3 New Messages
Digest #4583
Messages
Sat Dec 22, 2012 3:33 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://english.
Voice of Russia
December 22, 2012
US Senate: a Christmas present
Valentin Zorin
The US Senate has unanimously approved a $631bln defense budget for 2013. The draft budget has evoked no objections from the White House. As he ran for president four years ago, Barack Obama promised to cut defense programs and put an end to the arms race which drained the US economy. The Obama administration has failed to stabilize the economy.
The country’s state debt is growing at a fast rate. And judging by the newly approved 2013 budget, Washington has no intention of ending the arms race. At present, the US military expenditure exceeds combined military spending of all other countries.
Experts attribute the current difficulties experienced by the US economy to the fact that it cracked under the burden of military spending, which proved too heavy for it, if not outright intolerable. According to the US Treasury Department, the unprecedented $17 trillion debt will increase to $19 trillion in the foreseeable future and exceed 100% of the country’s current GDP. On top of that, Boston University Professor Laurence Kotlikoff has established that the US budget deficit is larger than that officially reported, amounting to a whopping $200 trillion.
Trillions of dollars of state debt that are ruining the American economy did not come out of nowhere. The war in Iraq which was unleashed by the Bush administration cost US taxpayers $3 trillion, another half a trillion dollars have been spent on the military operation in Afghanistan, also started by the Republican government. An end to this spending is nowhere in sight. The Republican majority in the US Congress is pushing for so-called “nuclear modernization” which envisages the creation of 80 new types of nuclear warheads. Even though Congressmen keep mum on the cost of the program, it’s clear that it will require billions of dollars.
It’s the fifth US administration that has set its mind on promoting a missile defense program, despite the failures and costs associated with it. In accordance with the most modest estimates, more than $2 trillion have already been invested in the program and hundreds of billions will still be needed to pursue it.
The hefty sums channeled for financing military programs lead to a further increase in the US state debt. Unlike abortive missile tests, they don’t dissolve in the boundless expanses of outer space but land on specific accounts of specific individuals. These individuals are Pentagon clients and are part of military-industrial concerns, or what President Eisenhower described as the “military-industrial complex”.
The military-industrial complex has turned the arms race into an endless source of profit for weapons manufacturers and dictates policies to those in power. All hopes and election pledges on the part of aspiring politicians drown in this striving for profit which gains the upper hand, defying people’s interests and the requirements of common sense.
Ordinary Americans have to pay for it. According to an official report of the US Census Bureau, 15% of the population live below the poverty line. The position of other people whose lives are far from easy as well is not disclosed.
The generous present – the 2013 military budget – is not for them.
============
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Voice of Russia
December 22, 2012
US Senate: a Christmas present
Valentin Zorin
The US Senate has unanimously approved a $631bln defense budget for 2013. The draft budget has evoked no objections from the White House. As he ran for president four years ago, Barack Obama promised to cut defense programs and put an end to the arms race which drained the US economy. The Obama administration has failed to stabilize the economy.
The country’s state debt is growing at a fast rate. And judging by the newly approved 2013 budget, Washington has no intention of ending the arms race. At present, the US military expenditure exceeds combined military spending of all other countries.
Experts attribute the current difficulties experienced by the US economy to the fact that it cracked under the burden of military spending, which proved too heavy for it, if not outright intolerable. According to the US Treasury Department, the unprecedented $17 trillion debt will increase to $19 trillion in the foreseeable future and exceed 100% of the country’s current GDP. On top of that, Boston University Professor Laurence Kotlikoff has established that the US budget deficit is larger than that officially reported, amounting to a whopping $200 trillion.
Trillions of dollars of state debt that are ruining the American economy did not come out of nowhere. The war in Iraq which was unleashed by the Bush administration cost US taxpayers $3 trillion, another half a trillion dollars have been spent on the military operation in Afghanistan, also started by the Republican government. An end to this spending is nowhere in sight. The Republican majority in the US Congress is pushing for so-called “nuclear modernization” which envisages the creation of 80 new types of nuclear warheads. Even though Congressmen keep mum on the cost of the program, it’s clear that it will require billions of dollars.
It’s the fifth US administration that has set its mind on promoting a missile defense program, despite the failures and costs associated with it. In accordance with the most modest estimates, more than $2 trillion have already been invested in the program and hundreds of billions will still be needed to pursue it.
The hefty sums channeled for financing military programs lead to a further increase in the US state debt. Unlike abortive missile tests, they don’t dissolve in the boundless expanses of outer space but land on specific accounts of specific individuals. These individuals are Pentagon clients and are part of military-industrial concerns, or what President Eisenhower described as the “military-industrial complex”.
The military-industrial complex has turned the arms race into an endless source of profit for weapons manufacturers and dictates policies to those in power. All hopes and election pledges on the part of aspiring politicians drown in this striving for profit which gains the upper hand, defying people’s interests and the requirements of common sense.
Ordinary Americans have to pay for it. According to an official report of the US Census Bureau, 15% of the population live below the poverty line. The position of other people whose lives are far from easy as well is not disclosed.
The generous present – the 2013 military budget – is not for them.
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@
============
Sat Dec 22, 2012 3:33 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.itar-
Itar-Tass
December 22, 2012
Al-Assad overthrow not end war in Syria – Lavrov
MOSCOW: Western special services predict that the overthrown of Bashar al-Assad will not end the war in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists on Saturday.
“Western special services say the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad will not stop the bloodshed in Syria. This is a country where various ethnic groups and religions coexisted for many thousands of years. To destroy all to overthrow only one person...We observed such events in Yugoslavia and Iraq and we observed what had happened in Libya because Al-Gaddafi’s head was needed,” Lavrov said.
“One cannot simply say – the Arab Spring, democratisation, the drive for the better life – how childish. A serious political analysis is really lacking,” the Russian foreign minister noted.
He confirmed that Russia did not intend to give al-Assad political asylum. “Russia said we had not invited al-Assad. We have no such plans. Certain countries of the region addressed us: ‘Tell al-Assad we are ready to accept him’. But we replied: ‘What does this come in? If we have such plan, address directly’,” Lavrov said.
He recalled that al-Assad himself made a statement saying he was not going to resign. Lavrov referred to al-Assad saying even if Russia or China invited him, he would die in Syria.
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
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============
Itar-Tass
December 22, 2012
Al-Assad overthrow not end war in Syria – Lavrov
MOSCOW: Western special services predict that the overthrown of Bashar al-Assad will not end the war in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists on Saturday.
“Western special services say the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad will not stop the bloodshed in Syria. This is a country where various ethnic groups and religions coexisted for many thousands of years. To destroy all to overthrow only one person...We observed such events in Yugoslavia and Iraq and we observed what had happened in Libya because Al-Gaddafi’s head was needed,” Lavrov said.
“One cannot simply say – the Arab Spring, democratisation, the drive for the better life – how childish. A serious political analysis is really lacking,” the Russian foreign minister noted.
He confirmed that Russia did not intend to give al-Assad political asylum. “Russia said we had not invited al-Assad. We have no such plans. Certain countries of the region addressed us: ‘Tell al-Assad we are ready to accept him’. But we replied: ‘What does this come in? If we have such plan, address directly’,” Lavrov said.
He recalled that al-Assad himself made a statement saying he was not going to resign. Lavrov referred to al-Assad saying even if Russia or China invited him, he would die in Syria.
============
Stop NATO e-mail list home page with archives and search engine:
http://groups.
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.
To subscribe for individual e-mails or the daily digest, unsubscribe, and otherwise change subscription status:
stopnato-subscribe@
============
Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:15 pm (PST) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.mod.
Ministry of Defence of Georgia
December 21, 2012
U.S. Advisor-Instructors Awarded
Today Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Alasania has awarded American advisor-instructors
Sergeant Major Gregory Wright, 1st Sergeant Vincent Heller and Gunnery Sergeant Anthony Cuccurese were granted with the medal of General Kvinitadze for their special contribution to pre-deployment training Georgian soldiers for the ISAF mission. The awards ceremony was held at the training base Sounth Vaziani, Algeti.
“Today we have visited the 33rd Battalion currently undergoing the trainings with our American partners. They will depart for Afghanistan in the nearest future. Our soldiers are morally and physically ready and most important is that they have relevant military knowledge to solve every task successfully. They should always be aware to save themselves and carry out the most important task - to provide international and national security”, declared the defence minister.
The leadership of the GAF also attended the awarding ceremony. After the ceremony, the defence minister had a tour around the training base and the infrastructure.
U.S. advisor-instructors have positively assessed the preparedness of Georgian soldiers. According to 1st Sergeant Vincent Heller, the Georgian soldiers are highly motivated and distinguished for their professionalism.
Ministry of Defence of Georgia
December 21, 2012
U.S. Advisor-Instructors Awarded
Today Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Alasania has awarded American advisor-instructors
Sergeant Major Gregory Wright, 1st Sergeant Vincent Heller and Gunnery Sergeant Anthony Cuccurese were granted with the medal of General Kvinitadze for their special contribution to pre-deployment training Georgian soldiers for the ISAF mission. The awards ceremony was held at the training base Sounth Vaziani, Algeti.
“Today we have visited the 33rd Battalion currently undergoing the trainings with our American partners. They will depart for Afghanistan in the nearest future. Our soldiers are morally and physically ready and most important is that they have relevant military knowledge to solve every task successfully. They should always be aware to save themselves and carry out the most important task - to provide international and national security”, declared the defence minister.
The leadership of the GAF also attended the awarding ceremony. After the ceremony, the defence minister had a tour around the training base and the infrastructure.
U.S. advisor-instructors have positively assessed the preparedness of Georgian soldiers. According to 1st Sergeant Vincent Heller, the Georgian soldiers are highly motivated and distinguished for their professionalism.
