In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
France and Defense Contractors
With all the jokes about France always surrendering, it would be good to remember the cause of their swift defeat: The Maginot Line. Basically it was the SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars, now called Ballistic Missile Defense System) of the thirties, a huge and expensive military undertaking. It was, of course, the largest military failure of all time, as the Nazi’s just went around it. And that is the problem with the Strategic Defense Initiative; we are spending BILLIONS on an untested technology that is already out of date. France wasn’t prepared for a mobile modern army, and we are pretending our enemies will play by the rules. Our own strength makes that somewhat inevitable; we are so strong that anyone fighting us by the rules will lose, so the enemy breaks the rules. In this case the enemy (terrorists) loves breaking the rules anyway, and we’ll still win anyway, but this is still an issue. Germany “broke the rules” by going into France via Belgium (which was neutral) because it could not go through the Maginot Line, it was too strong. America isn’t going to be attacked head on, ever. We only have to fear terrorism.
But given the state of things the Bush Administration is still investing heavily on “missile defense” and leaving other things wanting. Sneaking in “Weapons of Mass Destruction” on a freight ship seems like an obvious danger, so one would assume that the security budget at our ports has increased. Nope it’s the same as it was pre-9/11.
How much did the port authorities said did they require additionally to make the ports secure?
2 billion.
How much is the missile defense budget?
62 billion
How much is a good friendship with a defense contractor?
Priceless… I guess.
Money in the budget is limited, so instead of cutting back on veteran benefits (but I thought the GOP supported our troops?), perhaps we should cut back on useless defense projects.
I wonder how much the French defense contractors of the thirties pushed for the Maginot Line?
- rob 5:31 PM - [PermaLink] -
----
TCS Now offers a News Reader Feed
Subscribe to the TCS Feed
Having trouble with some of the poor English
on this site?
Imagine what it looks like when translated by a machine:
This is a "team" blog. We are a bunch of
Americans, whose rising distress
in our leader's decisions brought us together to make this site.
As Bush said, he's a "uniter." Many of us have never even met.
That's the internet for you.
Buy our cool stuff.
And tell everyone what you feel.
We have a little Store
you can visit.
Our store's selection of items is constantly growing. Come
see what we have.
We're also Amazon Associates, so if you want to buy something from Amazon, please search for it below, and we will get a few bucks from the sale.
Static Sky
Tin Foil Caps
The Free Speech Zone
The office of the independent blogger
Buzzflash
Tom The Dancing Bug
VerifiedVoting.org
Get Your War
On
This Modern World
Eschaton / Atrios
Daily Kos
meowpurrmeow
Contribute to America's Future
It is now more important then ever.
Donate to the Democractic Congressional Campaign Committee
Donate to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
Some More Site Mottos
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the
president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is
not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the
American people."
- Teddy Roosevelt
"Government has a final responsibility for the well-being of
its citizenship. If private cooperative endeavor fails to provide work
for willing hands and relief for the unfortunate, those suffering
hardship from no fault of their own have a right to call upon the
Government for aid; and a government worthy of its name must make
fitting response."
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
"I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions, but laws must and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors."
- Thomas Jefferson
"The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home."
"All men having power ought to be distrusted to a certain
degree."
- James Madison
"I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, in the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, the faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith. For liberalism is not so much a party creed or set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves."
- John F. Kennedy
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are [a] few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
more coming...
