265 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
265 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
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(word processor parameters LM=8, RM=75, TM=2, BM=2)
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Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
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Sponsored by Vangard Sciences
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PO BOX 1031
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Mesquite, TX 75150
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There are ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRICTIONS
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on duplicating, publishing or distributing the
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files on KeelyNet!
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January 14, 1991
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BLACKAIR.ASC
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Thu 27 Dec 90 9:57p
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By: Harrison Hopper
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To: All
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Re: Aviation Week - I
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@MSGID: 1:19/19.10 277abc12
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This file courtesy of Lance Oliver.
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This is the latest on sightings of unusual aircraft
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in the Western United States.
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********************************
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AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY
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********************************
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24 December 1990
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***********************************
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Scientists' and Engineers' Dreams
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Taking to Skies as 'Black' Aircraft
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***********************************
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Super-classified "black" aircraft developement programs have
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served the U.S. and its allies well during the last 40-plus years,
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providing specialized vehicles such as the U-2/TR-1, SR-71 and F-
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117A. Still unproven, but also products of this special access
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shadow world, are the B-2 bomber and Navy A-12, among others.
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How many additional air vehicles may have been developed, yet
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never revealed publicly, often is debated but rarely proven.
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It is certain, however, that eight years of Reagan
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Administration were good to the black world. For whatever reason,
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billions of dollars were pumped into highly classified, special
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access programs and new facilities, allowing creative scientists and
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bright engineers unprecedented opportunities to experiment and test
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their wildest dreams. Their only constraint, apparently, was that
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projects be linked to operational considerations and pragmatic
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applications.
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A number of those dreams have taken wing in the past few years,
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and increasing numbers of new, exotic vehicles have been reported by
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ground observers throughout the U.S. recently (AW&ST Dec. 18, 1989,
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p. 42; Oct. 1, p. 22). In addition, airline and military pilots
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have reported seeing unusual high-speed, high-altitude, maneuvering
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Page 1
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vehicles during the last few years.
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What these sightings add up to is this: The U.S. has developed
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a fleet of new aircraft and is either testing them or already flying
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several types in operational service. Because they are considered
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"super-super-black" programs, military and other government
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officials deny their existence.
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Those who are briefed and know such aircraft exist cannot admit
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it, and those who are not briefed simply do not know. The best
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guesses of experts - and those who think they should know, by virtue
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of their position -really are no more revealing than those of a
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technically minded layman extrapolating from the known state of
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"white world" technology.
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But for all those billions, what has the American taxpayer
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bought? Is the nation - and the world - any safer? Do we now
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possess the "ultimate" weapons featured in comic books - the ones so
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devastating any potential adversary would never think of disturbing
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the peace for fear of the good guys' retaliation? Are exotic black-
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world aircraft real peace-makers?
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Maybe.
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Briefings and well-choreographed show-and-tell sessions given
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to slected members of Congress and key government officials in the
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late 1980s would lead one to believe some of these exotic aircraft
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just might be such weapons. While unabashedly appealing for
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continued funding under the Bush Administration, proud hosts of
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these sessions referred to unique air vehicles on display as "the
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reasons the Iron Curtain Fell."
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Unfortunately, proving the existance of such aircraft is not a
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trivial task for those well-grounded on the unclassified side of the
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fence, despite bits and pieces of strong evidence in hand. So, most
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of the curious among us are reduced to watching the night sky,
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sifting through tons of technical literature and making educated
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deductions. Through this process, a natural first question any
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technical skeptic worth his salt might ask is: "What would such a
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vehicle look like, and what would be its mission?"
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For sake of argument, let's consider the following details as
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comprising a theoretical possibility of a hypersonic U.S.-developed
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aircraft which could be cruising the skies tonight:
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* An elongated, diamond-shaped unmanned vehicle measuring about
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110 ft. long and 60 ft. wide at its midpoint. Call it a
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flattened football shape. But fore and aft end points, as
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well as the leading edges, are rounded rather than sharp.
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Although diamond-shaped, the aircraft's basic contours might
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be described as similar to those of a smooth "skipping
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stone." The vehicle has a heavy appearance, likened to the
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blocky sturdiness of a Caterpillar tractor or even the space
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shuttle.
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* All surfaces are covered with black ceramic tiles, quite
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similar to those now used on the shuttle orbiter. They have
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a scorched, heat-streaked appearance, and seem to be coated
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with a crystalline patina indicative of sustained exposure to
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Page 2
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high temperature. A burnt-carbon odor emanates from the
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surface. The aft body tiles are distinctly more pockmarked
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and degraded than those on the forward half of the aircraft,
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as if they had experienced the most heat.
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* Jet engines buried in the lower fuselage are fed by inlet
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ducts that open into the tile surface. These powerplants
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boost the aircraft to supersonic speeds, at which time an
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external burning mechanism takes over as the primary
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propulsion method. The turbojets are shut down, and their
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inlet/exhaust ports are closed until speed drops to the low
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Mach numbers again.
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In the high-Mach regine, misted fuel is ejected from the
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fuselage midsection - the "break point" of the elongated diamond -
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across the aft surface tiles, into the area between the fuselage and
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a shock wave attached to this break. In essence, the sloping,
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converging aft fuselage sections form the inside of a "nozzle," and
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the shock boundary constitutes the outer surface, creating and
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expanding exhaust effect, much like that on a conventional rocket.
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The fuel is ignited by surface heating - or other means -
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creating combustion that accelerates the aircraft up to the Mach 6-8
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regime.
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* Narrow leading and trailing edge sections provide aerodynamic
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control in all axes.
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* On the fuselage underside, forward of the midsection and
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between the buried powerplants, is a clipped-diamond section
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covered with 121 tile-covered ports. Behind each cover -
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which is flush with the fuselage surface - rests a nuclear
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warhead which approximates the shape of either a reentry
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vehicle (RV) or an artillery shell. Each RV stands
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vertically, pointing down.
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When released, the cover tile is discarded, the weapon is
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ejected downward, and a second tile automatically is moved into
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position, closing the port and retaining a smooth aircraft surface.
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These weapons are dispensed only at subsonic speeds to enhance
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accuracy and avoid internal heating problems from opening a port in
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the lower, heated external surfaces, especially when in the
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hypersonic regime.
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* The unmanned vehicle is capable of onboard self-control, but
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also will accept external commands via satellite or a ground
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station. Sandia's Winged Energetic Reentry Vehicle
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Experiment project confirmed that electromagnetic signals can
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be received by such a vehicle, even through the ionized layer
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surrounding it at hypersonic speeds (AW&ST Aug, 6, p. 25).
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Clearly, an unmanned vehicle of this type would be a powerful
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strategic weapon, able to devastate targets over a wide area. Its
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Mach 6-8 speed would improve the ability to survive greatly, because
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fighters and ground-to-air missiles would be hard-pressed to
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intercept the vehicle. Even though it must slow to possibly
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subsonic speeds for weapons delivery, the aircraft's surface
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structure and low radar cross-section contours would give it a
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respectable low observable characteristics which could complicate
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Page 3
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targeting by defenders.
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Reconnaissance versions would have twice the speed capability
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of the now-retired SR-71, yet, being unmanned, would not risk the
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loss of a human crew when operating over high-threat areas. Once
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proven effective, such an aircraft would be a dream come true for
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any four-star in charge of the Strategic Air Command.
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Of course, it also would complicate the Air Force's arguments
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for funding expensive armaments such as the B-2 bomber, MX missile
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and small ICBM. Could these still be justified, in the numbers
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originally requested?
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Finally, as Persian Gulf tensions continue into 1991, one must
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question whether the U.S. commander in chief and his defense
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secretary are fully aware of super-black weapon systems' potential.
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Let's hope so.
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Hard as it may be to fathom, there is reason to wonder whether
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complete knowledge of the most exotic aircraft may reach "The Top,"
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all for super-security.
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One would like to think America's staggering black-world
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expenditures have yielded weaponry that could neutralize Iraqi
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President Hussien's most valued military and political assets
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quickly. Some say that capability is in hand and could be used -
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albeit with conventional payloads - if the right people choose to do
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so. If they do not, why not?
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If so, why are almost 400,000 U.S. and allied troops dug into
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the sand in Saudi Arabia, prepared to slug it out in a bloody ground
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war?
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Maybe it's time for America's taxpayers to demand an accounting
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of their black-world investments.
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The tradeoffs between national security - the reason for
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keeping programs "black" in the first place - and the lives of those
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troops are worthy of wider consideration.
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********************************
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End of Article
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********************************
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--- via Quickpoint XRS 3.2- (286)
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* Origin: From Locale II? <someday!> Clearwater, Florida (Quick
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1:19/19.10)
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If you have comments or other information relating to such topics
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as this paper covers, please upload to KeelyNet or send to the
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Vangard Sciences address as listed on the first page.
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Thank you for your consideration, interest and support.
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Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
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Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet
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If we can be of service, you may contact
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Jerry at (214) 324-8741 or Ron at (214) 242-9346
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Page 4
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