2-way radios and rifle scopes - paid for by raffles and donations

[donsu]

http://www.buzzflash.com/mailbag/04/07/mai04183.html

-snip-

Subject: re: church in Alabama

Dear BuzzFlash,

Regarding that church in Alabama selling sandwiches to raise money for two-way radios for our soldiers -- Well check this out:

One of the many Fillmore residents who bought raffle tickets from Krista Iverson at Fillmore's July Fourth celebration could win a .22-caliber rifle, but Krista's husband will get much more. Lt. Robert Iverson, a Fillmore native, is in Iraq with Marine Artillery Unit 511 out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. Although the unit is on the front lines, the military has not equipped its AR16 rifles with scopes -- which obviously could better enable the soldiers to see their targets. The Tapco company has donated 30 scopes, but Iverson's battalion needs 124, at a cost of $70 each. Krista has raised $1,200, but considering Fillmore probably won't have another festival until July 24, the mother of two is hopeful people will donate funds in her husband's name at any Zions bank

Military wife resorts to raffle to buy gear for U.S. troops (Salt Lake Tribune)

Randal S. Davis
Portland, OR
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our military is a disgrace

[redqueen]

1. But but but... Bu$hCo supports our troops-- NOT!

When Ignorance Isn’t Bliss
By David Sirota

(snip)

Pro-Defense: Facing increasing violence in Iraq, military commanders in Iraq asked Congress and the president to immediately fill shortages in protective body armor. Just four months after the president signed another massive tax cut for the wealthy, up to 51,000 troops were still not properly equipped for combat, with many begging friends and family at home to buy them makeshift armor. Responding to the crisis, Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) sponsored a bill to immediately plug the shortage. He was voted down (Senate vote #376, October 2, 2003), and the results have been catastrophic. As a recent study circulating in the Army notes, up to one in four casualties in Iraq was due to poor protective gear.

Compassionate: With U.S. troops struggling to secure Iraq last summer, Congress and the president repeatedly praised soldiers’ efforts and promised to provide them the best facilities possible. Yet, the White House budget that year proposed to cut $1.5 billion out of military housing. Representative David Obey (D-Wisc.) came up with a simple solution: Slightly reduce the proposed tax cuts on the 200,000 Americans making $1 million a year to fill the budget gap for the troops and their families. Instead of getting an $88,000 tax cut, millionaires would receive an ample $83,000 tax cut, and the troops’ housing would be maintained. Obey’s bill was voted down (House vote #324, June 26, 2003).

(snip)

Patrotism: As the recession reached new lows in December 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives considered whether to continue rewarding companies with taxpayer subsidies, even if those same companies use those subsidies to send U.S. jobs overseas. The question was simple: During a jobs and deficit crisis, should the U.S. government’s Export-Import Bank continue giving most of its $15 billion a year to subsidize a slew of Fortune 500 companies that are reducing their U.S. workforce? But when Representative Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) offered a measure to curb the government handouts to corporate job exporters, he was voted down (House vote #120, May 1, 2002).

Clean Government: Halliburton, the oil company Vice President Dick Cheney ran, continues to receive billions in no-bid government contracts for work in Iraq, even after it was cited for overcharging taxpayers and providing unsanitary facilities to U.S. troops. At the same time, Cheney is receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in deferred compensation from the company and holds roughly 400,000 Halliburton stock options. More troubling, internal memos now show that Cheney’s office was directly coordinating Halliburton contracts. When the Congressional Research Service ruled the situation represented a “potential conflict of interest,” the Senate considered legislation that would have forced the termination of the Cheney-Halliburton relationship. It was voted down (Senate vote #386, October 16, 2003).

[One_Life_To_Give]

2. Artillery Unit

Now we are expecting a Marine Artillery Unit to do the work of Infantry and MP's!

Not having scopes I understand, expecting them to do something they are not trained for is another.

[arbusto_baboso]

3. Now that we've entered the age of Empire, this all fits.

Look at history. Rome. Britain. They built their empires, but they always did it on the cheap, making money more important than the lives of individual soldiers or civilians. Clive's acquisition of most of the territory of India was more accident than deliberate policy, and it was done as cheaply as possible.

Things weren't like this when I was active duty. We've officially become an empire, folks.

[shoelace414]

4. I keep this link close.

http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp

The US military budget is almost as much as the rest of the world's.
The US military budget is more than 8 times larger than the Chinese budget, the second largest spender.
The US military budget is more than 29 times as large as the combined spending of the seven “rogue” states (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria) who spent $14.4 billion.
It is more than the combined spending of the next twenty three nations.
The United States and its close allies account for some two thirds to three-quarters of all military spending, depending on who you count as close allies (typically NATO countries, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan and South Korea)
The seven potential “enemies,” Russia, and China together spend $116.2 billion, 27.6% of the U.S. military budget

what do we get for all this money?

[redqueen]

5. Really expensive soda,

Ridiculously expensive laundry service,

Loaded SUV's for Halliburton employees,

Halliburton employees paid $80K/year to 'look busy',

All this and much much more! Are you sure you want to know more?

:puke: