NATIONAL SECURITY = ARMED FORCES

Fiedor Report On the News #319 ^ | 10-3-04 | Doug Fiedor

[forest]

Strip the Army of those Bradley Fighting Vehicles[1] used in the Golf War. And take away the big M-1 Abrams Tanks[2] the Army likes so well.

Strip the Navy of the last few fancy Aircraft Carriers[3] so popular to provide air cover. Then, scrap the Aegis anti aircraft system[4] the Navy depends on to search, track and guide missile functions. Scrap those P-3 Orion[5] upgrades, too. The Navy doesn't really need the better anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

Over at the Air Force, let's get rid of the B2 stealth bomber[6] that sneaks in on targets and wages destruction. Also get rid of the F-15 all-weather tactical fighter[7] and the F-16 Fighting Falcon[8] all potential threat fighter aircraft. The Navy and Marines might like more FA-18 multi-mission fighters[9], but they can probably get along without them. We have all heard of the F-117A Stealth Fighter[10] attack aircraft. But, are they really necessary in today's world?

While we're at it, we may as well kill the Patriot anti Missile system[11], too. After all, it's not 100% effective yet.

There's more to this list, but by now most readers are getting the idea. These are all projects that Senator John Kerry voted to kill. Fact is, John Kerry voted to kill every military appropriation for the development and deployment of every weapons system since 1988 -- including a bill to provide battle armor for our troops.

As soon as Kerry took his seat in the Senate in 1984 he proposed cutting funding for the F-14 tactical fighter plane, the B1 and B2 bombers, the Peacekeeper missile, the Trident submarine, the Aegis cruiser, the Abrams tank, the Apache helicopter, and the Tomahawk cruise missile.

Like Senator Zell Miller (D-GA) so aptly put it at the GOP Convention: "This is the man who wants to be the commander-in-chief of our U.S. armed forces? U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?"

Nowadays, at least part of the political debate is national security. After 20 years in the Senate, Kerry has a record on national security issues that we can check. Fact is, Kerry consistently voted against funding the military and intelligence agencies, and supported the intelligence fragmentation that made predicting and preventing 9/11 impossible.

Among other things, Kerry voted to cut the funding of the FBI by 60%. Kerry voted to cut the funding for the CIA by 80%. He voted to cut the funding for the NSA by 80%. Then, Kerry voted to increase our funding for UN operations by 800%.

Kerry was on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence from 1993 to 2001, but attended only 24% of the meetings. Still today, Kerry is never available for security briefings simply because national security is not one of his interests.

During a Fox News interview last Aug. 5, General Tommy Franks gave the only correct answer concerning maintaining our national security and fighting the war on terror: "There are only two options: 1) We fight them here. 2) We fight them over there. I think we should fight them over there."

President Bush agrees. As Dubya said last month: "The best way to protect the American homeland is to stay on the offense. It is a ridiculous notion to assert that because the United States is on the offense, more people want to hurt us. We're on the offense because people do want to hurt us."

Ditto that. And keep our fighting forces very well equipped.

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1. <http://www.army-technology.com/projects/bradley/>

2. <http://www.army-technology.com/projects/abrams/>

3. <http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/ships/ship-cv.html>

4. <http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Aegis_combat_system>

5. <http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/orion/>

6. <http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/b2/>

7. <http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=101>

8. <http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=103>

9. <http://www.danshistory.com/fa18.html>

10. <http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/f117/>

11. <http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/patriot.htm>

 

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[forest]

Kerry voted against every defense item. He would have left us defensless except for spitballs. Yet he voted to increase money to the UN by 800%.

Kerry was absent from most intelligence meetings. (That figures.)

Franks and Bush: Fight them over there.

[tomnbeverly]

Kerry would turn the military over to Kofi thats his big plan... It will be the end of the United States.... Is there anyone in America that believes that Global Tests are a good idea? I mean if you really think about it even moderate democrats should question this statement from Kerry...

Kerry scares the hell out of me.

[mtntop3]

Excellent summing up.

[JOE43270]

Hanoi john has to be kept away from our people in the Armed Forces. He couln't be a leader in the dog pound much less our people in uniform that are the Best of the Best.

[brityank]

Ping

[forest]

I agree.It's something worse than putting the fox in charge of the chicken house.