Base Closings Carry Political Risks

[insane_cratic_gal]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&nci...

using the military once again

Being a wife to a Sailor, day by day i'm seeing the reps having a war on military families. I wonder how much longer they can maintain their red white and blue pins, while wives daughters sons and husbands die or the lies. While families suffer the burden of losing their homes and jobs due to stop loss.

Myself they never had my vote, they lost my husbands 4 years ago and never had it this year. Let them keep closing down bases, cutting benifits to veterans, cutting va hospitals!

I'm just disgusted they were only try to stop base closings to futher their own political gain

[jamesinca]

1. Your link is not working

[MaineDem]

2. Lawmakers have much to lose _ politically _ from base closings

Here's a local link.

http://news.mainetoday.com/apwire/D89MJPN80-114.shtml

WASHINGTON — The upcoming round of military base closings must be "untarnished by political influence," Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole declared. Then she put in a plug for her own state.

North Carolina "supports a unique military infrastructure," prime for expansion not closure, Dole told the head of the commission that will review Pentagon proposals for which bases to shut.

Base closures have enormous political ramifications. No matter the political party, House and Senate members have a lot to lose if hometown bases shut down and voters blame the lawmakers for disappearing jobs.

In February, a New Hampshire group visiting Washington sent a clear message to potential presidential candidates during private meetings with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., GOP Sens. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and John McCain of Arizona, and Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

[jamesinca]

3. Thanks

[insane_cratic_gal]

4. lets see if this one works.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=703&e=4&u=/ap/20050425/ap_on_go_co/base_closings_politics

if not it's under yahoo/politics

[malmapus]

5. I don't see NC needing expansion but yeah it has 3 important bases

that I can think of off the top of my head, Ft. Bragg (home of 82nd Airborne, 18th Airborne Corp, SOCOM, SFCOM, 3rd and 7th SFG..throwing Camp MacKall under here too), Pope AFB (how all those Airborne get from point A to point C while flying over B) and Camp Lejeune (II MEF I believe).

[sasquatch]

6. What the fuck is there to protect in North Carolina?

The last I checked the Terrorist hit NYC, DC and all of the other states that they shut down bases in.

[newblewtoo]

7. Link to Potential Closures

http://www.g2mil.com/2005.htm

Unofficial but interesting

[Moderator]

8. kick to combine

[Judi Lynn]

9. Status of US military bases becomes election issue

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Status of US military bases becomes election issue

By Sayed Salahuddin

Karzai’s opponents may discredit the Afghan president as US puppet

THE question of permanent US military bases is vexing many people in Afghanistan, which has a long history of resisting foreign intervention, and it could become a hot election issue, analysts said on Tuesday.

The possibility of permanent US bases came to the fore in February when US Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, said during an Afghan visit they would be in the interests of US and regional security.

President Hamid Karzai had appeared to favour permanent US bases and his defence minister said this month Afghanistan was eager for “enduring arrangements” with the United States that could include permanent air bases.

Karzai, asked about bases at a news conference with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld this month, sidestepped the question saying he planned to ask US President George W Bush for long-term security protection for Afghanistan.
(snip/...)

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-4-2005_pg4_24

[Melodybe]

10. Would that be former Unocal employee Hamid Karzai?

[Book Lover]

11. Of course he does -

he wouldn't have been allowed to run Kabul ... oh, I mean, Afghanistan, if he thought otherwise.

[driver8]

12. Cutting veteran's benefits is the last thing they should consider

cutting. Its not like people join the military to get rich. I grew up in a military family and served 6 years myself. Our armed forces are severely underpaid and extremely overworked.

Our government should be ashamed...how much more should our military families be expected to sacrifice? It makes me sick that shrub and co. are getting filthy rich while our vets and active military are getting f*cked regularly.