Oh gee what was I thinking a trillion dollars is a million million, so the cost per 100,000 bad men would be 10 million each. See how wasteful and ineffective the federal government is.--- In [email protected], "terry12622000" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > John, I think most of the board members are with you on the war in > Iraq, war on terror and its costs. Personally I think it is a very > expensive hit jobs, If you add most of the defnse budget, homeland > defense etc over the past 4 to 5 years the over cost is probably at > least 1 trillion dollars, if you have 1 million bad men that would be > 10,000 dollars each and growing, 100,000 bad men would 100,000 > dollars each, even 1,000 dollars each would be an expensive hit or > non violent persuassion costs in that part of the world.--- In > [email protected], "John Stroebel" <john.stroebel@> > wrote: > > > > > > I thought of you all as I was readying this post for a few other > groups. > > I thought of the reaction I got over the federal gov't paying an > agreed > > sum (adding up to a pittance) to the Ute people for a contract > (treaty) > > signed in the 20's. Man. Some folks really got them panties in a > twist > > over having to be 'indebted' for THAT deal! ;-) > > > > Well, I saw THIS little charm....so why is it that, I wondered, that > > these Libertarians aren't cryin' a river over an estimated 500 > BILLION > > DOLLARS cost for these lil' occupations the government is carrying > out > > in our name? > > > > Ute easier pickins???? > > > > ahemmm....the post. ;-) > > > > THREE LIL' LIES WE ALL SWALLOWED > > > > hmmm...while I am still wondering, what IS this course we are > staying??? > > > > The estimated costs for this useless, needless, obscene war of > > aggression in Iraq and Afghanistan by 2007...500 Billion. Wanna see > it > > in digits? $500,000,000,000. > > > > But I digress....this is an excellent article about three wonderful > > myths we Americans have fallen for....WMD, Zarqawi and Iraqi > > sovereignty. enjoy! ;-) > > > > (did I say myths? Why of course I meant bald faced lies. Bush's > pants on > > fire.) > > Cost of wars in Afghanistan & Iraq 2 top $500 BILLION in 2007 > Three > > Iraq Myths That Won't Quit > > > > By Scott Ritter > > http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13764.htm > > <http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13764.htm> > 06/26/06 > > "AlterNet" -- -- It is hard sometimes to know what is real and what > is > > fiction when it comes to the news out of Iraq. America is in > its "silly > > season," the summer months leading up to a national election, and > the > > media is going full speed ahead in exploiting its primacy in the > news > > arena by substituting responsible reporting with headline-grabbing > > entertainment. So, as America closes in on the end of June and > the > > celebration of the 230th year of our nation's birth, I thought I > would > > pen a short primer on three myths on Iraq to keep an eye out for as > we > > "debate" the various issues pertaining to our third year of war in > that > > country. The myth of sovereignty Imagine the president of the > United > > States flying to Russia, China, England, France or just about any > other > > nation on the planet, landing at an airport on supposedly sovereign > > territory, being driven under heavy U.S. military protection to > the > > U.S. Embassy, and then with some five minutes notification, > summoning > > the highest elected official of that nation to the U.S. Embassy for > a > > meeting. It would never happen, unless of course the nation in > question > > is Iraq, where Iraqi sovereignty continues to be hyped as a reality > when > > in fact it is as fictitious as any fairy tale ever penned by the > > Brothers Grimm. For all of the talk of a free Iraq, the fact is Iraq > > remains very much an occupied nation where the United States (and > its > > ever decreasing "coalition of the willing") gets to call all the > shots. > > Iraqi military policy is made by the United States. Its borders are > > controlled by the United States. Its economy is controlled largely > by > > the United States. In fact, there simply isn't a single major > indicator > > of actual sovereignty in Iraq today that can be said to be free of > > overwhelming American control. Iraqi ministers continue to be shot > at by > > coalition forces, and Iraqi police are powerless to investigate > criminal > > activities carried out by American troops (or their mercenary > > counterparts, the so-called "Private Military Contractors"). The > reality > > of this myth is that the timeline for the departure of American > troops > > from Iraq is being debated (and decided) in Washington, D.C., not > > Baghdad. Of course, as with everything in Iraq, the final vote will > be > > made by the people of Iraq. But these votes will be cast in > bullets, not > > ballots, and will bring with them not only the departure of American > > troops from Iraq, but also the demise of any Iraqi government > foolish > > enough to align itself with a nation that violates international > law by > > planning and waging an illegal war of aggression, and continues to > > conduct an increasingly brutal (and equally illegitimate) > occupation. > > The myth of Zarqawi I have said all along that the poll figures > showing > > Americans to be overwhelmingly against the war in Iraq were > illusory. > > Only 28 percent of Americans were against the war when we invaded > Iraq. > > The ranks have swelled to over 60 percent not because there has > been an > > awakening of social conscience and responsibility, but rather > because > > things aren't going well in Iraq, and there is increasing angst in > the > > American heartland because we seem to be losing the war in Iraq, > and no > > one likes a loser. So when the word came that the notorious > terrorist, > > Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, was killed by American military action, the > > president suddenly had a "good week," and poll numbers adjusted > slightly > > in his favor. However, the facts cannot be re-written, even by a > > slavish American mainstream media. Zarqawi was never anything more > than > > a minor player in Iraq, a third-rate Jordanian criminal whose > exploits > > were hyped up by a Bush administration anxious to prove that the > > insurgency that was getting the best of America in Iraq was > > foreign-grown and linked to the perpetrators of the 9/11 terror > attacks > > nonetheless. The reality of just how wrong such an assessment is > (and > > was) has been pounded home in blood. Since Zarqawi's death, the > violence > > has continued to spiral out of control in Iraq, with Americans > > continuing to die, Iraqis still being slaughtered, and Zarqawi and > his > > organization, successor and all, still as irrelevant to reality as > ever. > > The war against the American occupation in Iraq is being fought > > overwhelmingly by Iraqis. The insurgency is growing and becoming > > stronger and more organized by the day. This, of course, is a > reality > > that the Bush administration cannot afford to have the American > people > > know about in an election year, as a compliant media, having sold > its > > soul to the devil in hyping of the virtues of an invasion of Iraq > back > > in 2002-2003, continues to dance with the party that brought them by > > supporting the Republican position, by and large, that the conflict > in > > Iraq is a winnable one for America. Good ratings, more dead > Americans > > (and Iraqis, but who is counting?) and a war that will never end > until > > the United States finally slinks out, defeated, its tail tucked > firmly > > between its legs. The myth of WMD Regardless of what Sen. Rick > > Santorum and the lunatic neoconservative fringe want to think, no > > weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq. Citing a > classified > > Department of Defense report that claims some 500 artillery shells > have > > been found in Iraq by U.S. forces since the invasion and subsequent > > occupation of Iraq in March 2003, Santorum and his cronies in the > > right-wing media have been spouting nonsense about how Bush got it > right > > all along, that there were WMD in Iraq after all. He conveniently > fails > > to report that there is nothing "secret" about this data, it has all > > been reported before (by the Bush administration, nonetheless), and > that > > the shells in question constitute old artillery munitions > manufactured > > well prior to 1991 (the year of the first Gulf War, and a time after > > which the government of Saddam Hussein stated -- correctly, it > turned > > out that no WMD were produced in Iraq). The degraded sarin nerve > agent > > and mustard blister agent contained in the discovered munitions had > long > > since lost their viability, and as such represented no threat > > whatsoever. Furthermore, the haphazard way in which they were > > "discovered" (lying about the ground, as opposed to carefully stored > > away) only reinforces the Iraqi government's past claims that many > > chemical munitions were scattered about the desert countryside in > remote > > areas following U.S. bombing attacks on the ammunition storage > depots > > during the first Gulf War. Having personally inspected scores of > these > > bombed-out depots, I can vouch for the veracity of the past Iraqi > > claims, as well as the absurdity of the claims made today by > Santorum > > and others, who continue to hold personal political gain as being > worth > > more than the blood of over 2,500 dead Americans. These three > myths -- > > WMD, Zarqawi and Iraqi sovereignty -- are what members of Congress > > should be debating in their halls of power, the American media > should be > > discussing either in print or across the airwaves, and that > discussion > > should constitute the foundation of a movement towards > accountability, > > where the citizens of the United States finally point an accusatory > > finger at those whom they elected to represent them in higher > office, > > and who have failed in almost every regard when it comes to Iraq. > But > > then again, silly me for thinking this way, believing that there > was an > > engaged constituency within America that knows and understands the > > Constitution of the United States and seeks to live each day as a > true > > citizen empowered by the ideal and values set forth by that > document. I > > had overlooked the Fourth Myth -- that American citizens are > engaged in > > our national debate. Scott Ritter served as chief U.N. weapons > > inspector in Iraq from 1991 until his resignation in 1998. He is the > > author of, most recently, " Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story > of the > > Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the U.N. and Overthrow Saddam > > Hussein <http://alternet.bookswelike.net/isbn/1560258527> " (Nation > > Books, 2005 > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > >
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