Post: #1

I know there are 1 million threads about Muslims on the RVF, but this one is only about Muslims incidentally. The real story is rather, "Why are so many Muslims running around with weapons and bombs everywhere?"

Now we have some idea:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-23...aeda-hands

The USA somehow "misplaced" half a billion dollars in Yemen, which "incidentally" is a hotbed for terrorist activity. Here is the "stuff" that cannot be found:





This reminds me of Byzantine history. Justinian the Great, in order to appease raiding barbarians along his borders, would pay them off with huge helpings of riches to sue for peace. But all the barbarians would do is take the money to train more troops and then raid even further into Byzantine territory, and so Justinian would then offer more riches in exchange for peace. For those who do not know history, Justinian ended up losing more territory than any other Byzantine Emperor after his death.

Meanwhile, the USA continues to "supply" these Middle Eastern countries in order to "fight terrorism" which then mysteriously is "unaccounted for." Amazing at how decrepit empires repeat history so well?

Oh well, the big corporations who get the checks to make the equipment aren't complaining, I'm sure.

How the US Gov tries to dismiss this:

Quote:Although the loss of weapons and equipment already delivered to Yemen would be embarrassing, U.S. officials said it would be unlikely to alter the military balance of power there. Yemen is estimated to have the second-highest gun ownership rate in the world, ranking behind only the United States, and its bazaars are well stocked with heavy weaponry. Moreover, the U.S. government restricted its lethal aid to small firearms and ammunition, brushing aside Yemeni requests for fighter jets and tanks.

Truly outrageous. The Federal Government has lost all right to govern in my opinion.

Post: #2

Yemen is beautiful.

Before the government fell, the past couple years you could actually tour yemen and the yemen government would provide you with a couple security guards and show you around parts of the country. Even Socotra island.

Its a shame we'll never be able to tour these places








But yes, the US government is grossly incompetant in most everything it does with tax money

Post: #3

Do you really think the military lost that stuff? Kind of like how high school kids lose $20 on the sidewalk right next to where another guy lost a small bag of drugs. Only this was a gift.

Post: #4

They don't really care that much about "losing" arms and equipment. They spread around riches and weapons like there's no tomorrow. Because for them, there is no tomorrow.

If they lose some stuff, they just write it off, clip the government or the taxpayer, and sell more at inflated prices. This is all about profiteering. They care about making money, not in the good of the country.

The real question is why do we continue to intervene in places where we have no business.

Post: #5

The night vision stuff is worrying but the rest of it is just sorta blah. If I were in the ME I'd take a Kalashnikov over an M4.

Anyway, do they know how to fly those aircraft?

Post: #6

It's the Middle Eastern version of Operation Fast and Furious

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

Post: #7

Relevant part starts at 2:15.



It is always distressing to me how we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. Arm someone, realize that they are bad, arm someone else to take them out, the repeat every seven years or so.

Post: #8

(03-23-2015 07:34 PM)Quintus Curtius Wrote:  They don't really care that much about "losing" arms and equipment. They spread around riches and weapons like there's no tomorrow. Because for them, there is no tomorrow.

If they lose some stuff, they just write it off, clip the government or the taxpayer, and sell more at inflated prices. This is all about profiteering. They care about making money, not in the good of the country.

The real question is why do we continue to intervene in places where we have no business.

Quintus, well spoken.

I previously believed our nation's many mistakes in such foreign interventions were based off poor judgement.

I now believe that it is because it is profitable, for some, to do so. To them, it is no mistake.

Post: #9

(03-23-2015 07:34 PM)Quintus Curtius Wrote:  They don't really care that much about "losing" arms and equipment. They spread around riches and weapons like there's no tomorrow. Because for them, there is no tomorrow.

If they lose some stuff, they just write it off, clip the government or the taxpayer, and sell more at inflated prices. This is all about profiteering. They care about making money, not in the good of the country.

The real question is why do we continue to intervene in places where we have no business.

Post: #10

Hehe - gross incompetence - yeah right:

   

Gladly for them they created ISIS and ISIL and other crap so that the US military could gladly support the same AL-CIAida who was responsible for 9/11.

There is only so much propaganda that the boys can take.

Now that is no hate against soldiers. But forget all thoughts of patriotism and honor - you are working for an evil empire similar to a drug cartel. If you have no problem with that, then fine. And frankly - nowadays almost all areas are evil, so personally I see no problem with that. Serve a few years, then go private or get a lush job at home in the police force. It's a solid career now.

By the way - 500 mio. $ is just the tip of the iceberg.

Post: #11

Most likely scenarios are someone sold off that shit on their own, or it got ripped off in storage or transport, or a combination of the above.

We used to get empty conexes and all sorts of shit ripped off by Iraqi's, Pakistani's, Afghan's, etc.

Plus, we had a whole bunch of 'allied' nations taking US equipment and giving/selling to host nations, for money, friendship, or whatever. Which lead to a lot of bullshit, backstabbing politics as people couldn't just say these guys were out and out douchebags because of wider geopolitical concerns, where we have to pretend that they meet American standards of respect because of where their countries are on a map and the demographics in it.

You have to pay the graft expense whether you specifically engage in it or try to get rid of it, because there is always going to be a lot of shady mofo's trying to get a piece of such of large pie.

That fact that people are even upset about it shows that the US tends to maintain one of the higher standards of trustworthiness and transparency in the world.

Post: #12

Quote:The USA somehow "misplaced" half a billion dollars in Yemen, which "incidentally" is a hotbed for terrorist activity. Here is the "stuff" that cannot be found:

It's likely being put to good use against the billions of dollars of shit Iran is pumping into the country through the Houthi rebels. It's easy to pick on the U.S. for "misplaced" equipment and poor decision making when the Russians, Iranians, and Saudis aren't under the microscope.

I don't even know what the point is discussing these things. Critical information is kept secret, the other key players (much more involved than we are) are given a free pass, and the U.S. will be blamed anyway because it's just the fashionable thing to do.

Post: #13

In Iraq, we were giving out Glocks to every man, woman and child there and delivering pallets of AK-47 and 9mm ammunition to dubious Iraqi security forces. I had a Glock for awhile, could have kept it - there was no accountability.

The police we gave the Glocks to often sold them, even to militias, terrorists and criminals. There was no accountability in the Iraqi system, either: those guys weren't even fired.

Good for Glock USA in Smyrna, Georgia, though, they must have made a lot of money.

James Risen's new book, Pay Any Price: Greed, Power and Endless War looks like the book to read:



Interview of James Risen by Glenn Greenwald

(03-24-2015 05:03 AM)Blick Mang Wrote:  

Quote:The USA somehow "misplaced" half a billion dollars in Yemen, which "incidentally" is a hotbed for terrorist activity. Here is the "stuff" that cannot be found:

It's likely being put to good use against the billions of dollars of shit Iran is pumping into the country through the Houthi rebels. It's easy to pick on the U.S. for "misplaced" equipment and poor decision making when the Russians, Iranians, and Saudis aren't under the microscope.

I don't even know what the point is discussing these things. Critical information is kept secret, the other key players (much more involved than we are) are given a free pass, and the U.S. will be blamed anyway because it's just the fashionable thing to do.

I hope the Houthis got it. They might be the good guys, fighting Al Qaeda. For example, the murderous Al Qaeda just killed hundreds in bombings in Houthi mosques.

Whatever the Shia militias did in Iraq, they were not as bad in murdering innocent people in Iraq as Al Qaeda / the Sunni insurgents were.

This is by a former US Defense Attache in Yemen about the Houthis:

http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_sempe...uthis.html

Quote:The Houthi descendants of my old acquaintances are not servants of Iran. They are not dangerous to Western interests. They are dangerous to AQAP. Get it? Salih will return. pl

Post: #14

There is nobody in Yemen to prop up anymore. It's a free for all. Somalia is in better shape if you can belive that. As long as the oil and shipping routes are safe we can let them kill each other. Then we either make a deal with, or kill whoever is left. No more nation building. Counting the days until we have someone like John Bolton as head of the State Department. We had no business dicking with Lybia, Egypt, or Syria. And should have stayed in Iraq. After trying to oust Assad we're now left hoping he holds on. What an fiasco.

Post: #15

I read awhile back that Yemen is running out of oil, which accounts for 75% of its revenues. It's also running out of water. The boom that coincided with oil production raised the population far above what it traditionally had.

I also read recently that Saudi Arabia was building a wall around Yemen. To keep out terrorists and refugees.