No, let's keep selling them Humvees! Maybe jets and weapons too! That way, in ten years we can go to war with Bahrain when they decide we're not super-useful anymore, and everyone can cry that no one could have foreseen it.

Good. Let's get those defense contractors fixing OUR infrastructure and not some backward ass Middle East Muslim theocracy.

I reject the premise that there are "Five liberal Senators" in Congress.

$53 million in Humvees? Somehow, I doubt it's just Humvees. Humvees.

sprawl15: $53 million in Humvees? Somehow, I doubt it's just Humvees. Humvees.

Of course. They want to use them for ambulances.

sprawl15: $53 million in Humvees? Somehow, I doubt it's just Humvees. Humvees.

They are tricked out fast and furious style.

CapnBlues: xxysyndrome: I reject the premise that there are "Five liberal Senators" in Congress.

Yeah. I voted for Bob Casey Jr., but only so that I could vote Rick Santorum out of office. Bob Casey Jr. is no liberal.


They are now that the Tea Baggers have dragged the GOP even further to the right.

These days Reagan is a liberal...

What's wrong with Bahrain? We have Navy there. I know someone stationed there. They're not perfect, but they're not our enemies. And it's not like Humvees are some fancy high tech state secret piece of technology. it's a truck.

LarryDan43: sprawl15: $53 million in Humvees? Somehow, I doubt it's just Humvees. Humvees.

They are tricked out fast and furious style.

Ah, so they didn't go for the GPS option.

sprawl15: LarryDan43: sprawl15: $53 million in Humvees? Somehow, I doubt it's just Humvees. Humvees.

They are tricked out fast and furious style.

Ah, so they didn't go for the GPS option.

Word. Ya'Holder.

12349876: Good. Let's get those defense contractors fixing OUR infrastructure and not some backward ass Middle East Muslim theocracy.

You do know we make pretty good profit on exported humvees. It's not a gift.

CapnBlues: I voted for Bob Casey Jr., but only so that I could vote Rick Santorum out of office. Bob Casey Jr. is no liberal.

Nice spin. Next you'll be telling me he's a milquetoast pro-life moderate.

PanicMan: What's wrong with Bahrain? We have Navy there. I know someone stationed there. They're not perfect, but they're not our enemies. And it's not like Humvees are some fancy high tech state secret piece of technology. it's a truck.

You haven't been following the news in the Middle East this year, have you?

They had massive protests against the government and responded by gunning them down and implementing draconian measures including blacklisting, arresting, and torturing their citizens. It was about as bad as Syria is now.

Good luck getting Clinton to ban the sale of hummers.

sprawl15: $53 million in Humvees? Somehow, I doubt it's just Humvees. Humvees.

There are new-model TOW missiles included in the deal. It's the Humvees that worry the human rights campaigners behind this letter, though.

They've also introduced House and Senate legislation to block the deal (which is legally possible), but it's unlikely to work since it would require a 2/3 majority in both houses (which has never happened before). So this is the run-around attempt, get Hillary to block it for now. Since all foreign military sales deals need State approval, she could do that.

PanicMan: What's wrong with Bahrain? We have Navy there. I know someone stationed there. They're not perfect, but they're not our enemies. And it's not like Humvees are some fancy high tech state secret piece of technology. it's a truck.

Bahrain is accused of severe human rights offenses against its own people, by the U.S. among others. Armored vehicles like the Humvee are quite obviously the basic tool needed to police your population. If the Bahraini goons are going to be leaping out of their vehicles to beat the crap out of their fellow citizens, it would be a lot easier for the U.S. to condemn all that if the vehicles don't say "Made in the USA" on the side.

And anyways, it's not like they need an army. After all, as you said, the U.S. navy is parked there. It's the perfect trigger in case the Iranians do anything stupid.

Unemployed defense contractor? Is there such a thing?

LedZeppelinRule: Good luck getting Clinton to ban the sale of hummers.

Win!

Seems like selective outrage when people object on moral grounds to selling vehicles to an oppressive regime but are ok with direct aid to other oppressive regimes (Pakistan, North Korea, etc).

I know the standard retort: but but that's humanitarian aid! It's going straight to the people who need it.

No, it's not. We all know where it's going.

Personally I would say that if we're going to help out oppressive despots we should at least get some money for american businesses out of it, rather than writing another blank check.

As a person who is old enough to remember the death of Dwight David Eisenhower, I'm getting a kick out of this thread.

watson.t.hamster: I know the standard retort: but but that's humanitarian aid! It's going straight to the people who need it.


Bags of rice are more difficult to weaponize than a humvee.

karl2025: PanicMan: What's wrong with Bahrain? We have Navy there. I know someone stationed there. They're not perfect, but they're not our enemies. And it's not like Humvees are some fancy high tech state secret piece of technology. it's a truck.

You haven't been following the news in the Middle East this year, have you?

They had massive protests against the government and responded by gunning them down and implementing draconian measures including blacklisting, arresting, and torturing their citizens. It was about as bad as Syria is now.

I know, they fail at human rights. So do a lot of countries. It's not a good thing. But seeing as we've already sold them tanks and fighter jets, I don't see how adding Humvees is really going to make a difference. I'm frankly surprised they didn't just buy a fleet of Toyota pickups.

These sena-traitors are disgusting. Obviously, the more oppressive governments that we support, the higher we will rank on the Freedom^TM Scale.

LarryDan43: They are tricked out fast and furious style.

I was brave enough to GIS "tricked out hummer" at work, and got this:

PanicMan: What's wrong with Bahrain?

PanicMan: I know, they fail at human rights.

Umm....

Devin172: watson.t.hamster: I know the standard retort: but but that's humanitarian aid! It's going straight to the people who need it.


Bags of rice are more difficult to weaponize than a humvee.

Food is one of our oldest weapons. Give it to your allies, withold it from your enemies. Famine has killed more people than guns.

Additionally those bags of rice that aren't given to the military are simply sold to buy weapons.

The end result is little different from simply selling them the weapons in the first place.

Woohoo amorality.Clinton who, opposed Tahrir square, is staying consistant on her repression and death stance for uppity Arabs.

Mahhughes: Woohoo amorality.Clinton who, opposed Tahrir square, is staying consistant on her repression and death stance for uppity Arabs.

Welcome to the last 200 years of British-US hegemonic rule.

/consistEnt

Seth'n'Spectrum: Since all foreign military sales deals need State approval, she could do that.

I'm kind of wondering how the fark this deal was ITAR approved in the first place.

Oh, sure, just because Bill got a hummer now nobody else gets to enjoy one.

By the way, here's the letter.