Posted on 08/05/2006 9:02:34 AM PDT by Phsstpok
Oh, goody. It's back.
An Emily Litella moment is in order.
Never Mind.
I betcha $10 that Joe Biden will be snapping his suspenders over Iraq...
With some whispering about the civil war causing the possibility of a 3 way split in Iraq, which he came out a few months ago, endorsing as a PLAN....he will be convinced and try to convince US that someone heard his plan..and that is why this is happening.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678470/post
If they want to...there IS something to discuss re: Qana and the deception of the Hezzies.
Newt, the ubiquitous one, has gotten OLD, fast. (not a good sign for a POTUS candidate).
I fear that Condi Rice will be saying a whole LOTTA WORDS..but will be saying nothing of importance..because as much as the USA and France would like to call the shots...Israel and Hezbollahland have different plans..
I am praying that you get whatever you need to help your eyesight..soon, without pain..and permanently.
Sorry about that link...it was supposed to be the thread about the proof that Reuter's pictures had been photoshopped to show more bombing that there really was..
Hypothetical Military Match Up. USA vrs the China/Iran/Syrian Axis. I will even add China as a potential Axis member.
Even if you multiply the CIA facts by a factor of the 5 on the absurd notion that they are successfully "hiding" their real military from us, the Iran/Syria Axis comes NO where near the US ALONE in Military power.
I am not even going to bother putting Israel, Japan, South Korea, India and the NATO countries on our side. The scale all ready tips so heavily to the US there is no reason to pile on.
This is JUST a comparison between the US and the Iran/Syrian Axis. For fun I will include Egypt and the Saudis as part of the Iran/Syrian Axis to show how absurd the "It's World War Three" babbling is.
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/united_states/united_states_military.html
USA.
Military branches:
Army, Navy and Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age; 17 years of age with written parental consent (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 67,742,879
females age 18-49: 67,070,144 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 54,609,050
females age 18-49: 54,696,706 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 2,143,873
females age 18-49: 2,036,201 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$518.1 billion (FY04 est.) (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
4.06% (FY03 est.) (2005 est.)
***Snip***
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/iran/iran_military.html
Iran.
Iran Military - 2006
Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army); Law Enforcement Forces (2004)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; soldiers as young as 9 were recruited extensively during the Iran-Iraq War; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 18,319,545
females age 18-49: 17,541,037 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 15,665,725
females age 18-49: 15,005,597 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 862,056
females age 18-49: 808,044 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$4.3 billion (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.3% (2003 est.)
****Snip*****
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/syria/syria_military.html
Syria
Military branches:
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command) (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,356,413
females age 18-49: 4,123,339 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,453,888
females age 18-49: 3,421,558 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 225,113
females age 18-49: 211,829 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.9% (FY00)
***Snip*****
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/egypt/egypt_military.html
Egypt
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for conscript military service; three-year service obligation (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 18,347,560
females age 18-49: 17,683,904 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 15,540,234
females age 18-49: 14,939,378 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 802,920
females age 18-49: 764,176 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$2.44 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.4% (2004)
******Snip****
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/saudi_arabia/saudi_arabia_military.html
Saudi Arabia
Military branches:
Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,648,999
females age 18-49: 5,417,922 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 6,592,709
females age 18-49: 4,659,347 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 247,334
females age 18-49: 234,500 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$18 billion (2002)
****Snip******
href="http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/China/China_military.html">http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/China/China_military.html
China
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
10% (2002)
Military branches:
People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes Airborne Forces), and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (PAP); Reserve and Militia Forces (2006)
Military service age and obligation: 18-22 years of age for compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 17 years of age for women who meet requirements for specific military jobs (2004)
Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 342,956,265 females age 18-49: 324,701,244 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 281,240,272 females age 18-49: 269,025,517 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 13,186,433 females age 18-49: 12,298,149 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $81.48 billion (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.3% (2005 est.)
Great crystal balling!
[Re: the Beltway Boys] -- But like a moth to a flame, I'm usually drawn in. Addiction is a terrible thing...
I finally decided to do anything else from 6pm to 7pm on Saturdays, and turned the TV off...and last night remembered to tune in to the Wall Street Week show at 11pm. Only to find that Fox outfoxed me by running the Beltway Boys rerun immediately after Paul Gigot and friends.
What is your opinion of Bret Stephens? I think he is a sissy, in the scaredy cat definition of the word.
I gotta tell ya, you need to put a link to your blog on this thread every week. I wanted to shout it out to some coworkers but couldn't find it.
Please post it to me!
I re-ordered my posting sequence so this stuff is up at Townhall first. That way I can include the link to that in the FR thread.
To complete the circle:
This weeks FreeRepublic thread is at:
cross posted to Townhall.COM at:
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