I must be dreaming? Did Obama say that the US will be selling $60 million

[akbacchus_BC]

to the Saudis for weapons to counter Iran? If this is not warmongering, please educate me?

[Lasher]

1. Well at least it seems to be mongering a war for somebody else.

If somebody is to go up against Iran I would very much prefer it to be some nation besides the USA.

[akbacchus_BC]

2. You happy about about that? Divide and rule is the name of the game!

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[BlueMTexpat]

9. Just where do you get your flawed information?

The USG has allowed the sale of weapons systems to the Saudis for years, beginning in 1945, as a matter of fact. Just where do you think the Saudis got the AWACs planes that were used in Gulf War I?

Educate yourself just a bit, please. http://www.state.gov/t/pm/rsat/c14022.htm

http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/saudi_arabia.htm

And please stop with the flamebait.

[mopinko]

19. ahem

Arms Sales Tables

Total Licenses/Agreements 1990-2000
Total Deliveries 1990-2000
Congressional Notifications Table
Country Profile

Saudi Arabia is America’s top customer. Since 1990, the U.S. government, through the Pentagon’s arms export program, has arranged for the delivery of more than $39.6 billion in foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia, and an additional $394 million worth of arms were delivered to the Saudi regime through the State Department’s direct commercial sales program during that same period. (Foreign Military and Construction Sales and Direct Commercial Sales are recorded and published by the Dept. of Defense in Foreign Military Sales, Foreign Military Construction Sales and Military Assistance Facts; the most current online edition includes information through FY 1999.)

http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/saudi_arabia.htm

much more info at the link about the long us military relationship with saudi arabia.

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. Link? Do you have some national intelligence you want to share with the rest of us?

Or is this just "a feeling"? What do you know about Iran that the rest of us don't? :shrug:

[Azathoth]

6. Since the OP is probably running down the street naked barking at cars by now

Here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5izOFXzR8BOYgLwf2lxo7i1d-8IhQ?docId=4883358

[Tarheel_Dem]

8. Thank You. (nt)

:hi:

[akbacchus_BC]

11. That is what you do!

[Azathoth]

14. Only when my girlfriend is out of town n/t

[babylonsister]

20. LOL! nt

[Lasher]

24. This is the funniest post I've seen all month.

I keep coming back here so I can laugh again. I'm disappointed akbacchus_BC has stopped posting in this thread. OK she might be just a little bit excitable but she doesn't seem a bad person and she's definitely fun.

Anyways, tanks fer da yuks.

[BlueMTexpat]

5. Heck, it's just good old-fashioned corporate capitalism at work.

No surprises there.

[BlueMTexpat]

7. Interestingly, this is at least the second flamebait thread that

you've started that I've seen featured today.

Hmm!

[akbacchus_BC]

10. It is not a flame bait thread, it was in our news papers today. Why

would I post something that is not true?

The purpose of the sale of arms to the Saudis as explained in the papers is to counter Iran. For all you all out there who do not think this is bad, am so sorry for you. The US thrives on countries making war on each other, and in a recession, this is the goal of the US, intimidate Iran!

[Number23]

16. As repulsive as Saudi Arabia is, they are an ally of the US

Fwiw, I don't think that the Saudis will "make war" on Iran.

[Petrus Romanus]

29. War would be bad for business.

A war between Iran and Saudi Arabia would effectively shut down the Mideast fossil fuel pipeline. That would be absolutely disastrous for our economy.

Peace is profitable. An armed peace, even more so.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lasher]

13. It's OK to have an opinion.

But you have exceeded your quota of exclamation points for the entire month. So you are not allowed to use them anymore until next month.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

17. Exclamation points are highly overrated!!!! n/t

[Lasher]

22. We!!, ! see you haven't squandered your month!y quota!

!'ve got p!enty !eft too!

[Petrus Romanus]

28. I'm new, but I don't see it as flamebait.

I think reasonable people can disagree as to whether it's a good idea for America to maintain regional power balances around the world. Pax Americana is precarious.

[BlueMTexpat]

37. Please see my post 9 above.

The OP is implying, if not stating outright that President Obama is making a decision that is unprecedented. That is simply not true.

I agree that reasonable people can disagree about the wisdom of such policies. In fact, I personally would like to see a lot fewer weapons in the world. "Pax Americana" is overrated, if not altogether false.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pax_Americana

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sledgehammer]

18. No he didn't. He said $60 BILLION, not million! n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

21. It is 60 billion, and it is nothing new.

The US sells arms to Saudi Arabia and has for decades. The issues beteen Iran and Saudi Arabia would exist if we vanished from the planet. I'd rather we not sell arms to anyone. But we do. Since the 40's I think.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

23. B I L L I O N, not million.

And yes, we are arming the Houses of bin Laden and Saud.

[dionysus]

25. are you having a Crisis?

[GSLevel9]

26. hey $60B is $60B...

and that $60B can go spinning around the toilet rim like the BILLIONS before it.

[Petrus Romanus]

27. It isn't warmongering. We've been selling arms to allies for about a century now.

It's a cheaper way to maintain regional balances of power than using our own soldiers. The alternative, of course, is to simply allow Iran to become a dominant regional power. People may disagree as to how good of an idea that is, but generally speaking, the safest bet is to maintain the status quo. There are too many variables to accurately predict the results of such a swing in the power balance.

The idea isn't to start a war. It's to prevent a war by ensuring that Iran and Saudi Arabia remain counterbalances to each other. Now, if we were selling arms to Saudi Arabia in order to facilitate an invasion of Iran, that would be warmongering.

[vaberella]

32. Thanks for the explanation. n/t

[mkultra]

30. how do you sell 60 million dollars?

[Pisces]

31. Educate yourself.

[akbacchus_BC]

33. Educate myself! The US now selling arms to a mid eastern country

in order to counter Iran? You need to educate yourself!

Selling arms to the Saudis is tantamount to calling out Iran, oh, I forgot, more American soldiers will have to sign up. Guess the blood bath not enough! You should sign up for war!

Who would a think President Obama would agree to selling weapons to the Saudis? The Saudis were not good enough when they bid a few years ago for port protection under Bush but now under Obama, weapons are for sale!

Colour me blind!

[damonm]

34. Oh Jeez, you ARE outta the loop:

First:

The port OPERATION (not protection) contracting bids were from DUBAI, not Saudi Arabia.

Second: We have been selling weapons to the Saudis for DECADES (1956 being the earliest example I could find).

Nothing to see here. Outrage fail.

[Tarheel_Dem]

35. You still don't have a clue do you?

Did you miss these? :shrug:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=484831&mesg_id=485698

People have honestly tried to engage you on an intellectual level, and still you persist?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=484831&mesg_id=484870


I think the concensus is that you should stop raving; educate yourself; cut out the flaming OP's; stop with the myriad GOP talking points; and learn to separate fact from emotional tripe. :hi:

[DevonRex]

40. I already coloured you blind.

[jeanpalmer]

36. Weapons manufacturing

is the new growth industry. Arm the world! Something Dems can be proud of, as you can see.

[quaker bill]

38. True, but only if "new" means

an industry we have pushed and promoted massively since World War II. Who do you think sold Saddam most of his best toys? Further who were the taxpayers that provided him the grants to afford them? The Saudi's already have lots of military equipment, most of it "made in the USA". This is just replacements and upgrades and I am sure carefully reviewed by the Israelis to assure they maintain their edge.

I generally do not support the policy, but there is nothing new or extrodinary about this deal. My dad worked for DOD and was selling weapons to the Shah of Iran, before the fall. A concern invading Afghanistan was all the leftover stinger missles we sold the Mujadeen, see "Charlie Wilson's War" it is not a bad flick and mostly truthful about this industry.

[Codeine]

39. You're a complete whackadoodle.

We've been selling arms to Saudi Arabia forever. And they've not used them to start any wars yet.