Friday, May 27, 2005
US Passes 491 Billion Defense Bill
World | CRIENGLISH:
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a 491 billion dollar defense bill that contains funds for the war in Iraq.
By a vote of 390-39 late Wednesday, lawmakers passed the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act which establishes the budget for the Pentagon and all other agencies' military spending.
The bill includes $49 billion to support operations in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and fight terrorism.
The new funds will be used to equip army vehicles with bomb-proof armor plates, and to purchase more night vision devices and explosive device jammers, which the military plans to use in its anti-insurgency campaign.
But the House defeated an amendment that would have compelled the administration of President George W. Bush to lay out a specific timetable for pulling out from Iraq, by a vote of 300-128.
I'm assuming every American who opposes taxation is marching in the streets in protest of the complete absense of any public debate on this massive sum of money being allocated to a war with no end in sight?
I heard Bush state today (I'm paraphrasing, because I couldn't find the exact quote online), "These people [the insurgents] cannot be deterred or negotiated with. You cannot persuade them by appeals to reason." Etc. They are simply mindless zombies, monsters with no emotions, logic, motivation, thoughts or feelings. The only solution is to kill each and every last one of them. This is essentially what Bush is saying.
If our stated policy, then, is perpetual war, can we not at least tax the rich to pay for this extravagant Crusade? For how long are we going to continue charging these wars on the nation's credit card?
Senator Conrad (N.D.) pointed out the absolute absurdity of the current deficit situation: we are borrowing Billions of dollars from other countries in order to fund huge tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Thus the current quest for Global Domination could very well bring down the American Empire—not through the defeat of our military, but through the collapse of our economy.
—ungeziefer
"US Passes 491 Billion Defense Bill"
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a 491 billion dollar defense bill that contains funds for the war in Iraq.
By a vote of 390-39 late Wednesday, lawmakers passed the 2006 National Defense Authorization Act which establishes the budget for the Pentagon and all other agencies' military spending.
The bill includes $49 billion to support operations in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and fight terrorism.
The new funds will be used to equip army vehicles with bomb-proof armor plates, and to purchase more night vision devices and explosive device jammers, which the military plans to use in its anti-insurgency campaign.
But the House defeated an amendment that would have compelled the administration of President George W. Bush to lay out a specific timetable for pulling out from Iraq, by a vote of 300-128.
I'm assuming every American who opposes taxation is marching in the streets in protest of the complete absense of any public debate on this massive sum of money being allocated to a war with no end in sight?
I heard Bush state today (I'm paraphrasing, because I couldn't find the exact quote online), "These people [the insurgents] cannot be deterred or negotiated with. You cannot persuade them by appeals to reason." Etc. They are simply mindless zombies, monsters with no emotions, logic, motivation, thoughts or feelings. The only solution is to kill each and every last one of them. This is essentially what Bush is saying.
If our stated policy, then, is perpetual war, can we not at least tax the rich to pay for this extravagant Crusade? For how long are we going to continue charging these wars on the nation's credit card?
Senator Conrad (N.D.) pointed out the absolute absurdity of the current deficit situation: we are borrowing Billions of dollars from other countries in order to fund huge tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Thus the current quest for Global Domination could very well bring down the American Empire—not through the defeat of our military, but through the collapse of our economy.
—ungeziefer
| |
