Exit Strategies in the Real World

[SuperScout]

Remember when Puerto Rico was raising hell about the US Navy using that nothing little island just off the coast of Puerto Rico for bombing practices, which they had used for the past 75 years? Demonstrations were held, Hollywood left wingers, Al Sharpton, and his fellow demagogues went down there to demonstrate to get the Navy out. I am sure it infuriated you just as it did me at the time.

Well, here is our revenge. Always be careful what you ask for, you just may get it! One of the many headaches that the U.S. has had was the Puerto Rican Island of Vieques. In the waning years of the Clinton Administration, protesters demanded that the US Navy abandon bombing and naval gun fire exercises that
had taken place on the largely uninhabited island for nearly seventy years. Liberal icons bumped into one another to fly to Puerto Rico, boat over to the island, trespass (but never on a day that there was an exercise scheduled) and get arrested for the benefit of The New York Times or Newsweek. They included the:
Reverend Al Sharpton, Mrs. Jesse Jackson, Joan Baez, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Edward Olmos, Michael Moore and Ramsey Clark, just to name a few.

In 2002, the bombing exercises were transferred to an Air Force bombing range in central Florida, not far from the Jacksonville and Pensacola Naval Air Stations. In January, many of the protesters were back in Puerto Rico, celebrating the final bombing exercise on Vieques and waved Puerto Rican flags and placards that read: "U.S. Navy, get out of Puerto Rico." The following Feb, Rumsfeld announced that the U. S. Navy will close the Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in Puerto Rico in 2004, eliminating 1200
civilian jobs as well as 700 military positions. This naval facility is
estimated to have put nearly $300 million annually into the local economy. he next day a stunned Governor Sila Calderon, held a news conference in San Juan, protesting the base closure as a serious blow to the Commonwealth's fragile economy. The governor stated that "The people of Puerto Rico don't now or never did have an interest in closing the Vieques bombing range or the Roosevelt Roads naval base. We are interested in both
staying in Puerto Rico."

When asked, the Commander-in Chief, Western Atlantic Command, said, "Without Vieques, I see no further need for the
facility at Roosevelt Roads. None."

So, Yanqui go home? Fine. But we'll take our dollars with us. "Hasta la vista, baby!"

On February 21, the Secretary of Defense also announced that starting this year, the U.S. European Command would begin moving most if not all of its active combat and support units from bases in Germany to others being established in Poland, The Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey to "better position them for rapid deployment to likely hot spots in those parts of the world."
Immediately the business and government leaders in the German states of Hesse, Rhineland and Wurttemburg, protested the loss
of nearly $6 Billion in revenue each year from the bases and manpower to be displaced. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry speculated that the move may be "what the Americans call 'payback' for the actions of this government in opposing Military action in Iraq."

Does anyone know the German translation for "Hasta la vista, baby?"

Oh, ain't it nice to see a government with guts and a good memory?
GOD BLESS AMERICA

[reconeil]

Thanks for the good news.

Neil

[Seascamp]

More appropriately, the expression should go something like, ?Be careful what you ask for in the name of other people for THEY might get it?. It?s an easy thing to be demanding when there is nothing on the line and there are no consequences. It's worse to keep silent when others use you as cannon fodder for an agenda. And it's even worse to be ignored by the media whilst others are jerking yer life around.

Scamp

[39mto39g]

It would be much more effective if our government came out and said, YES, this is why we are pulling out, You don't want us Seeee Ya. You don't stand with us when we need you , seeeee ya.
Anyone else out there that is getting United States $, Listen up, you don't help us , we don't help you. And By the way, We don't need you.

Ron

[Jerry D]

Amen to that

[SuperScout]

In so many more subtle ways, the recent actions of the DoD is exactly what your are calling for! To his everlasting credit, Donald Rumsfled has taken off the gloves, and told our former parasitic part-time allies to shove their candy-ass attitudes up their respective rectal orificies.

Now that unemployment and other economic negatives have befallen those areas, I wonder if the concerned leftists will pitch in and help provide benefits to the downtrodden. When a lavender pig flys, the leftists will assist!

[Seascamp]

There is a very intriguing business trend in Western Europe as many an American Company is slashing operations to bare-bone and moving the balance of business operations to places like Bucharest, Hungary. There, locals are hired, the enormous cost of doing business is cut significantly, the people are very friendly, exceptionally well educated, talented and good to go. For eons, various European Government Agencies have been muscling each other out of the way to get the biggest slice of American pie via backbreaking taxation. Well, mercy, looks as if the pie isn?t coming to dinner anymore, imagine that, eh. Sounds good to me as I had my plate full of European red-breasted, sap sucking, fukguu birds long ago. Hey, figure it out EU folks. Remember preschool and the lessons about not biting or kicking, lest someone bite or kick back, hmmm? Sorry about the pie, eh.

Scamp