4 ms·

Why aren't these things dismantled and the ports sold and stripped, and then that money sent to schools to you know, pay for more teachers, get more computers,

Why aren't these things dismantled and the ports sold and stripped, and then that money sent to schools to you know, pay for more teachers, get more computers, and upgrade classrooms?? What the hell is wrong with people? You think that this thing is free, what about the costs to store it, repaint it, service it, transport it? That's certainly not free on the off-chance that they need to use it against some (probably) student gunman? Really? These vehicles need to not only be taken away from civilian use, but those responsible for their procurement at the local and federal levels, including whoever is in charge of this program, need to be brought to some kind of justice and/or punished.

deleted 12y ago
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spindritf 12y ago
I'm guessing that stripping it for parts, transport, and coordination would cost about as much or maybe even more than whatever value you could extract that way.
- Crito 12y ago
  Then just drop the thing in the fucking ocean and call it "a reef". Why even pay to have this sort of shit shipped back to the states?
  - rhino369 12y ago
    A lot of the stuff isn't brought back. IIRC about a third is donated to locals (stuff that can't be used to fight in the future, a third is junked, and a third is brought back.
  - cstross 12y ago
    If it's from Afghanistan, there's no ocean there to drop it in. And they don't want to leave it for bad actors (as witness ISIS allegedly using captured ex-US artillery pieces).
    - Crito 12y ago
      Unless they drive the thing across the frozen Arctic Ocean, then there is an ocean between Afghanistan and San Diego for them to drop it into. I'm all for removing them from Afghanistan; I just don't want them brought back into the states.
  - benologist 12y ago
    Recycling a perfectly useful vehicle like that is better than throwing it away for nobody to use. It's a used truck with superfluous armor.
    - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
      They're unsafe. High center of gravity, probably have no emission controls, too heavy for city streets, etc.
      - tzs 12y ago
        > too heavy for city streets It weighs less than an empty garbage truck or a full school bus, both of which are routinely allowed on city streets.
        fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
        About the same, they tear up streets too.
        Crito 12y ago
        Both of which are actually useful for something other than fulfilling the violent war fantasies of power-tripping bureaucrats.
        deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
        tacticus 12y ago
        How shit are your school buses that they weigh more than the max mass of a full size low floor bus (non articulated version)
cnvogel 12y ago
Some speculation: Because stripping the thing, and selling parts, would probably mean more work for the military organization who wants to get rid of it. And if you'd let a company dismantle the vehicles, and sell it in parts: The customer would again be some part of the military. And they usually require a lot of certification and paperwork to go with all the stuff they sell, after doing all the work to have these used parts tested and re-certified, not much profit might be left, and all money be sunk in the military-spare-parts industry. Much easier to just give them away for free, be no longer responsible for anything related to these vehicles, and claim to have supported the homeland in the fight against terrorism equivalent to $$NEW_PRICE. (apparently the $5000 the school district had paid was only for transportation)
rwhitman 12y ago
I always thought the idea was that these things are loaned to local governments on the condition that they can use them until there is a need to send them back into combat..
- fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
  That's the premise, but in practice, they're never recalled and usually scrapped by the receiver after reaching EOL.
gcb0 12y ago
sell it. i doubt some department in alaska is probably quoting a new one from the manufacturer right now. accept it in SD, send it to whoever was going to buy anyway, pay 80% to SD school district to use on something it actually need. you don't even have to be too smart to see how this is better than maintaining a beast like that just because 'it was free'.
sp332 12y ago
Some of those questions are answered in the article: the San Diego school district paid only about $5,000 to transport it The district plans to store $20,000 to $30,000 worth of medical supplies donated by partners in the medical industry in the vehicle. The MRAP arrived in April, and students at Morse High School's Auto Collision and Refinishing Program got to work painting it. $5k for a new vehicle is still pretty cheap. It will mostly be used for storage and showing off a big logo. And schools have free labor :p Since it doesn't actually come with guns, I don't see any reason for a civilian not to have one (aside from being silly).

deleted 12y ago

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spindritf 12y ago

I'm guessing that stripping it for parts, transport, and coordination would cost about as much or maybe even more than whatever value you could extract that way.

Crito 12y ago
Then just drop the thing in the fucking ocean and call it "a reef". Why even pay to have this sort of shit shipped back to the states?
- rhino369 12y ago
  A lot of the stuff isn't brought back. IIRC about a third is donated to locals (stuff that can't be used to fight in the future, a third is junked, and a third is brought back.
- cstross 12y ago
  If it's from Afghanistan, there's no ocean there to drop it in. And they don't want to leave it for bad actors (as witness ISIS allegedly using captured ex-US artillery pieces).
  - Crito 12y ago
    Unless they drive the thing across the frozen Arctic Ocean, then there is an ocean between Afghanistan and San Diego for them to drop it into. I'm all for removing them from Afghanistan; I just don't want them brought back into the states.
- benologist 12y ago
  Recycling a perfectly useful vehicle like that is better than throwing it away for nobody to use. It's a used truck with superfluous armor.
  - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
    They're unsafe. High center of gravity, probably have no emission controls, too heavy for city streets, etc.
    - tzs 12y ago
      > too heavy for city streets It weighs less than an empty garbage truck or a full school bus, both of which are routinely allowed on city streets.
      - fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
        About the same, they tear up streets too.
      - Crito 12y ago
        Both of which are actually useful for something other than fulfilling the violent war fantasies of power-tripping bureaucrats.
        deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
      - tacticus 12y ago
        How shit are your school buses that they weigh more than the max mass of a full size low floor bus (non articulated version)

cnvogel 12y ago

Some speculation: Because stripping the thing, and selling parts, would probably mean more work for the military organization who wants to get rid of it. And if you'd let a company dismantle the vehicles, and sell it in parts: The customer would again be some part of the military. And they usually require a lot of certification and paperwork to go with all the stuff they sell, after doing all the work to have these used parts tested and re-certified, not much profit might be left, and all money be sunk in the military-spare-parts industry. Much easier to just give them away for free, be no longer responsible for anything related to these vehicles, and claim to have supported the homeland in the fight against terrorism equivalent to $$NEW_PRICE. (apparently the $5000 the school district had paid was only for transportation)

rwhitman 12y ago

I always thought the idea was that these things are loaned to local governments on the condition that they can use them until there is a need to send them back into combat..

fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
That's the premise, but in practice, they're never recalled and usually scrapped by the receiver after reaching EOL.

gcb0 12y ago

sell it. i doubt some department in alaska is probably quoting a new one from the manufacturer right now. accept it in SD, send it to whoever was going to buy anyway, pay 80% to SD school district to use on something it actually need. you don't even have to be too smart to see how this is better than maintaining a beast like that just because 'it was free'.

sp332 12y ago

Some of those questions are answered in the article: the San Diego school district paid only about $5,000 to transport it The district plans to store $20,000 to $30,000 worth of medical supplies donated by partners in the medical industry in the vehicle. The MRAP arrived in April, and students at Morse High School's Auto Collision and Refinishing Program got to work painting it. $5k for a new vehicle is still pretty cheap. It will mostly be used for storage and showing off a big logo. And schools have free labor :p Since it doesn't actually come with guns, I don't see any reason for a civilian not to have one (aside from being silly).