International, Military, Politics

Campaign Against Islamic State Now Tops $1 Billion

Flag_of_the_Islamic_State.svg220px-Predator_and_HellfireWe have been discussing the trillions of dollars spent on Iraq and Afghanistan while we cut environmental, scientific, and educational programs on the state and federal levels. Now, we are only a couple of weeks into the newest war against Islamic State but we have already spent an estimated $1.1 billion. Of course, President Obama has stated that he does not require any congressional approval for the war, which has been described by his Administration as having an indefinite duration. In the meantime, our latest war has been a bonanza for weapons manufacturers, including a $251 million deal to buy more Tomahawks from Raytheon Co after we unloaded on the Islamic State.

While it has certainly helped domestically as a political matter, the air campaign does not appear to have made much a difference as a military matter. The Islamic State has continued to gain ground against opposing forces. In the meantime, we are using enormously expensive missiles like the Tomahawk which cost more than $1.5 million each. We unloaded almost 50 Tomahawks and other missiles at a cost of $62 million alone. The sight of such missiles taking out our own Humvees and relatively small targets leaves many scratching their heads about the logic of the campaign.

The cost currently is estimated at about $10 million a day. Of course, my children are going to classes with 35-40 kids in a class because Fairfax cannot hire more teachers and our bridges are increasingly being found to be dangerous for lack of repairs. However, like a MasterCard commercial, the political value of news images of buildings or Humvees exploding is priceless during an election year.

Source: Yahoo

186 thoughts on “Campaign Against Islamic State Now Tops $1 Billion”

  1. If the defense industry is robbing us blind and killing thousands of people around the world, why don’t we just let them hold us hostage and pay them anyway to not kill thousands of people?? Don’t we have enough piles of blow-up stuff??? Is anyone going to figure this out????

    1. slohrss29 finally – someone who agrees with me –

      And I have agreed with every comment you made on this thread 🙂

      To compare ISIS to the Nazi war machine is like… well… you tell me??? That is ridiculous. And yes, Kurds want their own country? So what?? General Lee wanted his own country and I don’t think he got a warm response. There is no credible argument to be made over there. It’s just a blender of circumstances at this point. Whoever we support today we’ll be at war with tomorrow, you can bet your hat on that.

      It is ridiculous to compare Ignorant Terrorists to the Polished War Machine Hitler had going. It blows my mind. I have an ongoing argument here on this. But we shall see. I think the Media has this blown out of proportion. When they threatened Social Network like Twitter and Facebook of the Military Families I thought that was a bit much.

  4. People here often complain that the rich should pay more in taxes – however, I must remind those interested that can only be accomplished by reworking the tax code. At present, we tax mostly income – which is predominantly earned by the middle class. The rich make their money by price appreciation of their holdings & obtain pocket money from low interest debt, 501C3 parties, etc.

  6. “We have not had a War Declaration since the next day when one was issued.”

    There are MANY things we haven’t demanded government do (or not do) for several generations now and look how well things are turning out.

    And they all lived happily ever after. THE END!

  12. KEY DEMOCRATS, LED BY HILLARY CLINTON, LEAVE NO DOUBT THAT ENDLESS WAR IS OFFICIAL U.S. DOCTRINE
    https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/10/07/key-democrats-led-hillary-clinton-leave-doubt-endless-war-u-s-doctrine/

    Long before Americans were introduced to the new 9/11 era super-villains called ISIS and Khorasan, senior Obama officials were openly and explicitly stating that America’s “war on terror,” already 12 years old, would last at least another decade. At first, they injected these decrees only anonymously; in late 2012, The Washington Post – disclosing the administration’s secret creation of a “disposition matrix” to decide who should be killed, imprisoned without charges, or otherwise “disposed” of – reported these remarkable facts:

    Among senior Obama administration officials, there is a broad consensus that such operations are likely to be extended at least another decade. Given the way al-Qaida continues to metastasize, some officials said no clear end is in sight. . . . That timeline suggests that the United States has reached only the midpoint of what was once known as the global war on terrorism.”

    (continued)

  14. Beldar here. We do not need a Declaratin of War like JT suggests. The authorization for use of force has been shown in the Congressional acts laid out by Eric and by Art. I, Sec 8 of the Constitution which gives Congress authority to go after pirates on land and on sea. That Klaus, as articulated daily on here by a Dog and ignored by JT is not the same klaus as the Sintur Klaus or the Declaration of War Clause. Read the entire Art. I, Sec 8 laid out by the dog the other day. So what we have is an authorized war on terror without the nation state clause being required. War on Drugs, War on Terror, a bit of a mis name. You folks who think that ISIS is a true nation state can ask your Congressman for a Declaration of War under the War clause. December 7, 1941 is a day which will live in Infamy. We have not had a War Declaration since the next day when one was issued. None for Korea, Nam, and all the middle east and Afghanistan.

  15. Eric,
    I apologize if I wasn’t clear; I wasn’t asking you to repeat your defense against the claims made by the Professor. I have no doubt you could do that in your sleep.

    I see JT’s concern emanating from the view that the consolidation of power into the Executive branch exposes the nation to the character of only one person. The character of an unchecked President will permeate the agencies under his control and we see how that has manifested itself through the IRS, NSA, VA, EPA, FCC, AG, and so on. I believe we tend to feel it more on domestic policy but when foreign policy failures overwhelm the domestic debate then this is no longer just an issue of ideology but rather an indictment on the unbalanced structure that has been allowed to develop.

    I read Professor Turley’s concern as that we have allowed the creation of essentially a fourth branch of government that is not accountable to anyone other than the leader of the Executive branch. This is not sustainable. I wonder if James Garfield even saw this coming:

    “Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature…

    If the next centennial does not find us a great nation…it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.” – James Garfield 1877

  17. Yeah, Mussolini laughed at Hitler. Thought he was an upstart. Ooooops. I’ll stick to it, “camel-riding advanced arms opportunists DOES NOT EQUAL the Nazi war machine. They are, hmmm… camel-riding advanced arms opportunist terrorists in someone else’s backyard. ISIS in Canaja or Mexicada–we have a problem. ISIS in Detroit?? How would we find them? We have enough problems here.

  18. And why were we so late to WWII? Do you mean was FDR laughing at Churchill? What was Lend Lease? Is ISIS like Germany?

  19. Churchill read Mein Kampf early on in Hitler’s reign. I’m not certain any other leaders did. We almost confronted Hitler too late. He was laughed @ by most everyone, until it was clear he was no one to be laughed at. I was raised you don’t make the same mistake twice. A real leader would look @ history and crush ISIS NOW, when it is not as difficult as it will be down the road. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

  20. Nick,

    I am so terribly sorry. Please forgive me. We ARE unworthy. Please, please, please don’t deny us your years of study and insightful critical analysis.

    Humbly submitted,

    The Chinamen

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