyone in the Marine Corps give excuses for not effectively getting a job done. I was stunned when his frustrated reply was, “Because of the warranty, ma’am.”

At the time, I hadn’t heard of “right-to-repair” and didn’t know that a civilian concept could affect my job in the military. The idea behind right-to-repair is that you (or a third-party you choose) should be able to repair something you own, instead of being forced to rely on the company that originally sold it. This could involve not repairing something (like an iPhone) because doing so would void a warranty; repairs which require specialized tools, diagnostic equipment, data or schematics not reasonably available to consumers; or products that are deliberately designed to prevent an end user from fixing them.

. . .

It has long been considered a problem with the automotive industry, electronics and farming equipment ... at least 20 states have considered their own right-to-repair legislation this year.

I first heard about the term from a fellow Marine interested in problems with monopoly power and technology. A few past experiences then snapped into focus. Besides the broken generator in South Korea, I remembered working at a maintenance unit in Okinawa, Japan, watching as engines were packed up and shipped back to contractors in the United States for repairs because “that’s what the contract says.” The process took months.

With every engine sent back, Marines lost the opportunity to practice the skills they might need one day on the battlefield, where contractor support is inordinately expensive, unreliable or nonexistent.

I also recalled how Marines have the ability to manufacture parts using water-jets, lathes and milling machines (as well as newer 3-D printers), but that these tools often sit idle in maintenance bays alongside broken-down military equipment. Although parts from the manufacturer aren’t available to repair the equipment, we aren’t allowed to make the parts ourselves “due to specifications.”

How pervasive is this issue for the most powerful military in the world? And what does it mean for a military that is expected to operate in the most austere and hostile environments to not possess the experience, training or tools to fix its own very technical equipment?

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/opinion/military-right-to-repair.html
 

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5 hours ago, pipedreams said:

image.png.274314ddcd4c33e747d7841f06941f27.png

The sad part is I know that building is along side of Ford Rd just east of Evergreen on a small service road named "Altar Rd". The speed limit of Ford Rd is 50ish and this building is at least 100 yards set back in, but It is so obnoxious looking you can not miss it when traveling on Ford Rd.

It is about 2 miles from the "Glass House" aka Ford Headquarters which is located just off of Michigan Ave  on "American Road".

 

That is the history lesson of the 2 most recognizable buildings in Dearborn MI.

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For those that call me a cop basher, here you go. This type of **** happens so often in my area that is just accepted as normal by most folks living here. The links are all the same incident showing oldest first, the last one is from yesterday showing that is it just business as usual. 

https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/2019/11/27/suspended-detroit-police-sergeants-inaction-during-fatal-shooting-leads-to-questions-about-his-past/

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/detroit-sgt-suspended-for-not-responding-to-officer-down-was-previously-fired-for-cowardliness

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/detroit-police-sergeant-who-failed-to-respond-to-officer-shooting-retiring-had-ptsd-attorney-says

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4 hours ago, pipedreams said:

Pope's of the past have a nefarious record.  Both in the middle ages and in WWII.  He appears ready to dispute statements accredited to God, when is said to say, "Judge not, lest ye be judged also!".

But, he's a man who thinks he intercedes between man and God, so his opinion of himself is much overrated.

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