Argentina Bars US Transport During Bush Tour

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

Argentina barred U.S. C-5 Galaxy transport aircraft from landing or overflying during a Latin American tour by President Bush.
Tekst:Reuters

"This is really a slap in the face to your America's air force," Michael Wynne, the service's top civilian, told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee weighing the air force's $110.7 billion fiscal 2008 budget request.

The C-5 fleet is built by Lockheed Martin Corp. , the Pentagon's biggest supplier. Designed to carry outsize and oversize cargo, it is one of the world's largest aircraft and the backbone of strategic airlift in every U.S. war from Vietnam through the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Bush toured Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico from March 8 to 14. It was not immediately clear why Washington sought landing rights in Argentina as part of the trip. The C-5 is sometimes used to ferry bulletproof limousines and other heavy cargo during White House missions.
(snip)

Subcommittee chairman Sen. Daniel Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii, referred to Argentina's reported rebuff of the C-5 as "stunning news" suggesting the Air Force was increasingly decrepit.

Objavljeno: 21.03.2007. u 21:35h


Read more: http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=28541

[aquart]

1. `They're kicking sand in our face.

And we earned it.

[PaulaFarrell]

4. This is more about the planes themselves

According to the article, the last time these planes were in Argentina, they 'all broke and they could not leave'. Still, at least they assereted their authority over their own airspace, but the Air Force is using this story as an excuse to justify their budget - need new planes because ours are old and decrepit.

[tom_paine]

2. I never thought I would say this, I never thught that our beautiful nation would travel the dark

path to Totalitarianianism (we still might turn it around, and there is currently hope that enough remains of the Old American System to at least survive for one more generation before George P. Bush come along and finishes it off a few decades from now), but I must say I admire the Argentinians for slapping our face like that.

There was a time when I wouild have said, "Fuck them!" and meant it. Honestly, I hope our nation becomes the nation it was before th Stolen Election of 2000 and even better, so that unabashed loyalty to the nation does not conflict with reason and conscience.

[Hieronymus]

3. Good for Argentina for asserting their authority.

[Judi Lynn]

5. You may remember this great moment of Bush achievement, in his trip to England:

23 November 2003
GROUND FARCE 1
Queen's fury as Bush goons wreck garden
Exclusive By Terry O'Hanlon

THE Queen is furious with President George W. Bush after his state visit caused thousands of pounds of damage to her gardens at Buckingham Palace.

Royal officials are now in touch with the Queen's insurers and Prime Minister Tony Blair to find out who will pick up the massive repair bill. Palace staff said they had never seen the Queen so angry as when she saw how her perfectly-mantained lawns had been churned up after being turned into helipads with three giant H landing markings for the Bush visit.

The rotors of the President's Marine Force One helicopter and two support Black Hawks damaged trees and shrubs that had survived since Queen Victoria's reign. And Bush's army of clod-hopping security service men trampled more precious and exotic plants.

The Queen's own flock of flamingoes, which security staff insisted should be moved in case they flew into the helicopter rotors, are thought to be so traumatised after being taken to a "place of safety" that they might never return home.

The historic fabric of the Palace was also damaged as high-tech links were fitted for the US leader and his entourage during his three-day stay with the Queen.

The Palace's head gardener, Mark Lane, was reported to be in tears when he saw the scale of the damage."The Queen has every right to feel insulted at the way she has been treated by Bush," said a Palace insider.
(snip/...)

http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/content_objectid=13652625_method=full_siteid=106694_headline=-GROUND-FARCE-1-name_page.htmlhttp:/www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/content_objectid=13652625_method=full_siteid=106694_headline=-GROUND-FARCE-1-name_page.html

[sutz12]

7. Funny how none of that made it to our 'liberal' press. nt

[Judi Lynn]

9. It surely IS! Makes you wonder how much more we never hear, doesn't it? n/t

[Peace Patriot]

6. It's not the Air Force that is decrepit. It's the Bush Junta and the "military-industrial complex"

that are decrepit. Combined they are like a blood-sucking, walking-dead corpse, draining the life out of our country. Unfortunately, Inouye has always supported this democracy-destroying, aggressive military machine, and voted for its egregious misuse by the Bush Junta. I remember Inouye's and other Democrats' "winks and nods" at the bad boys of Iran-Contra, and their protection of Reagan, who was presiding over the slaughter of tens of thousands of Latin American peasants, leftists, and union and community organizers. That's when our party went over to the dark side--when they failed to hold the president to account for the horror in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and other Latin countries--and the outright defiance of Congress on the war on Nicaragua--and failed to stop--and, in some cases, enthusiastically supported the tax code re-write--killing the progressive tax, and creating the first tax cut for the rich in what came to be known as the "era of greed." Now the fascists are so out-of-control that it's a grave question whether or not we can get our country back. Democrats like Inouye want to ignore everything that the Bush Junta has done, and is doing, and go back to those heyday porkbarrel days, when there was still a federal budget to loot--and there was still a prosperous middle class and an aspiring poor class to pay for this humongous military machine.

Also, leave it to Inouye to ignore the message from South America that "we don't want your stinking president," and use that message to promote more pork--including AF planes big enough to cart our dictator's bulletproof limo around the world, and to haul troops to his latest war of choice on behalf of his corporate masters.

The whole thing is sick beyond belief--sick and dying. And Inouye and many other War Democrats do not seem to understand that. They are nearly as removed from reality as Bush and Cheney are.

[rocktivity]

8. It may be America's Air FORCE

but it's Argentina's air SPACE!

:headbang:
rocknation