[hoosierskypilot]

Two points: 1) LBJ taught us that you can't solve severe sociological problems involving dysfunctional masses by throwing money their way. People have to want to change!!!

2) Yea. We'll draw close to them, and then they'll detonate the explosives they've got strapped to their waists!!!

[TLBSHOW]

LOL

Powell just loves acting like clinton and the socialist!

[The Obstinate Insomniac]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[hunter112]

I think the best way to modernize Arab society is through nuclear energy.

[Caesar Soze]

The best way to modernize Arab societies would be through a free media, so the people have someone other than Al-Jazeera and Hezbollah feeding them news.

A blantantly pro-America media might work, too.

[etcetera]

Personally, I prefer the solution suggested by Gen Curtis LeMay - bomb 'em back to the stone age.

[American in Israel]

Well the 100 million a year Clintoon's foundations sends to the Palestinian Authority for "school books" in the name of peace seems to be working fine, if you like genocide.

Just like a socialist, to repeat what has failed before to try to get it right this time.

Anybody doubt that this is another "get rich quick" democrat scheme? The more money flows, the easier to skim...

[LibWhacker]

"Hope begins with a paycheck," he said. "And that requires a vibrant economy."

Oh, sure. Let's make 'em richer! So they can buy more weapons, hire more scientists, and send their kids to Berkeley where they too can study nuclear physics, biochem, engineering -- and become good little jihadists lovers of Western democracy and apple pie. Just like their daddies did.

GET 'YER HEAD OUT, COLIN!

[valkyrieanne]

Colin Powell really, really needs to resign.

[alaskanfan]

We already send them 1 billion per year. How is another 29 million going to make any difference?

It's time for the rich Saudi princes to start supporting their own nation, and we should tell them as much. Giving them money to kill innocent people doesn't count.

[weikel]

This is retarded its the richer arabs which commit terrorist acts. The oldschool poor beduins don't join Al Qaeda( in fact in Israel a lot of them serve voluntarily in the IDF). These subsidies will just end up subsidizing Wahabbi terrorism and indoctrination as sure as Saudi oil money( the education money is just going to go to Madrassas and "Islamic" schools you watch).

[montag813]

$29 million U.S. taxpayer contribution to suicide bomber's families. No thanks, Bowell.

What the hell is in the water of the State Department which makes all who work there love the Arab world to such a degreee bordering on obsession?

[Marianne]

Powell said the $29 million contribution from the United States was designed to get the program started. He said the administration would ask Congress for more money next year that would be in addition to the more than $1 billion the United States already provides annually in economic assistance to Arab countries.

According to The Wall Street Journal Powell is pledging $29 million per year.
From the front page column "What's News/World Wide"
Wall Street Journal
December 13, 2002
     "Powell urged Arab nations to modernize and open up their political institutions, pledging $29 million a year toward that goal. The CIA chief said Arab reforms are a 'strategic imperative' to combat Islamic radicalism."

This is not an excerpt. The "What's News" column lists short highlights of the news of the day, sometimes followed by a page number leading to a longer article.
Apparently the editors didn't consider a new $29 million per year giveaway of US taxpayers' dollars important.