While You Sleep (3)
Friday, 14 June 2002
By agitprop
AH, AFGHANISTAN! AN IMPOVERISHED BOMBSITE ONE DAY, AN IMPOVERISHED BOMBSITE THE NEXT!
While Afghanistan's warring factions haggle over the spoils of the latest war in their devastated land - and the opium trade gears up again after years of Taliban suppression - I offer a brief review of Australia's expenditure on this US military adventure. PRIME MINIATURE, PRIME SINISTER!
Having previously insisted that the cost of Australia's military role in the US war against open and accountable democracy (sorry, "war on terrorism") could be absorbed within the (then) current military budget, our brown-nosing Prime Miniature has admitted an additional allocation of $343 million this year (Feb 2002)
Bulldog Johhny has allocated almost $1 billion in extra defence spending, on top of the money already cited in its dodgy 10-year defence plan.
HOW MUCH FOR A DEAD PASHTUN?
The Federal Budget reveals expenditure on the war in Afghanistan will increase by a further $198 million, in addition to the $330 million announced after the election.
One of the big ticket items is $420 million to establish a second "Defence Force Tactical Assault Group" on the eastern seaboard -replicating the one that already exists in Western Australia (May 2002).
All these figures will obviously blow out again.
These cost, are – naturally – all to be borne by those areas least able to sustain further budget cuts: the unemployed, the disabled and disadvantaged, public schools and hospitals.
THEY'RE ALL CUNTS IN CANBERRA!
Improving social infrastructure and the welfare of the those of us on the bottom end of the economic food chain have always been irrelevant matters to this government of greedy millionares FOR greedy millionares.
The Labor Opposition's pathetic lack of rock-solid opposition on these fundamental issues is a bloody disgrace. There's little difference these daze between a cowardly right-wing Labor Party and a mean and tricky Liberal Party. Fuck 'em all!
PRESIDUNCE BUSH CAN'T BELIEVE HIS LUCK!
According to the Congressional Budget Office , the latest US military adventure in Afghanistan (as opposed to its previous one when it set up the mudjahadeen and Osama bin Laden) will cost $US7.9 billion ($A14.7 billion) this fiscal year(May 2002).
George the Smaller and his oil-drilling minders no doubt reckon that's cheap at twice the price if it can save his corrupt presiduncy from going down the great ENRON gurgler.
ALAS, AFGHANISTAN! THE DAMAGE DONE
Rebuilding war-ravaged Afghanistan will cost $US15 billion over a decade, according to a report released by the iniquitous World Bank, UN Development Program and Asian Development Bank. (Jan 2002)
BOMBS THEN AID?
Presidunce Bush has "pledged" $US2 billion in aid ($A 3.9 billion) to help "rebuild" Afghanistan.
Compared with about $US8 billion - and rising - in blowing the shit out of the place!
The Aussie contribution is one of Alexander Downer's old evening dresses.
Evil begets evil and what goes around comes around...
