Apparently, green money is more important to the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. than the potential loss of American’s red blood.
According to a recent congressional report, the United States sold almost 13 billion dollars worth of weapons last year to developing nations. Potentially hostile nations such as the United Arab Emirates, India and South Korea were just some of the countries America began selling weapons to last year, while continuing to sell arms to rogue countries like China, Iran and Iraq.
Maybe our political leaders don’t remember some of our country’s recent history, such as the stand off with China over our downed spy plane or the Gulf War, but I certainly do. And I find it both appalling and frightening that we will sell F-16 fighter planes, T-90 tanks, and other state of the art killing machines to countries whose primary target could very well be us.
During the Gulf War, many of the weapons used by the Iraqis to seize Saudi Arabia and later to wage war with the United States were made right here in the USA. They were then sold to Saddam Hussein and his cadre of Western-hating war mongers. It’s ironic that many of the Iraqis who so openly wished “Death to America” during the war were holding some of our finest technology in their bloodthirsty hands.
True to our roots as a melting pot, one of the political catchphrases over the past few decades has been “Peace in the Middle East.” As a nation with a large portion of our population with cultural ties to that region, it is conceivable that we’d have a vested interest in fostering peace initiatives. Interesting that over the past eight years, hot spots Middle Eastern nations have accounted for over $100 billion in weapon sales. Selling weapons to a region known for conflict is not a great way to promote peace.
Those of us in the 18 to 24-year-old age group should be especially aware of this growing problem. If we sell enough weapons to enough dangerous countries like Iraq and China, we will again be plunged into war. And who will have to fight in this war? That’s right — we will. We’ll either have to enlist or be drafted, travel halfway around the world and put our lives in jeopardy just because some shortsighted politician sees the short-term financial benefit in selling weapons to anti-American countries.
Of course, I could be overreacting. We may not have to fight a war in some far off country whose name many Americans probably couldn’t pronounce. Perhaps these hostile countries will just use the SU-30 bombers they bought at rock bottom prices (I wonder if they got a discount for buying in bulk?) to fly over America’s major cities (i.e. Philadelphia) and reduce them to a pile of smoldering rubble.
Think about that while you’re out spending your tax refund George W. Bush signed. I guess now we know where all the money came from.
Frank Brown can be reached at PenguinsFan1@aol.com
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