In a little more than a year the United States flew $12 billion in cash to Iraq, much of it in $100 bills, shrink wrapped and loaded onto pallets. Vanity Fair reported in 2004 that "at least $9 billion" of the cash had "gone missing, unaccounted for." $9 billion.
Today, we learned that suitcases of $3 billion in cash have openly moved through the Kabul airport.
One U.S. official quoted by the Wall Street Journal said, "A lot of this looks like our tax dollars being stolen." $3 billion. Consider this as the American people sweat out an extension of unemployment benefits.
Last week, the BBC reported that "the US military has been giving tens of millions of dollars to Afghan security firms who are funneling the money to warlords." Add to that a corrupt Afghan government underwritten by the lives of our troops.
And now reports indicate that Congress is preparing to attach $10 billion in state education funding to a $33 billion spending bill to keep the war going.
Back home millions of Americans are out of work, losing their homes, losing their savings, their pensions, and their retirement security. We are losing our nation to lies about the necessity of war.
Bring our troops home. End the war. Secure our economy.
I gave this speech today on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Follow Rep. Dennis Kucinich on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RepKucinich
I agree that if there were more like him in DC we could turn this country around, and everyone would be the better for it!
The thing about integrity is you only get to sell it once.
To your point, it's probably so, that Kusinich's stature may have held him back, but there are plenty of politicians with worse faces or style, I'm sure.
His honesty & viewpoint, as a truth teller, is refreshing, but, if POTUS, he'd have to tone it down. I'm sure though, just as Obama has had to do.To pass a bill important to him, he'd be forced to adapt to the system, and knows how to barter & compromise, to have gotten anywhere in politics. Even if he were elected as POTUS, he'd have to go through the exact same competitive partisanship that has slowed this country down to a crawl........as with Obama.
Meanwhile the combined salaries of the house & senate is staggering, considering how little they actually do - for us, that is.I see this as a place we could cut our budget. Considering all the prestige & freebies, they'd still want the job.
Most of their time, they think & act on behalf of their political aspirations & climb to the top, then to their party.Kusinich knows he can speak out now. If he were president, like Obama, he'd have to represent a broad spectrum of wants & ideals, & button it 1/2 the time,
So many wars! So many killed, wounded, and displaced, so many cancer victims from depleted uranium and other victims from all kind of war byproducts. Infested environment! So many wars in the same region of this planet. Many of you participated to anti Iraq war demonstrations! But it was already too late. Please do something now against the war on Iran. I am certainly not an admirer of the regime of Iran nor its human rights record nor its competition with another hegemonic power in the region. This other power is trying its best to trigger a new war. Please do something. Early manifestations might be more efficient. Support my request massively. Defend us! Defend our planet. Defend our environment. Defend your brothers in humanity who already, like me have witnessed so many wars! The war lords and money lords control this planet. The five permanent members of the Council of Security control more than 85% of the weapons commerce. It is not an easy activity; however as members of democracies you have some say, please use it now. At least click on favorite!
I cannot believe we've not evolved enough to find other ways of settling disputes!My brother spent a lot of time working in Iraq, & later in Palestine, as a civil engineer,for the US troops,& also for Palestine, designing new sewage systems & water access.
He lived in an apartment within a Palestinian home, was treated well & made friends.He loved the street & cafe food - of course - as I do, & the people & the cultures he met along the way.While in that area, he visited many countries, & still does, occasionally.
He told me how Israel treated the Palestinian people, which took me a while to absorb, as I hadn't heard that perspective touted here.Why no other countries intervened is still a mystery to me, but now Turkey has stepped up, & caused some changes.
He told me of some type of weaponry Israel used against Lebanon, which apparently desiccates people - possibly a ray, & how doctors didn't know how to treat those affected, as well as the depleted uranium, which stays in the soil.
It's baffling when, as one who grows up loving others, then hears of the use of
The gullible march right on................. and religion rather than reality thinking help divide and to fuel wars. Jews, Islam, Christians, It seems not to matter...........for all of the benevolence and love spoken of.
I hope your life is not further disrupted & you live a good, long, healthy life, & find some happiness. You sound like a very decent, intelligent person.Too bad governments tear the peoples of this shrinking earth apart.Now people of all nations can talk & email to each other, & will see for themselves, you can find good & bad people in every land.
While some act like criminals, in war, bombs don't discriminate - only people can do that.
Dennis, we need you, please help America out of this mess...
Say OIL
I say do what my grandfather did to us when we stole, tell them if they hunch their shoulders and say "i don't know" one more time, i'll burst you in the back of the head with this 2x4. We told him every time. But of course, this is the congress. Who really runs this country?