Rhino — Nickname for the F-4
SAM — Surface-to-air missile.
Scooter — Nickname for the A-4 Skyhawk.
Speed Jeans — G-suit
Speed of Heat, Warp One — Very, very fast.
Split-S — To half-roll and dive vertically.
Three-Nine Line — Imaginary line across the aircraft’s wings. The adversary is to be kept in front of the three-nine-line.
Tits Machine — A good airplane. A favorite. Nostalgic term referring to great aircraft.
Tits-up — Broken, non-functioning.
Tomcat — F-14
Trim — to adjust control tabs for proper flying attitude.
Turkey — Nickname for the F-14 Tomcat.
Viper Jet — Nickname for the F-16.
Whiskey Delta — “Weak dick,” a pilot who can’t cut it.
REASONS FOR THE COLLAPSE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
Military — the military was spread so thin around the known world that the Empire could not defend its own borders. Military forces expanded and so did the pay. The Empire conquered distant but wealthy provinces but were unable to continue holding the territories. The burden to support the military became so great that the financial collapse from within began. Slowly the Empire pulled the military away from conquered and controlled territories. Gradually other countries took over these territories.
Taxes — the emperors were forced to raise taxes to pay for the huge military spending.
Health and the Environment — these declined as the wealthy kept the money and the government lacked the money to help the people. Alcohol was abused.
Corruption — the corruption of political and business leaders became rampant as they rewarded themselves and their followers.
Unemployment — increased as the small farmer virtually vanished when they were bought up and run by a few of the wealthy who lowered pay and expected more.
Inflation — lack of work hurt the poor as the wealthy horded most of the gold coins forcing the people to barter or steal for their needs.
Language — numerous dialects and languages were allowed. Communications became increasingly difficult. Eventually the various languages prevailed, ending communications with the Empire.
Urban Decay — became more prevalent as the poor were unable to afford rent, forcing many to crime for survival.
Technology — arrogant about their own abilities leaders let the technology lag behind other countries.
Chemicals — lead in pipes made the Romans sick and many died.
[1]Values and Morals — declined as leaders wasted money on lavish extravagances to please themselves and the people.
Islam — some even point to the rise of Islam as a reason.
Where does the United States stand today?
Referenced from Killeen Harker Heights Connections
http://killeenroos.com/1/Romefall.htm
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
“The Legend”
Cover art by
Michael Woods
“Blackbird Up and Away”
Philip Alexander
www.rb-29.net (click on Art Gallery)
My editor, Karen Gordon, and Dan Zoernig for his wonderful cover idea. My son Beau, daughter Becky and wife Lucia I want to thank for the wonderful adventures that have led to so many novel ideas. To John Hadfield and the long drives from Kansas where the idea for Moon Shadow originated in 1987.
DEDICATION
To the men who risked their lives in air combat and to those who survived their ordeals. And to what I believe to be the best propeller driven aircraft ever made, the North American P-51 Mustang. And to the memory of the nineteen-year-old pilot, John Magee, who lost his life in the Battle of Britain. He left us with these few words I shall never forget:
For those who believe this story is impossible, forget not David and Goliath, the Trojan Horse and the heroic action of men throughout history who have conquered insurmountable odds.
Recall the words of one of the first and maybe greatest fighter pilots of all time:
“It is not the machine but the man who flies the machine.”
NATIONAL DEBT, THE DEFICIT AND SPENDING
“The budget should be balanced; the treasury should be refilled; public debt should be reduced; and the arrogance of public officials should be controlled.”
For my novel Moon Shadow to be credible, I had to come up with a reasonable way the United States could be invaded. I looked at Russia, Mexico, and other countries that had collapsed previously. All had gone bankrupt. I wondered if the same thing could happen to the United States.
Let me clarify the National Debt and the deficit. The National Debt is the total amount of money owed by the government. The federal budget deficit is the yearly amount by which spending exceeds revenue. When you add up all the deficits and surpluses (of which there are very few) for the past 200 years, you will come up with the current National Debt. Our politicians love to brag about how “The deficit is down!” like it’s a great accomplishment. Don’t let them fool you. Here is an example: Let’s say the amount of taxes collected is 2.3 trillion but the budget is 2.8 trillion, which will give us a 500 billion deficit already figured into the budget for the year. Suppose they only spend 2.7 trillion. Now they can brag about how they cut the deficit by 100 billion dollars when in reality they still added 400 billion to the debt. All smoking guns. Surely you will remember how under Clinton they continually bragged about the large surplus. Not true. Every year the National Debt increased under Clinton, but by using the example above they tell us we had a surplus. At the bottom of this article are the yearly increases in National Debt since 1978. Not since 1960 did the government spend less than the money it took in, which is something it should try to do every year.
The National Debt is huge and climbing at the rate of around $75 million an hour, but as long as the economy is strong there is no fear. The government and almost all politicians assume it will stay strong, hence the National Debt continues to rise — at an alarming rate. The best comparison is you as an individual. You make enough money to pay all of your debts and there is really no problem. In thirty years the house is paid and most of your bills are gone. But suppose you were laid off or injured and out of work for six months without any other source of income. What happens? You go bankrupt. Here is another scenario that is happening to our own government. Currently our government is spending thirty percent more than it takes in each year. Suppose you did the same. As an example if you made $100,000 per year and added thirty percent to your debt each year along with interest it would take fifteen years to reach a point where you owed one million dollars. At this point the interest you owed would exceed what you make. You would be bankrupt.
1
During the reign of the Roman Empire, the leaders would give things to the people to keep them happy. The Coliseum with gladiators was created just for that purpose to keep peace among the people and make them happy. Today we have the gladiators perform in something called the Super Bowl. Now our politicians deem it necessary to give away high tech receivers so the poor will still be able to watch the Super Bowl on their antiquated television sets. Even now Congress is quickly approving an additional billion dollars so all the poor will be equipped with the new television receivers so they can be entertained at government expense or in reality the taxpayers’ dollars.