SURPRISING TWIST
ON THE NEW DEFENSE BILL, THEY HAVE DECIDED THAT THEY ARE GOING
TO BASICALLY DEFUND, BY MERGING INTO A DIFFERENT CATEGORY, THE
THING THAT PROTECTS OUR SOLDIERS AGAINST IED'S.
IMPROVISED
EXPLOSIVE DEVICES.
WHAT?
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT KILL OUR
SOLDIERS THE MOST.
IF THE TROOPS NEED ANYTHING IN IRAQ AND SYRIA,
WHERE NOW THEY ARE BACK IN ACTION, IT WOULD BE TO PROTECT
THEM AGAINST IED'S, THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF OUR TROOPS.
WHY
WOULD YOU DEFUND THAT?
LETS GO TO THE HILL.
"A DEFENSE BILL
EXPECTED TO BE APPROVED BY THE SENATE TUESDAY WILL ELIMINATE THE
PENTAGON OFFICE IN CHARGE OF STOPPING ROADSIDE BOMBS THAT ARE
THE NUMBER ONE KILLER OF U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.
A LITTLE NOTICED PROVISION IN THE 2016 NATIONAL DEFENSE
AUTHORIZATION ACT WOULD TAKE AWAY THE JOINT IMPROVISED-THREAT
DEFEAT AGENCYíS - THE JIDA ñ INDEPENDENT STATUS, AND
SUBSUME THE OFFICE INTO AN EXISTING PENTAGON AGENCY ñ WHICH
CRITICS SAY WOULD ESSENTIALLY KILL ITS WORK IN COPING WITH
IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES.
WAIT A MINUTE, WHY WOULD YOU DO
THAT?
WE SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, YOU
DON'T HAVE A SLIVER OF THAT BUDGET FOR THE NUMBER ONE KILLER
OF OUR TROOPS?
ARE THEY LESS IMPORTANT NOW?
DO THEY USE THEM
LESS NOW?
NO, EVERY EXPERT THAT THEY HILL TALKED TO, INCLUDING A
GENERAL, SAID THAT THEY STILL USE THEM, IT'S STILL THE NUMBER ONE
THREAT.
ARMY COLONEL CURTIS BUZZARD SAID OF THE TERRORISTS,
"THAT'S KIND OF THEIR VERSION OF
A STRIKE."
WE DO AIRSTRIKES, THEY DO IED'S.
WHY ON GOD'S
GREEN EARTH WOULD YOU TAKE THAT
AWAY?
IN FACT, AN EXPERT ON THE FIELD SAYS, "IT MAKES NO SENSE,
IT MAKES NO SENSE AT THIS MOMENT.
WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK
IN THE SAME PLACE, AGAINST SOME
OF THE SAME PEOPLE.
IT'S NUTS."
LET ME EXPLAIN TO YOU WHY THEY
DID THIS.
BECAUSE THERE IS NOT GREAT MONEY FOR DEFENSE
CONTRACTORS TO MAKE IN FIGHTING AGAINST IED'S.
AIRCRAFT
CARRIERS, THERE'S GOOD MONEY IN THAT.
JETS, WE SPENT BILLIONS
UPON BILLIONS ON JETS THAT NEVER FLY.
THAT WE MAKE A TON OF MONEY
ON.
PEOPLE NEED TO GET PAID.
DEFENSE CONTRACTORS NEED TO GET
PAID.
FIGHTING IED'S, NOT VERY LUCRATIVE.
YOU CAN'T BUILD A
GIANT MACHINE TO FIGHT THE IED'S.
YOU CAN'T ROB THE
AMERICAN TAXPAYERS BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FIGHTING IED'S.
ALL YOU
DO BY FIGHTING IED'S IS SAVE TROOPíS LIVES.
WHO CARES ABOUT
THAT?
NOT GOOD MONEY IN THAT.
THIS IS THE SICK WORLD WE LIVE
IN.
ALL THE PEOPLE, THE SENATORS, THE PEOPLE WHO WANT
THIS, ALL THE ONES WHO ARE BANGING THEIR CHESTS NOW.
WE HAVE TO GO
TO WAR WITH IRAN, WE HAVE TO BOMB ISIS MORE, WE HAVE TO SEND IN
MORE TROOPS, MORE GROUND TROOPS ñ THEY'RE GOING TO GET KILLED BY
IED'S.
WHO CARES?
WHERE IS THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IíM GOING TO
WASTE ON A GIANT PIECE OF MACHINERY WE NEVER EVEN USE?
EVERYBODY IS GETTING RICH WHILE THOSE TROOPS DIE.
SUPPORT THE
TROOPS.
SPARE ME YOUR RIBBONS,
SPARE ME YOUR POLITICAL RHETORIC YOU HACK.
YOU DON'T GIVE A DAMN
ABOUT THE TROOPS.
YOU SENT THEM INTO HARM'S WAY IN IRAQ WHEN THE
COUNTRY DIDN'T ATTACK US.
5000 TROOPS GOT KILLED THERE,
BASICALLY.
FOR WHAT?
WE'RE STILL IN THE SAME MESS, AND NOW WE
HAVE CREATED AN EVEN BIGGER
MONSTER IN ISIS.
NOW YOU ARE GOING TO SEND THEM IN AGAIN AND
NOT EVEN DEFEND THEM AGAINST THE IED'S BECAUSE IS NOT GOOD
PROFIT.
YOU SICKEN ME.
THE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT THE TROOPS
ARE THE ONES WHO WANT TO SPARE
THEIR LIVES, MAKE SURE THAT THEY DON'T GO FIGHT IN SENSELESS WARS,
AND MAKE SURE THAT IF THEY ARE FIGHTING THOSE WARS THEY ARE
PROTECTED.
WE CARE ABOUT THE TROOPS, YOU USE THEM AS A
POLITICAL PUNCHLINE.
YOU DISGUST
ME.