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U.S. gives Israel another $30,000,000,000

news.bbc.co.uk — US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns has signed a deal that will provide Israel with $30bn (£14.8bn) of military aid over the next 10 years.

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  • rolandde, on 10/10/2007, -17/+112That is exactly how you stabilize a war torn region.
    • spoiled1, on 10/10/2007, -10/+46/sarcasm
      • CiXeL, on 10/10/2007, -8/+40our economy wont last another 10 years
        • DavidBGie, on 10/10/2007, -25/+8Don't worry, the Democrats are going to lose the election.
          • 15thPD, on 10/10/2007, -13/+6I sure as hell hope so David.
          • soomprimal, on 10/10/2007, -1/+19It won't make a difference which party's in power. The Republicans are the ones spending a trillion dollars on corporate-feeding wars.
        • ravamp3, on 10/10/2007, -22/+4you redneck jew.
          • badjoke, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Buried for there being no such thing.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -8/+2Because we are giving to 0.02% of our GDP to Israel? I don't think so.
        • coviecarbine, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8wpi97
          Our national debt is 9 trillion dollars that is ~75% of our Gross Domestic Product. Our economy will collapse when foreign lenders stop lending.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Actually our net debt is a bit over $5 trillion http://zfacts.com/p/461.html
          In any case $30 billion over 10 years is a drop in the bucket. $3 billion a year is 0.1% of the total US federal budget. Why don't you complain about how the other 99.9% is spent?
        • kakti, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Because this 0.1% is totally unnecessary, doesn't help our failing infrastructure, schools, etc. This money could be spent to help America, since it is afterall, paid for by Americans
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I could argue about why this 0.1% is necessary, but let me ask you this: is all of the other 99.9% necessary?
    • geekee, on 10/10/2007, -38/+7You prefer genocide?
      • Randinn, on 10/10/2007, -5/+25What are you babbling about?
      • funkmasheen, on 10/10/2007, -26/+3This is Digg. You MUST support the terrorists!
      • alciadanet, on 10/10/2007, -11/+2You prefer suicide?
      • caferrell, on 10/10/2007, -5/+27Who is going to commit genocide? Israel on the Palestinians?
      • tsalti, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5It's already happening.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -11/+4And that is why the Palestinian population keeps growing. It is all a result of genocide.
    • Quaterni0n, on 10/10/2007, -5/+23Yes! More weapons! Need more weapons!
    • theoallardyce, on 10/10/2007, -4/+12I love how America gives stuff to both Israel and Saudi Arabia - and especially how both Saudi and Israel pay America back.
      • CiXeL, on 10/10/2007, -7/+6our government has been hijacked by them. theyre basically paying themselves not not all at once so it isnt completely obvious.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Wait, so the US government is hijacked by both the Israelis and the Saudis? That's a new one!
      • Daiken, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11America doesn't GIVE anything to Saudi Arabia. They SELL stuff to Saudi Arabia. America sells BETTER things to Israel, but America GIVES Israel the money to buy those things.
        • n0gnuz, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1"America doesn't GIVE anything to Saudi Arabia. They SELL stuff to Saudi Arabia. America sells BETTER things to Israel, but America GIVES Israel the money to buy those things."

          That's the salient point here: Israel soaks American taxpayers for billions of dollars per year, then not only SPIES against American and VIOLATES American laws, but expects Americans to fight Israel's battles...and all of this bloody goodness is brought to you courtesy of the Israel Lobby, Israel's fifth column within the United States. As long as ethnic elites, particularly those loyal to foreign nations or multinational movements, continue to draw up America's foreign policy, there will never be peace, and we will never be safe.
    • jayuu22, on 10/10/2007, -6/+1America was giving aid to taliban (afghan) to get rid of russia from there. Now they are using same weapon against USA. Now America gives aid to Pakistan, let's see when they will start same game again....
    • RRJackson, on 10/10/2007, -2/+7By arming an unpopular minority to the teeth? We better ship some nukes to the French Canadians next, if this is our criteria for stabilization. ;-)
      • MrNexus, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0Quebec will separate the ***** out of the rest of Canada. I kid, I kid.
    • quarkie, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I don't think its another $30 billion... I'm pretty sure its the same amount that was talked about a week ago.
      "The US announced multi-billion-dollar arms deals with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and other Gulf states last month."

      If this was another one they would have mentioned it.
    • annenk38, on 10/10/2007, -8/+5$30B won't do much either. IDF is just not the same army that kicked ass in the 6-day war. Hezbollah just whipped them silly with nothing but Kalashnikovs and RPG's. An army that is not willing to take risks will always be defeated by the one that is.
      • parasitewasp, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5"Hezbollah just whipped them silly"....If I recall Israel's borders didn't change, Lebanon was bombed flat, and UN peacekeepers are stationed between the IDF and Hezbollah. What did Israel lose? If anything Hezbollah lost political clout and wasted a lot of rockets burning down forests.
        • Xanadude, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4"What did Israel lose?"

          The moral high ground, any credibility it had left, and its soul. Other than that, you're right, they didn't lose a thing.
        • Kratisto, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Too bad none of those things carry political influence, eh?
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Israel lost moral high ground and credibility by responding to a cross-border raid and missile attacks?
    • themastersb, on 10/10/2007, -0/+12I don't understand how money can literally spent without having it in the first place.
      • alwilson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11Easy, borrow it from China and let the next generation worry about paying it back.
      • p0tent1al, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Or, print money, WHENEVER you need to. Let's say you need to pay the mortgage or the rent? Don't have any money? Just print it! That is basically what the government is doing right now, which makes the american dollar plummet and make it worth 30 cents, which causes inflation, and which in turn causes a depression, which is exactly what is going to happen anyday now. Get prepared people.
        • nihilite, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Yes! Water, generators and guns! and tin foil! (for hats)
    • tybris, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8The war is not meant to be won, but it is meant to be continuous. - George Orwell in 1984
    • samak, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Another reason to love Jews.
  • hipishake, on 10/10/2007, -7/+58so i guess it really is heading for peace , aint it?
    • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -2/+32Well, with THAT amount of money they should be able to get quite a few washers and screws and maybe even a hammer. Oh wait--that's the US.
  • Waiting2awake, on 10/10/2007, -11/+108Shocked? Anyone? Anyone at all?

    Must make those Americans barely scrapping by feel good to know...
    • miriclaire, on 10/10/2007, -8/+71Not shocked: sickened. And I'm Canadian, but I do feel for my neighbours, and see the horrible misuse of this money when your own poor and sick are neglected. Sickening.
      • zman14321, on 10/10/2007, -8/+37Thank you, this country is getting to the point where i'm not sure if is a good place to stay
        • alciadanet, on 10/10/2007, -22/+4Do you think it's better somewhere else? Where?
          • nick111, on 10/10/2007, -2/+19Anywhere in the whole of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada would be a good start.
          • GhostCow, on 10/10/2007, -3/+16Switzerland
          • dinostabOMG, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14Telling that you can't even begin to conceive that there might be anything at all better than the good ol' USA.
          • Kratisto, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4All of Western Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Puerto Rico, etc...
    • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -31/+3How about de-funding things like support for the arts? I'd rather my money go to Katrina victims or the poor than to "art" like the crucifix in piss piece. Oh the Left supports that so that's okay, sorry I'm a bit confused.
      • dinostabOMG, on 10/10/2007, -4/+27I can tell you're confused. The Piss Christ thing was what, 20 years ago now? Meanwhile we're bleeding billions upon billions to Iraq and Israel, and you think the problem is arts funding. Yeah, "confused" about sums it up.
        • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -18/+2Thanks for clearly illustrating my point of how truly clueless the Left is.
        • DaffyDuck, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8OffPiste, the valid point dinostab was getting at is that arts funding amounts to a single tear in an ocean of water. It's a negligibly small percentage of the budget and would have little to no effect.
      • Vermifax, on 10/10/2007, -3/+17You're kind of a "Oil-For-NASCAR" type of ellow, aintcha?
      • Kratisto, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Maybe you'd rather live in a bleak, silent box.
    • phlebitis, on 10/10/2007, -10/+30Israel doesn't need that help. They seem do be doing alright militarily. Raids in the Gaza Strip... recreational bombing runs in Lebanon... They are already far ahead of the rest of the region and indeed much of the world.
      • mistarojaz, on 10/10/2007, -9/+18...because of the support from the US
        • Randinn, on 10/10/2007, -5/+28Please, their per capita income is higher than most of the US, the don't need our money, they want it yes..
          • pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -5/+23it's easy to have a high per capita income when you are a welfare state that gets billions in forgivable loans and weapons from the US.
          • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3Israel currently get 3 billion per year from the US. This is equal to 1.8% of Israeli GDP. Welfare state indeed!
    • Gryffydd, on 10/10/2007, -11/+11I don't think the government should be giving this money to Israel, but then I also don't think the government should be giving it to those "Barely scrapping [sic] by" either. They should have just never taken it away from the Americans who *earned* it.
    • Vicujozobenaxod, on 10/10/2007, -22/+2It does. I would rather money go toward America's allies and not to deadbeats and illegal immigrants through social programs, thank you.

      Also, if you aren't in America or Israel and are commenting on this, you really have no clue or business saying anything. The lot of countries are also deadbeats that don't care about anyone but themselves.
      • CheshireCat, on 10/10/2007, -3/+10Shut the ***** up.
      • raisputin3, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14You sir, are an idiot
      • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -6/+2Said the man with the Hizzbaleh flag on his icon.
      • Randinn, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3I'm an American and we've propped up other countries enough thank you, I'll be shocked when I see the government actually help the country.... Of course I'll be called anti-Semitic and not patriotic for this....
      • Trublmakr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Actually, Canada subscribes to the notion of common security - globally - so deal with it,.. anyone on digg can comment wherever the hell they want to. When the health of the US economy is uncomfortably linked to our own, When the US is allocating more of it's wealth to Israel than to it's own hurricane victims, when they neglect their crumbling infrastructure putting their own lives in danger crossing a bridge, when they let their own poor elderly and chronically ill suffer without relief, when quality of education is in steady decline and corporate America is robbing the pensions if it's children while polluting our shared environment,.. hell yeah it's our damn business.

        It's actually an OBLIGATION for Canadians - (real) friends to America, to drive our hammered buddy home from the bar and help him sober up enough change a pattern of irresponsible behavior.
    • Aggaman, on 10/10/2007, -5/+20If you think that it is obscene that Israel gets 3 billion dollars a year from the US, then you are apparently an anti-semite.
      • curiousgeorge1, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5/sarcasm ?
      • diggn_it, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1Funny you should bring that up because I was expecting to see a bunch of hate from both sides of the issue here (the joos are bad vs. everyone who is against israel is an anti-semite) and thats not actually the case. Everyone was decently reasonable and left religion out of the discussion. Until you. Thanks.
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1I don't think it is obscene at all. 3 billion a year equals $10 per year per US resident, and 0.02% of the US GDP.
        • nakani, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I'd rather smoke a gram
        • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3You don't think it's obscene because you're an Israeli-American.
    • SamL, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5Well, most of the money is in the form of "military aid", which means that a good chunk of it goes to paying the salaries of working-class Americans, employed by lockheed-martin, boeing, raytheon, etc.
    • aaaargh, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I'm a pretty cynical American, but to be honest, I really am shocked by the magnitude of the amount. I'm accustomed to the $4 billion a year to Israel and Egypt (maybe a few years obsolete, but roughly), with additional bonuses here and there. But an extra $3 billion a year for ten years, now of all times, with no tangible benefit? I mean my jaw isn't drooping, but the amount really does surprise me. A billion might not be what it used to be, but it's still a heckuva lot!!
  • Bajeda, on 10/10/2007, -6/+123The military-industrial complex is loving Iran right now. Its the perfect replacement for the USSR. We sell arms to all the Sunni Arab countries and then give money to Israel with the stipulation that they have to spend 74% on US arms, practically a direct handout to American weapons companies. That way the Arab states can stand up to Iran and surpress any domestic opposition to their US supported totalitarian regimes while Israel can join the US in threatening Iran while still keeping an advantage over the neighboring Arab states while the American defense industry laughs all the way to the bank holding hands with Bush, Cheney, and all the other rich interested parties.
    • wisam, on 10/10/2007, -2/+47You got it all right, except Iran doesn't have much to do with it. The military "aid" to Egypt and Israel are practically a handout to American weapons companies. The rest of the Arab countries are stupid and rich enough to buy unneeded weaponry. The Saudi army for example is over-equipped and under-trained. They don't even have enough army personnels to operate the weaponry they buy. The loser here is the American taxpayer and the gainer is the American weapon industry. Same goes with invading Iraq. Weapons and Oil companies ridiculously profit from a war that average Americans pay and die for.
      • Stratochief66, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Like he said, it seems that Iran is replacing the USSR as the reason to give this money to these countries.
    • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -2/+23Well said. you make perfect sense.
    • dagwood, on 10/10/2007, -3/+26Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
    • caferrell, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14Good analysis Bajeda, but I think that there is a more sinister idea swimming below the surface.

      We are arming the Sunni minority in Iraq. We are also arming the Sunni kingdom next door. Apart from the 30b for Israel there is 20b in weapons for Saudi Arabia. Bush has requested that Saudi Arabia build a giant embassy complex in Iraq in order to help broker peace between Sunnis and Shiites. That has to be the irony of the decade. Saudi Arabia has been treating their own Shiite population worse than blacks were treated in Mississippi in the 50s. But now with a whole mess of new weaponry, the Arab Sunni monarchy is going to make nice with Persian Shiites. What???

      We are fingering Iran as the bogeyman and that means its going to be open season on Persian Shiites. The Shiites in Iraq sense that they have been sold down the river. The Sunnis get weapons from the US Army, the Sunni politicians walk out of the Iraqi government and the US doesn't say boo. Iran senses that they are in a dangerous corner. They will certainly accelerate their nuclear program now.

      George and his handlers are setting things up for a really ugly Mideast war, one in which the US would have to step in to secure the oil.
      Norman Podhoretz Part II
      • wootup, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3"The Sunnis get weapons from the US Army"
        Some do, but by and large the US military has been funneling money through the (Shiite-dominated) Iraqi government to arm and train (Shiite-dominated) death squads. Now while there are some Shiite militias that are anti-American, like the Mehdi Army etc, most of the Interior Ministry-aligned police units and death squads (often one and the same) are being armed, trained and directed by the United States.The center of resistance to the American invasion was always the Sunni community, and unleashing the Shiites on the Sunni community seems to be the modus operandi for the occupying army right now; if you skip back and follow the news from 2 years ago up to now, you'll notice that the overwhelming majority of the thousands of Iraqis whose bodies have been found after execution-style killings (blindfolded and shot to the back of the head) were Sunnis. When the British unleashed a similar strategy in their effort to conquer India, it was correctly referred to as "divide and conquer". It also happens to be the American strategy in Iraq, much like it was - for example - the Israeli strategy during their war in Lebanon to play the Christians against the Shiites, and the Sunnis against the Christians, and so on.
    • PepeGSay, on 10/10/2007, -11/+1You mean: The people who are invested in keeping us safe are focusing on Iran. They are the current incarnation of the USSR. We sell arms to various factions to prop them up, even though it occassionally comes back to bite us and occassionally those hard to define and very difficult to control interests overlap. In the end, we are working towards safety instead of burying our heads in the sand. *Fixed
      • MrTulip, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4"current incarnation of the ussr" - oh *****, man...get a clue. srsly. current incarnation of the boogeyman, maybe.
      • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2The only thing keeping Ahmadinejad and the revolutionary guard in power is US sanctions and hostility to Iran.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Really? And all this time I thought it was the mullahs. Go figure... \sarcasm
  • fadeout, on 10/10/2007, -16/+63Uh oh, an Israel thread. This is going to end well.
    • spoiled1, on 10/10/2007, -9/+8It sure will get a lot of comments
    • homerj14, on 10/10/2007, -28/+18the Anti Israel robots thrive on it
      • Jambi, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11Robots? Perhaps you would like to explain how it's in the best interests of the United States to give Israel 30 billion earmarked for military spending? (for that matter, I'd love to see people justify most of the foreign aid we're giving out)
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5Jambi,

          People like homerj14, with a self serving agenda, (actually the 14 might be his age and he's just brainwashed) will say anything to deflect attention from Israel. Unless of course it's in Israel's interest.
        • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Nobody is giving 30 billion, it is spread out over 10 years, and 75% of it comes back straight to American companies.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I have responded to the question "What does the US gain by helping Israel?" so many times, that I am tired of typing variations on the same theme. From now on I will just cut and paste.
          The US started giving significant aid to Israel when it realized that it needed a reliable ally in the region. Israel is the ally that provides a Mediterranean port for the US navy, where the US ships can stop for repairs without the fear of being attacked (remember USS Cole?). Israel will allow the US to use its air space without hesitation, unlike, say, Turkey. More importantly, Israeli government did absolutely nothing in response to Saddam's missile attacks during the first Iraq war, all in order to not jeopardize the US-lead coalition. Please give me another example of a country, with the military capabilities equivalent to that of Israel, that let itself be bombed without striking back, just because it was in the interest of its ally. The point is, the US does not give aid to Israel, because Israel needs it. The US gives aid to Israel, because the US needs a strong Israel.
        • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Isreal actually has a special arrangement where a lot less than 75% of the money needs to be used to purchase American made arms, it's more like 45%, so the US is effectively Israeli firms 55% of the $30 Billion, and tons of money to buy American weaponry for Israeli soldiers that have instead been used to buy better equipment for the soldiers serving in Iraq.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Do you understand the concept of a beta-tester? Would you rather have your own soldiers test new equipment in combat, or somebody else's?
        • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Do you understand the concept of campaign contributions and lobbying? Do you understand the concept of dual-loyalties?
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Your combacks just get better and better.
      • ArenaRon, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Why don't you take a foreign policy course in college and learn a little bit about how geo politics works. BUT if you prefer to become isolationist, you could always give Pat Buchanan a nod for president.
    • BeyondGoodNEvil, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9Yeah, Israel isn't beyond criticism. Their lobby, AIPAC, has American pols by the balls, and therefore US by the balls. We need a revolution.
      • annenk38, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1This is much more complicated than just AIPAC. Religious tourism to Israel from the Bible Belt is a booming industry. Israel is probably the most tourist-friendly country in the world, but religious tourists are "special". At the end of their pilgrimage they would be asked to write to their representatives in Washington, and ask for aid to Israel. Since these tours are organized through churches, writing campaigns ensue en masse. This is a much more influential force than any single lobby group.
        • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2The joke is on the bible thumpers when they wake up in 20 years and realize the world isn't going to end, and they just gave all their money to the Jews for nothing.
    • j0c1f3r, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3keep tellin yourself that
    • caleb4mj, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I just don't understand why the Fascist Right cares more about Israel than their own country. Maybe it has to do with something they read..
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1And I don't understand why the "progressive" Left is so filled with Jew-hatred.
        • caferrell, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3This is why we can have no debate on the Mideast in the USA. Any comment that is not in favour of Israel marks the speaker immediately as a Jew hater, antisemite. Check mate - no more discussion, the speaker has violated one of the most sacred modern American taboos. Therefore everything the speaker has said is suspect because he is obviously and solely motivated by racial hatred.

          Hey, put down the antisemite shield and try to defend the fact that Israel has ghettoized the Palestinians worse than what happened to European Jews.
      • n0gnuz, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"And I don't understand why the "progressive" Left is so filled with Jew-hatred."

        Well, the "progressive" Left is run by Jewish liberals.... There's also a big difference between hating racist, bloodthirsty Jewish movements like Zionism and Marxism and hating the Jewish people.

        Reframing legitimate criticism of Jewish ethnocentrism and the *actions* of Jewish movements/groups as hatred of Jews themselves is what keeps the ADL, the AJC, the WJC, AIPAC, et al. counting their billions on the way to the bank. When Jews make up less than 2% of the population, and less than 25% of Jews claim to be Zionists, then it's perfectly justifiable to take affront at Zionists using phony claims of "anti-semitism" and "Nazism" to assume a dominant and disproportionate role in American government, not to mention, arrogate astonishing wealth.
  • brivapor, on 10/10/2007, -24/+157wow
    the post Katrina rebuild only got 3 billion

    Isreal has taken over the government
    • CosmicJustice, on 10/10/2007, -30/+8First of all, ***** on the "Katrina only got 3 billion"
      Second the 30b is spread over 10 years.
      • Ibox, on 10/10/2007, -7/+37crap we've been giving money to these assholes for 40 + years, how dose that make it any better?
        • MUFDVR3669, on 10/10/2007, -12/+1It's not. He wasn't saying anything of the sort, just trying to prove a worthless troll wrong.
      • myeyesarered, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3"these assholes"? how old are you? 6?
    • Nevarwinter, on 10/10/2007, -8/+8I'm...sort of...from the area. The gulf coast got 10 Billion...but Bush was reluctant because of Louisianas "hog at the trough" political lifestyle.
      Can't say I blame the fella. I know it's hard to hear facts on CNN but try harder please?
    • kahrytan, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7Because Military hardware is far more expensive then wood and labor.
    • j0c1f3r, on 10/10/2007, -3/+7why does the US HAVE to help isreals army?????......oh right...because they helped get bush elected.......
      • alwilson, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4Well, that and because they are the CHOSEN ones. Anyone who supports the Israelis, gets a free ticket to heaven. Or so they believe...
    • dcoxen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2On September 1, 2005 Congress approved 10.5 billion dollars of additional funds (besides aid from the budget of FEMA) for recovery after Katrina hit. On September 7, 2005 President Bush requested 51.8 billion dollars of funds for the recovery after Katrina, and which Congress rapidly approved; the vast majority of these funds have gone to Louisiana, especially New Orleans. This 60 plus billion dollar aid from the Federal Government alone is roughly 20 times the amount of aid you cite for the post-Katrina recovery. It should be noted that the total damage done by Katrina is estimated at 81.2 billion.

      Additional funds for the recovery came and continue to come from FEMA, the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and many local governments, as well as the various donations and volunteer hours from many caring people, non-profits and other organizations. This truly monumental response only underscores how shameful the preparations by both the state of Louisiana and the Federal Government were for such an inevitable event.
  • siszam, on 10/10/2007, -15/+194Millions of Americans still don't have healthcare. Our tax dollars go to everyone but us.
    • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -44/+10Millions of Americans also can afford to pay for their own medical care and chose to not have health insurance. As usual the Left inflates the figures of the uninsured.
      • djofe, on 10/10/2007, -3/+16man, $100 a month for my health insurance is killing my pay check. Yeah, out-of-state collect students don't get much working part time =/
      • siszam, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16Having insurance doesn't make you safe. Insurance companies routinely deny procedures to save money. It's called rationing and insured people die all the time because of it. You can have insurance but lose it because you get cancer or some other illness and can't work. Many Americans are disabled physically or mentally and cannot pay for insurance. They aren't lazy. Many companies are too cheap to provide insurance. When they do it is costly.
        Fully tax funded, free, universal healthcare would end all that. Everyone would be covered and all procedures and meds would be covered because the doctors would care about your health, not about shareholder profits. Why do you think people should suffer so you can save a few dollars? It wouldn't be acceptable if it was you or your child dieing because the insurance you paid for wouldn't treat a brain tumor. You are not above becoming ill and losing everything. When you have no worth and people treat you like disposable trash you will know why it's happening. For some, compassion and humility are hard lessons to learn.
      • caferrell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+18Pal, I am paying $1200 a month for health care with a $1000 deductible and a 10% copay. That is for a family with three children. Can you tell me how two minimum age earners are going to pay that?
        Can you tell me how a family with after tax income of $2500 per month is going to pay that?
        Our health system puts more people into bankruptcy than it heals. We pay twice as much as a percentage of GDP as any other country in the world and fifty million people don't have health care.

        This is not a problem of right and left, it is a problem of collusion between the AMA, the FDA, the medical insurance companies, the large health-care conglomerates and the pharmaceutical companies.

        Let them keep telling you about lazy spendthrifts that don't have insurance because they are irresponsible and then Pray that when you have children that you don't find yourself in the same bind.
        • gradeahonky, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So they take away your money, you have to buy cheaper food, cheaper food (as we all know from digg) is worse for your health, you pay more! What a diabolical cycle.
      • p0tent1al, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Once again someone who is also uninformed.

        You can keep making comments like those but you'll get nowhere here. This isn't Fox News, this isn't corporate news, this is Digg buddy.
    • Orlong, on 10/10/2007, -34/+2Yeah pay for your own health care you cheapskates
      • Randinn, on 10/10/2007, -6/+12You're a douch
      • pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+17i pay a lot in taxes. i'de rather get some health care out of it than give israel more free weapons.
    • Vicujozobenaxod, on 10/10/2007, -22/+1Socialized healthcare is a planned failure and will only ensure exploitation by illegal immigrants. You think it's bad now, see how much worse it gets if you do that.
      • CheshireCat, on 10/10/2007, -2/+13Funny, I don't hear Canada complaining.
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3That's because Canada doesn't have racist tools like Lou Dobbs to scare people into thinking that illegal immigrants (Especially from Mexico) are a threat to this society.
      • p0tent1al, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Socialized Health is a completely different issue. If your going to tax me, I better be receiving something for those taxes, instead of giving 30 billion to another freakin country. Do the math. We have socialized taxes, but no healthcare to go along with it. Another idiot who doesn't get it.
    • kahrytan, on 10/10/2007, -21/+5Healthcare is not guaranteed by the US Constitution. Government is not constitutionally required to fund healthcare.
      • pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -2/+23is free money and weapons for isreal guaranteed in the US constitution?
        • Jonslilbro, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Exactly. The US Constitution is meant to protect and take care of Americans, not take their money and give it to other countries for weapons... I don't know about you guys but when Bush was traveling around trying to get re-elected, I don't remember anything about "I'll also take money that you pay through taxes, and give it to another country to use for weapons, instead of actually help them buy things they need like food, etc." do you? Bush is a embarrassment to our Country as a whole, which you'd think would be pretty hard to do.
      • p0tent1al, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Government is also not constitutionally allowed to make us pay an income tax, the Government is also not constitutionally allowed to go to war in Iraq without properly declaring it, Government is also not constitutionally allowed to limit free speech. Where the ***** have you been? If your going to complain, complain about those things, don't pick and choose. We get taxed out the ass, and now 30 billion dollars of ours is going to Israel. Does that sound right to you?
      • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"Healthcare is not guaranteed by the US Constitution. Government is not constitutionally required to fund healthcare."

        Correction, federal funding for healthcare is not PERMITTED by the US Constitution. The FEDERAL government is not Constitutionally PERMITTED to fund healthcare. Any powers not explicitly granted to the federal government by the Constitution are given to the States, except that's not what has been happening because all of the politicians in power except a select few principled patriots are worthless liars and tools for special interests.
    • tomtucker378, on 10/10/2007, -15/+2i agree. but..... the America we know today wouldn't exist if we didn't subsidize all of these other countries. if we hadn't made all of these "friends", would we be where we are today? i ask this as a free thinking liberal. i don't think we should be in Iraq. But I also don't think this county would be what it is if we didn't help out our neighbors and would be friends (think further back than 4 years ago). Britan, Japan, Germany, Egypt, China, even Russia... they were all our enemies, but with our help they also sustained and infused the American economy. Israel is a strategic point in the middle east. Like it or not we are dependent on the middle east, therefore we help those who help us. Any Dem would have done the same.....
      • Stratochief66, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I would prefer to have seen those 30b poured into energy research or left in tax payer's pockets. If you let the people spend their own 30b they can choose how to manage the energy crisis themselves, or 30b in research would make it a lot easier for them to do it with what they still have. 30b to fund a war on the opposite side of the world doesn't seem to help the situation at all.
  • 9ofclubs, on 10/10/2007, -6/+60like they need money for weapons. Good thing we fund our own wars, at the taxpayers expense, and other people's wars, at the taxpayers expense. God does not bless what america has become
    • chase001, on 10/10/2007, -6/+16Of course they need money for weapons. They are the original failed American experiment in national building. Before there was Afghanistan and Iraq we remade Israel to fulfill Judeo-Christian mythology.
      • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -3/+12not only was it a Failure, but it has turned the middle east upside down. they are going backwards in time. have you seen pics of afghanistan, pakistan, iran, iraq...from the 50's, and 60's? they looked a lot more modern then than they do now.
        • nlevy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Israel is one of the few exceptions.
          Egypt has made a lot of progress as well. UAE/Dubai is doing amazing things too.
          Yet you guys are bashing away.

          there is hope, persistense is key. I think going to Iraq was big mistake but going to Afghanistan was good. And I don't know what pictures of afghanistan you are talking about. During the 70s all hell broke loose in Afghanistan, there has been basically no infustructure until the US came in, Things are getting better. Can't say the same about the rest of your examples.
      • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -9/+4I think Liberia is America's original failed experiment in nation building. The Left doesn't read history.
        • Pfhreak, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6Dumping off freed slaves in Africa is not "nation building". Nation building implies some kind of effort to control the direction of the country. Liberia's an especially poor case study, as the American Colonization Society was not funded by the US government in any way, its funding came from state legislatures and private citizens.
        • chase001, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2If the right read history they might have known why the British gave up on occupying Iraq and we wouldn't have been in this mess.
      • CosmicJustice, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14Palestine was a British colony before WWII. The UN partitioned Palestine into Israel/Palestine when the British walked away from it. Thus creating a cluster ***** of epic proportions that has resulted in 60+ years of sectarian violence. The exact same thing that will happen if/when we walk away from Iraq.
        • pintomp3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4the british were major *****. when they left the indian subcontinent, they divided india along some of the most volatile areas. the punjabis and bengalis are an extremely proud people. when the west and east pakistan borders ran right through those areas, creating a religious divide, the british knew what would ensue. they did the same thing when carving out iraq and israel. they left knowing things would turn into a ***** for decades.
        • nlevy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Did the same with Africa.
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3For your information Israel was created by a UN vote in 1948. The US did not give Israel any significant aid until after the Six Day War of 1967. Saying that Israel is a US experiment is totally preposterous. Read a history book.
    • skidme, on 10/10/2007, -4/+12Please, please do not bring God into this.
      • dinostabOMG, on 10/10/2007, -4/+29Israel already did when they claimed him as their real estate agent.
      • enogtres, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I wish I could digg you twice!
  • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -6/+113how many bridges can be fixed with 30 billion? I bet you can also re-build one of your biggest and most famous cities with that much money in case a crazy natural disaster like a ***** HURRICANE hits. I am so ashamed of our government. BTW....i am not anti-israel. NO foreign country should come before the American people!
    • CosmicJustice, on 10/10/2007, -19/+5Not very many over a 10 year period.
    • clnydk, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11Agered; does anyone remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?
      the paralyzing thing to me is that they will get repaired as well, in some fashion.
      The U.S. government is *too* flush with money, our money.
    • santaliqueur, on 10/10/2007, -14/+4"how many bridges can be fixed with 30 billion?"

      Let's be honest. Two weeks ago, you would have never thought of bringing up bridges. Now, thanks to the media, it's a major financial issue.
      • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14good point. i used what is public knowledge to prove a point. it could have been an earthquake, another hurricane, or anything else to show that we could use OUR tax money for OUR COUNTRY!
        • santaliqueur, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Faiir enough. We're in agreement, I just figured I'd challenge the "save our bridges" idea.

          Keep our money here. There's plenty who need it.
      • phlebitis, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7It's a relevant and current example of how things are going to ***** at home while money flows out of the country. Last month it was health care, last year it was Katrina. If he had used that example two weeks ago, he would have been criticized. "Our bridges are just fine. War on!"
    • dalittle, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11There is nothing wrong with not liking Israel. They are oppressive and aggressive outside their borders. Not sure what we are getting for 30 billion, but does not look like anything but the bill. Israel != Jewish. A government acting badly is just that.
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Here is what we are getting for 30 billion. Cutting and pasting again: The US started giving significant aid to Israel when it realized that it needed a reliable ally in the region. Israel is the ally that provides a Mediterranean port for the US navy, where the US ships can stop for repairs without the fear of being attacked (remember USS Cole?). Israel will allow the US to use its air space without hesitation, unlike, say, Turkey. More importantly, Israeli government did absolutely nothing in response to Saddam's missile attacks during the first Iraq war, all in order to not jeopardize the US-lead coalition. Please give me another example of a country, with the military capabilities equivalent to that of Israel, that let itself be bombed without striking back, just because it was in the interest of its ally. The point is, the US does not give aid to Israel, because Israel needs it. The US gives aid to Israel, because the US needs a strong Israel.
      • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Here comes Israel's propagandist, to tell you why they need your money. The only reason the US has enemies in much of the Arab world is because of its support for Israel.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Of the 4 immediate neighbors of Israel, 2 have peace treaties and formal relations with it. Other Arab countries have no territorial disputes with Israel, and, with the exception of Iraq, have never had a direct confrontation with it. The only reason the Arab dictatorial regimes keep up the anti-Israeli rhetoric is to give themselves an excuse to stay in power, and divert their people's attention from the problems that these regimes cause.
        • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2You realize that many of the terrorists killing Americans in Iraq are coming from those two countries that have peace treaties with Israel, right? Just because the regime has made peace with Israel in exchange for American tax payer dollar bribes, doesn't mean its people have.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Actually, most foreign fighters in Iraq are from Saudi Arabia. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8293410/ Which proves my point. Saudi Arabia has no territorial disputes with Israel, and it has never had a direct confrontation with it, yet its media keeps spewing Jew-hating nonsense to divert attention of their populous, like the stories about Jews drinking the blood of Muslim children. Now they have an even better way, they can just send their impressionable youngsters to Iraq before they start trouble at home.
    • bilbus, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1You dont win votes by repairing bridges. You get votes for building new bridges .. better to have them fall and kill people. what sounds better "i repaired a old bridge" "i rebuilt the bridge after the tragic event"
  • chase001, on 10/10/2007, -13/+55Wow a whole welfare country.
    • BeyondGoodNEvil, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6This is about $5,000 per resident of Israel. Just ***** amazing what ***** we put up with. This sort of waste is the best argument for a widespread tax revolt. Citizens shouldn't have to pay their government if they give it to 1st world nations like this. They have such leverage over our politicians and it's "anti-Semitic" to point it out.
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2This is also about $10 per year per resident of the US.
        • mikehosek, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Which equates to $10 too much per year in taxes. The overwhelming majority of Americans would like to see their tax dollars go to good causes and not to war mongers.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Then by all means, call your congressman or your senator and express your wishes. However, I would suggest that you read up on the Arab-Israeli conflict before you do that. Wikipedia is a good place to start, if history books are too much for you. Just so that you have a better idea who the war mongers are, and you don't sound stupid when you talk to your elected representative.
        • Vermifax, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I'm paying $10 a year to help a racist nation point guns at Darfur refugees....

          Goddamn.
  • homerj14, on 10/10/2007, -39/+13well when you have to protect your children from being bombed daily while there in daycare I am pretty sure this money helps alot.


    • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -6/+23excuse me.... Why does my tax money have to ensure that people in other countries (any other country) are safer than me and my family? It sucks that there is so much ideological conflict over there, but that is not the average Americans fault. i urge you to press your country for policy change and diplomacy....even if it is with maniacs ( on both sides of the table)
      • homerj14, on 10/10/2007, -15/+5Are terrorists bombing your home?

        • Tishiablo, on 10/10/2007, -5/+3No, but they could...
        • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9No they are not bombing my home. but then again, i live in california which is about 20k miles away from Israel. you want to be mad at somebody? be mad at your own government. they are responsible for your safety, not us!

          oh, and i hope your home never gets bombed.
          • homerj14, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3no but I have lost of family and friend in Israel.

            i have lost family friends to suicide bombings these were KIDS
          • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Maybe creating a Jewish State in the middle of an Arab population was a bad idea.
          • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The Jewish State is exactly where it was before and where it should be now.
    • 15charmaxwtf, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8Handouts like this makes them dependent on the US, having the US government as the backseat driver doesn't make that daycare center safer.
    • homerj14, on 10/10/2007, -11/+3or do you live in a nice home with peaceful people?
    • vsaint, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11Oh please, why the hell is that region even our concern?
      • corneliusJones, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3oil, buddy, oil. say what you will, but we could care less about these backward ***** if it wasn't for the ***** oil. and terrorists. but mainly the oil. As Jon Stewart once asked, " Why did God put all of our oil under people who hate us?"
        • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0awesome quote!
        • nlevy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Israel has no oil. lol
          But it is tied to the economy ie American businesses invest a lot in Israel, I know just Warren Buffet spent a couple billion last year, and Israeli businesses invest in the US.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Israel has no oil. But Israel is the most reliable ally of the US in the region that does have oil.
      • chase001, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2It;s our concern because it it the concern of the Zionists and the Texas Oil Mafia.
    • clnydk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8What is your point?
      There is an age-old saying - Charity begins at Home, which apparently has roots from the Old Testament.
      Charity is defined as "extra"; I am not sure the U.S. has any "extra" anything at this point, at least until its own business is complete (Soc. Sec., healthcare, jobs, infrastructure, energy) . And until it does, I am not sure we should be giving anyone anything until we do. Even if this is tactical political spending, the strategy is not clearly understood nor defined, at least to me, the holder of the debt.
    • dinostabOMG, on 10/10/2007, -5/+10I suppose we should up foreign aid to the occupied Territories to 30 billion then?
      • soomprimal, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Yeah we're a real _independent_ moderator for this conflict, eh?
    • raisputin3, on 10/10/2007, -2/+8@ Achalemoipas
      Wise words :)
    • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6To solve a problem it's always a good idea to look at the big picture. During the last 59 years, Israel hasn't exactly been the virgin you paint her to be. It's not like the Palestinians do what they're doing because they hate Jews, they do it because Israel has taken their land and treats them like animals and at the same time complains that they hate it. You can't have your cake and eat it. I'm sorry you lost friends, but you need to learn more about the conflict than what the media brainwashes you into thinking. In many cases, innocent Palestinians get killed by Israel for no rhyme or reason, their death goes unreported by the media, but when the opposite happens it's all over the news. I don't blame you for not knowing, but I do think you bear some responsibility for not TRYING to find the facts.
      • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2"It's not like the Palestinians do what they're doing because they hate Jews" - funny, cause they themselves say it is.
        "In many cases, innocent Palestinians get killed by Israel for no rhyme or reason" - just like innocent Israelis. The difference is, the Palestinians TARGET the innocent Israelis.
      • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1There's no point trying to reason with them. Creating a Jewish State was justified, the Arabs were wrong for rejecting it... the Arabs are wrong for resisting today... America giving Israel money is right.... It is good for America to support Israel.. etc That's how they think and no amount of logic will change their mind.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1"Creating a Jewish State was justified, the Arabs were wrong for rejecting it... the Arabs are wrong for resisting today... America giving Israel money is right.... It is good for America to support Israel.. etc" Yup, this is exactly right. This is the conclusion one reaches by looking at the facts and applying logic and common sense.
    • BeyondGoodNEvil, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Go cry a river. Over 3x as many Palestinians have been killed as Israelis. Go cry a ***** river.
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2If they did not attack, they would not have been killed.

        By the way, in all the wars that Israel has fought, including the current intifada, about 82,000 people were killed by the Israeli military. This is over 60 years! I went to Wikipedia, and added up the casualty figures, taking the larger number whenever there were conflicting estimates. These include both combatants and civilians. For comparison, over 25,000 German civilians were killed by the British and the Americans during the firebombing of Dresden during WWII. In ONE DAY!
  • Magnolit, on 10/10/2007, -4/+10Well, the US has to somehow export their inflated money supplies. /sarc
  • SmackMyMac, on 10/10/2007, -7/+30As long as the US is giving away free money...

    I could use a couple of mill.

    Bush?
  • JasonCox, on 10/10/2007, -12/+15God effing damnit.
  • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -30/+17Good! We should do more to bolster safe and democratic nations in the region. Support terrorism and you get bombed. Support democracy and you get cash. The choice is yours.
    • allahuakbar, on 10/10/2007, -2/+9Say this at Faux News moron.
      • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -10/+2You misspelled Fox News. The Left never pays attention in school.
        • Vermifax, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1You're right. It's spelled "Faux Noize".
    • dinostabOMG, on 10/10/2007, -3/+9Yeah that sure worked out for South America.
      • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5Which DEMOCRATIC nations are you referring to? We did support many totalitarian governments and that sure came back to bite us in the ass.
    • farhad667, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8I get it: You're saying that the people of Lousiana are supporting a terrorist government and that is why they didn't get the cash... right?
      • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2We've only been saying for over 400 years that N.O. is no place to live because of the hurricane threat. I'm sorry, I have no pity for the idiots that CHOOSE to live in an area that will, yet again, be pummeled by the next hurricane that hits the city. My concern is why the government allows people to rebuild without truly changing the building codes to permit only houses that can withstand the damage of the next hurricane. Idiots, you included.
        • hlgriggs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2And what disaster free part of the world do you live? I have no sympathy for California - its gunna fall oft into the sea ain't it - screw them! Midwest? I'm sick of my tax dollars going to repair their roads every spring. And while it may not be a natural disaster I'll be damned if I should pay for bridge repair. If God wanted us to cross that river He'd have built one his own self. New York? That's what they git fer buildin all those tall buildins. Ain't that right Cletus?
    • bilbus, on 10/10/2007, -8/+1Why would we give more money to bums in post Katrina area. It was caused by lack of repairs by Democrat politicians, yet blamed on the federal government. The Fed is not here to micromanage states. Its here to help when all other local resources are exhausted or overwhelmed.

      No, we should not be providing health welfare to the uninsured. Its personal responsibility to get health insurance. when you pay for something you are more likely to use it responsibility. In Atlanta we have people who call 911 for the free ride to downtown in an ambulance .. go to the hospital sit in the waiting room until the paramedics leave and then go shopping.

      We need less government intervention .. not more.

      Israel is where the US will be if terrorism prevails, we need to help them where we can. They are deep in enemy territory and can not completely support them selves.
      • hlgriggs, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1I've got an idea! Let's kill the poor! Yeah... they'd make great lampshades!
    • Teleport, on 10/10/2007, -3/+5"$30bn (£14.8bn) of military aid over the next 10 years."...IS supporting terrorism; a soldiers in tanks and suicide bombers are all the same, except one can afford the metal to protect himself.
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1No they are not, dumbass. Soldiers in tanks protect their people. Suicide bombers are trying to exterminate them.
    • Bajeda, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4More like support US interests and you get cash. The US has proven it doesn't give a ***** about democracy in the Middle East.
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1So, the US should give money to countries that do not support its interests? Do you give money to people you don't like?
      • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1More like control the US government and you get cash.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1How's that tin-foil hat? Not too tight?
    • dftpnkezln, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4What if you democratically elect an Islamist party that calls for a ceasefire? Oh, the Palestinians tried that with Hamas and got shafted.
    • moryarti, on 10/10/2007, -1/+0schmuck
  • EPH99, on 10/10/2007, -7/+15Welp, they earned it... hang on, where's this money coming from again? Oh sh*t.
  • albinorhino101, on 10/10/2007, -7/+36Absolute ***** *****
  • vsaint, on 10/10/2007, -7/+32Gotta love this military-industrial complex. How about we just adopt israel for pennies a day.
  • imperialbeast, on 10/10/2007, -7/+53why are we giving $30 billion to Israel if our debt is at $9 trillion?
    • freakmonk, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11why? I'd rather know how?
      • LordSlashstab55, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7debt is our system. If everyone paid back their debt the system would collapse.
        http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9050474362583451279
        • xboxlive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2thanx man... i love the video..

          the more in debt we are, the more money.. ***** yeah!!
        • nlevy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+0i didn't watch that video but no, its not like that.
          But if we take small (cumilitive) debt and invest in (sometimes risky) assets, short term debt leads to more rapid growth. I don't think im exlaining it right but learn about it.

          The real problem with our debt is how one country (china) holds such a large percentage of it.
          • p0tent1al, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2If you didn't watch the video, you have absolutely no business talking on it. Watch the video, then make a comment, because I just watched it, and you are WRONG. Try watching the video before saying that it's wrong. Idiot.
    • kahrytan, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Don't confuse National Debt with Trade Deficit. The two aren't the same.
    • BeyondGoodNEvil, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Because the government has a lot of wage slave sheep who are content to spend their lives and children's lives forking over higher taxes. If we had a nation of MEN, not sheep, maybe Ron Paul would get elected and we could end this *****.
  • stepanstas, on 10/10/2007, -5/+21Great, good to know the taxes are going to good use. Not
  • xelloss, on 10/10/2007, -5/+17Israel isn't the only one getting money "The Bush administration said last month that it was offering weapons aid to other countries in the region, including $20bn for Saudi Arabia, $13bn for Egypt and $20bn to be shared between Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates."
    • homerj14, on 10/10/2007, -14/+7because everyone hates Israel and they are the Bad guy apparently. but no one talks about the other countries who burn our flags daily.
      • sunnychiba, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7What Xelloss is talking about is the "Weapons for Oil" Program...if it's not called that, it should be.
        • vsaint, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Well the arabs are gonna need a way to take it back from us.
      • dinostabOMG, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6"They did it too" is no excuse. Or didn't you pass the second grade?
      • Bajeda, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4I don't recall people in Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, or the UAE burning Israeli flags very often. Actually not at all. They may not recognize Israel but they aren't being overtly hostile either. Stop trying to spread hate jackass.
    • freakmonk, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7We getting things ready for Armageddon, lets celebrate!
    • Quaterni0n, on 10/10/2007, -3/+11Makes perfect sense. We need more weapons in that part of the world. Don't worry, these peace loving people can be trusted with billions of our dollars worth of weapons.
    • urik88, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2Yeah. But you won't see that in the Digg front page.
    • ucccft, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Good God, when are you going stop with the crap. Your statement "$20bn for Saudi Arabia, $13bn for Egypt and $20bn to be shared between Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates." IS A TOTAL LIE. 100% BULL! All made up crap, prove it, go on I DARE YOU. PROVE IT. You MUST be from Israel. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED! Israel has been a beggar country since the US and the Moron British created Israel in Palestine land.
      They have killed more people with our money and weapons then any other country in the last 50 years.
      What happened to They shall not KILL! OR do u even believe in God?
    • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3WRONG, Saudi Arabia is BUYING the weapons. US TAX PAYERS are buying $30 Billion worth weapons for Israel, thanks to the traitorous mass media and Congress.
    • caleb4mj, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2World's largest importer of toys and exporter of weapons. That's the American way.
  • kushed, on 10/10/2007, -5/+25"Israel and the US are increasingly alarmed by Iran's growing power" Right, I am sure Americans are very Alarmed. Bush and his gangs interests do not represent Americans please stop associating them with us. And I am sure Israel really needed that money more then US citizens, if anything Israel should be giving money to U.S.
    • dallascorbin504, on 10/10/2007, -2/+10you mean they should be giving OUR money back?
      • phlebitis, on 10/10/2007, -3/+10Iran isn't nearly the threat they make it out to be, just as Iraq wasn't. We can't let this happen again.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1I guess we should come back to this conversation after Ahmadinajad nukes somebody.
  • 7Mystery, on 10/10/2007, -9/+20Israel has us by the balls…but I wonder for how long?
    • raisputin3, on 10/10/2007, -8/+12Until we realize that Israel is ***** evil
      • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -8/+4Said the moron with the Hizzbuleh flag as an icon.
        • thecoolestguy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Irgun's flag in the 1930's looked quite similar to what Hizzbollah's flag looks like today: http://www.suspectpaki.com/uploaded_images/irgun.jpg
          • raisputin3, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Dugg up, because I didn't know that re: IRGUN's flag
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Which is neither here nor there, but this is digg, so who cares. However, notice the map. This was the British mandate territory of Palestine that was to become a Jewish state according to the Balfour declaration. Who did you say grabbed 70% of the land? Oh, what do you know, it was the artificial kingdom of Jordan! It was carved out of Palestine by the British so that their allies, the Hashemite family, had some place to rule, after having been kicked out of Arabia by the house of Saud.
    • Xanadude, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Until the Rapture, of course, at which point they all go to Hell. At least that's the reasoning of the evangelicals who support them so blindly.
  • thekak, on 10/10/2007, -4/+13It's amazing how much we spend abroad to help (read: bribe) others while the US steadily declines in so many areas.

    Go Go Gadget Bush.
    • OffPiste, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3Like public education to which you are OBVIOUSLY a product of that system. Idiot.
    • sherrife, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2You think that America has invaded the lands of so many countries in the last century just to help them out??? What the hell sort of idealistic, patriotic, self-loving crap do they teach you over there? America has probably been involved in more wars/conflicts in the last 50 years than Europe has in the last 400 (off the top of my head, not including intra-empire conflicts).

      Almost every cent that the US of A spends overseas is an attempt to increase ownership of foreign resources, increase access to important markets, or promoting puppet governments that help them achieve the first two goals.

      I don't mean to say that America is unique in the way that it acts, but just to clarify that nations almost NEVER act benignly/altruistically. Don't view your fine nation as the world's shephard (appropriate ey?), but rather as the world's (primary, but not only) bully.
  • sunnychiba, on 10/10/2007, -3/+8It's great that we want to help other nations out, but we have many issues at home that could use funding first (i.e. education, health-care, rebuilding historic cities, bridge maintenance and repair.) It's a shame that our government is so quick to part with funds, but we refuse funding from other countries when they offer to assistance.
  • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -33/+17First of all, stop with the ***** conspiracy theories that Israel controls the government. That is a ***** lie and that is the same kind of propaganda that preceded the Holocaust in NAZI Germany, that the Jooooos control everything and screw up everyone's lives. It's A ***** LIE!

    Second, Israel is the size of the state of New Jersey (for non-Americans on digg, that is really freaking small), and in attempting to fight back against, in former conventional warfare, massive countries on all sides and now fighting against terrorists backed by huge countries, they need funding! How can a nation that small (in both population and physical size) possibly get enough money to fend off so many brainwashed and belligerent enemies solely by domestic means?

    By the way, that amount of money amounts to 3 bn. a year, not 30 bn. straight out like the headline misleadingly implicated. And where is that money going exactly? Israel is a liberal democracy just like the U.S. and has been fighting off radical brainwashed terrorists for decades, the purveyors of an ideology diametrically opposed to any liberal principles. The money is going to a good cause.

    Plus, the money sent to Israel has paid dividends for us at home. Just go ahead and look up the number of technological advances, at both civilian and military levels, that have come out of Israel.

    And please, stop the anti-Israel propaganda on digg. Enough is enough.
    • l0rdn1k0n, on 10/10/2007, -17/+7Thank you. Somebody finally said it. +1 for you :)
    • minimaximus, on 10/10/2007, -7/+20sorry to burst your bubble, milesdavis, but Jooos do indeed wield a great influence in the US both in politics and the media, not to mention education. So you should probably check your info before you spout your senseless and desparate defense of these criminals (not Jews, but pro-Israeli Zionists)
      • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -14/+4who are "these criminals"?

        and why the hell has Zionism become synonymous with NAZIsm?
        • minimaximus, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11no one said anything about Nazis, but I know that's where some idiots are taught to try to take the conversation by their AIPAC chapters in college (Hillel), real evil people, if you ask me. I've been to some of their meetings. Racists SOBs. Anyway, Zionism is the Uber Racist movement of our time: Jews are Semitic people who are entitled to a certain land by God. There's so much that is wrong and delusional in that statement, which is the cornerstone of Zionism.
        • Vermifax, on 10/10/2007, -2/+6If you must know:

          http://www.revisionisthistory.org/khazars.html
        • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -9/+3It doesn't need to have anything to do with god. The Jews are the most recent people to be the true natives of the land of Canaan -- the original people of that region we have no idea who they are now and the rest of them probably are fully integrated with the Jewish people now anyway. The Jews were oppressed harshly by first the Romans. The Romans subsequently expelled many Jews. In subsequent centuries, the Arab and Ottoman conquerors of Israel have been harsh as well. In the current day, how is it wrong that Jews, after millennia of being persecuted, return to their homeland as a safe haven?
          • raisputin3, on 10/10/2007, -3/+6No problem withthem returning to their homeland. the problem is what Israel stands for; A Jewish Homeland for JEWS.....THey are egocentric as hell and believe that they are some 'chosen' people. What they SHOULD have done is integrated themselves into the societies that were already there. Lived along side them and not worried or cared about their own "separate homeland for jews" That is the problem. Jews think that they are better than everyone else and are some chosen people that deserve special treatment.
          • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -3/+3Do you have a problem with Saudi Arabia being a Moslem homeland for MUSLIMS? I don't think so. Is there anything more egocentric than a fundamentalist whahabi Muslim, who thinks everyone must be Muslim? I don't think so
            You want us to integrate just like the Muslims integrate everywhere?
            Dude, I think you're projecting. Jews are very well integrated in every place where they live. It's the Muslims that constantly need "adjustments" to their surroundings in order to accommodate them.
          • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2You know, I would like to live in Kuwait... Oh, wait, I can't. Nobody can become a citizen of Kuwait, whose parents were not citizens. Apparently Kuwait is for Kuwaitis. In fact, they don't even let Jews into the country. Not even for a visit.

            Israel is a homeland for Jews. Just like France is the homeland for the French. How egocentric of them! If Israel became independent 10 years earlier, as it should have been, there is a chance that my grandmother's family would not have been killed in the Holocaust.
    • dansacks, on 10/10/2007, -6/+7here, here!
      Thank you!
    • GonadHunter, on 10/10/2007, -5/+16let me get this straight. Radical brainwashed terrorists are people who want land stolen from them by people claiming that it was "promised to them" back
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2No, they are the people who blow up teenagers in pizzerias. They are the people who would exterminate all the Jews, given the opportunity. They are also the people rejected numerous offers of a state of their own in exchange for nothing more than a promise to stop killing Jews.
    • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -8/+4And by the way, please comment -- discussion is good.
    • homerj14, on 10/10/2007, -13/+7Miles, you put a smile on my face.

      too many robots who dont know the real truth man.

      I have been trying to get this out for years that Israel is not the bad guy but people are too blind.
      • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -8/+7When people begin to get caught up in the whole conspiracy theory frenzy, the boundaries become blurred between enemy and ally. People are using Israel as a scapegoat for America's problems -- since when is aiding a liberal democracy that is a) defending itself and b) fighting an anti-liberal and anti-democratic ideology a bad thing to do? The founding brothers of this country yes did go up against "entanglements" in foreign affairs, but in reality that was only because they were trying to avoid war with both Britain and France simultaneously. Given America's position, it would be a bad idea not to support Israel.
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Since you were clueless. That's when it became a bad thing. You want to kick the Palestinians out of their land in the Occupied Territories and expect the world to believe that they're defending their families and homes because "they're religious fanatics". If anyone is the fanatic around here it's people like you who believe that GOD gave you that land and you're its rightful owners. You're not just a fanatic, you're mentally deranged because you keep lying about it while taking the moral high ground.

          PS: Israel is NOT a liberal democracy. It would have been if it didn't treat Israeli Palestinians as second class citizens who happen to have less rights than a new Jewish immigrant from Russia, for example. Your lies are sickening.
        • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2"It would have been if it didn't treat Israeli Palestinians as second class citizens who happen to have less rights than a new Jewish immigrant from Russia, for example. Your lies are sickening."

          Israeli Arabs. There are no "Israeli Palestinians". For someone that sells himself as such an expert, that's a crass error.
          And pray tell, what are the rights that others have that Israeli Arabs do not?
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I know, I know! The Israeli Arabs are not allowed to serve in the Israeli Army! Stop the apartheid now!
    • dinostabOMG, on 10/10/2007, -5/+12The money is going to military hardware (which is bought from private companies in the US, largely) which is used chiefly for the continued oppression of the Palestinian people on every front, as well as the occasional other decimation of its neighbors like Lebanon.

      This isn't propaganda; it is news. Your rationalization of our misuse of American citizens' money is propaganda.
      • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -10/+4"oppression of the Palestinian people" --> as in, collecting their tax money to help the Palestinian government FOR the Palestinians?

        What other nation in the region do you know of that would fire deterrent rounds, rubber bullets, at people throwing lethal rocks at you? Do you seriously believe the ***** that Israel purposely targets civilians? The IDF is in the Palestinian territories to try to root out the terrorists that indiscriminately target civilians.

        Define "oppression" and how you can even compare Israel to the oppressive regimes of Israel's enemies?
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3Lethal rocks eh? what? Are they nuke rocks?

          Get a grip. no one here is THAT gullible.


          Define "oppression" and how you can even compare Israel to the oppressive regimes of Israel's
          enemies?

          You fail in logic 101. Non of the neighboring regimes claim to be democratic liberal states. Israel is the only one in the region that keeps repeating that mantra as if it were true. But then again, I'm not surprised that you're comparing Israel to countries in the region, which include Egypt (a hack democracy), Saudi Arabia (A monarchy) and Jordan (Again a monarchy). The only thing your above comment does is tell us that you believe that ISRAEL is the LEAST ***** country in the region. But that doesn't really mean that it is a REAL democracy as defined and understood by many internationally.

          Now, I'm an Israeli Palestinian, the state of Israel defines itself as a Jewish state. Therefore, it is NOT a democracy. If it were a democracy it would be a state for ALL it's citizens, treating them ALL equally. But, you probably either did not know that or choose to ignore because it serves your interests. Saudi Arabia is a kingdom. It's NOT a democracy nor does it purport to be one like Israel does.

          Now, to milesdavis22. You're an embarrassment to Miles Davis. If he knew you're using his name he'd turn in his grave over and over. But, that's not the point I want to make. The point is that you're making the racist claim that Palestinians as a people do not exist, that their nationality is FALSE, that they should know better and just pick up and leave and hand over the land to little ***** like you so that you can claim that a real estate agent by the name of "God" gave you that land. Too bad the only source you can cite is a religious text. God God God, now tell me, what's the difference between you and fanatic Muslims who think that god speaks to them?

          As far as Israel being a Jewish homeland for Jews I don't have a problem with that. I just wish that people who vehemently protect Israel as a homeland for Jews, lived in Israel instead of living in the states, safe and sound, 10k miles away from the daily violence and tensions of the region. If you want the state of Israel to prosper and stay the Jewish homeland, then why aren't you there? Or are you just a chickenhawk like the rethugs who believe in sending American soldiers to die in Iraq while they stay stateside enjoying the Florida sun while calling for the troops to "stay the course".

          You have proved to be both a ***** and a hack who knows nothing about Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and lacks basic logic. Good luck in life.

          Oh and about your previous post about Palestinians hating jews and TARGETING innocent civlians whereas Israeli solderis only do so by mistake then watch these video that happen to be readily available on YouTube, next time, do yourself a favor and be prepared. You're going to have to do better than spew your propaganda on here.

          http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1562702984030050911&q=Rachel+Corrie+bulldozer&total=67&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WaCJn4hdjc

          http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6247510942114227858&q=israeli+soldiers+shooting+demonstrations&total=7&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

          There's your beloved does-do-no-wrong Israeli military.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1The rocks may not be lethal, but Qassams and suicide-belts certainly are. By the way, you should try an experiment. Find an armed policeman, and start throwing rocks at him. Then come back, and tell us what happened.
      • poornbroken, on 10/10/2007, -8/+5if you want oppression, then why don't you ask about the policy in palestinian territories regarding non-islamic faiths? how about the comparison between how jerusalem was partitioned during 1960's? (when the arabs were in charge, it was IMPOSSIBLE to cross the border. you had jooooo families cut in half because of the partition then. and today, palestianians complain when israeli's close a border crossing for a DAY.)

        it's this crazy belief that because the israeli partition is more prosperous that they *MUST* be exploiting the palestinians. i think the constant infighting in palestinian territories is more to blame.
        • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3a recent poll of the Palestinian people corroborates your statement - they think Hamas leadership is responsible for the stifling of their economy
          • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Nice! Keep repeating the JDL and the Goldstein mantras. You people are what moderate Israelis call crazy Torah thumping settlers.
          • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1And you are what we call a Jew-hater.
      • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2"if you want oppression, then why don't you ask about the policy in palestinian territories regarding non-islamic faiths?"

        So your'e saying that Israel is not exactly the beacon of light you make it out to be, but that it's just not as bad as those parts of the Palestinian territories that have self governance? Nice! I knew there was competition for the least ***** country in the region, I just didn't know Israel was in the 4th place instead of the 3rd. You see, I thought Israel was this democratic country that doesn't have the star of david on it's flag with the two stripes that signify the Jewish Tallit, despite the fact that 20% of it's citizens are non-Jewish. Hacks like you wonder why those 20% don't like the flag of the state of Israel. Wow, get a clue already!
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I guess Turkey had better take the Muslim crescent off its flag now.
    • barkingmonkeye, on 10/10/2007, -7/+4if you think ameica is a liberal democracy your ass is crazy. if you think israel and joos do not have ties to conspiracys throughout history your ignorant.
      • Pake, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Practically every political and religious has ties to conspiracies. Democrap, Republicunt, Catholic, Protestant, Islamic, you name it and you'll find somewhere in history that they've conspired something.
      • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1In fact, the Jews make up and spread conspiracy theories to boost the sales of tin-foil hats! It's a Jewish conspiracy, I tell you!
    • siszam, on 10/10/2007, -5/+5I am not anti Israel. I support Israel. But even the Bible says to if you don't care for your own first, you are as bad an unbeliever. Americans are in desperate need and our government has trashed our economy. We need to catch up to every other western nation and get healthcare, education, shore up social security, help our poor BEFORE we hand out tax dollars to other countries. You can support a country without giving them endless money.
      • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1I'm with you -- we could and should do both. The mismanagement of our economy has prevented that from happening though, unfortunately. We are so far in debt due to mismanagemnt it's scary -- China is writing off our debt but when they call it in, we REALLY have a foreign policy crisis.
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Surely, you can't say OUR economy when a few posts up you were dragging the US into Israel's mismanaged occupation. The Palestinian problem isn't America's problem. Perhaps if you didn't have an identity or loyalty crisis you'd know that.
    • nycmac247, on 10/10/2007, -5/+9"srael is a liberal democracy"
      wow - you have been watching a lot of "24" and "the unit" lately, huh?

      ISRAEL IS A COUNTRY OF APARTHEID
      • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -6/+5you have been brainwashed by Jimmy Carter lately?
      • raisputin3, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Israel is a Parliamentary democracy

        Parliamentary Democracy - a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers - according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Oh, look! A factual statement from a Jew-hater!
      • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Let me add, with Israeli Arab representatives who are VERY vocal, unlike the token Jew in the Iranian Parlament.
        Raisputin, I am surprised to see myself thumbing up your comment. Thanks for the surprise.
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Big woop. Israeli Palestinian reps ARE token reps. You're projecting. Legislation in the parliament means nothing if neither the Israeli Supreme court nor the executive branch are willing to implement it and abide by it.

          I think you need to look yourself in the mirror and realize that being a second class citizen in a country you were born in is no where near as "democratic". Keep peddling that lie, perhaps if you repeat it often people will start to believe it.
        • wpi97, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1"a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers" There is no separate executive branch in Israel, you idiot. It is a *parliamentary democracy*.
    • albinorhino101, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7"By the way, that amount of money amounts to 3 bn. a year, not 30 bn."
      That's still to much, 3bil / 300 mil = 10, I'll take my 10 dollars back please.

      "fighting off radical brainwashed terrorists for decades"
      read "Premptively striking others for the slightest excuses for decades"

      "Just go ahead and look up the number of technological advances, at both civilian and military levels, that have come out of Israel."
      um lets see...the UZI....the Desert Eagle....ummm......ummmmm.....mazza balls?




      • milesdavis22, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3when you read 1984, did you take the line "ignorance is a bliss" seriously, because your comment exhibits lots of lack of knowledge of the situation i mentioned
    • jeremymerrill, on 10/10/2007, -8/+5@nycmac: Check out the list of members of the Israeli Knesset. You'll be surprised by the fact that there are quite a few Arab members, Druze, Christian and "even" Muslim. Some of these Arab members even support getting rid of Israel's current government in favor of a more theocratic Palestinian Muslim one. Guess what happens to them? Well, lots of people (Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and everything else) don't like them, but governmentally, they can do whatever the hell they want. Sure, even many Jewish Israelis harbor racist opinions of Arabs, but when was the last you traveled to, say, Mississippi? Israel isn't unique.

      @albinorhino: "Premptively striking others for the slightest excuses for decades" is pretty darn false. Take for example, the war in Lebanon last summer. Do hundreds of rockets killing your civilians, tens of soldiers killed and 2 kidnapped within Israel not count as a few decent casus belli (reasons for war - or "excuses" if you want)?

      PS milesdavis... you might want to check out Newsvine.com. We have plenty of discussion, (and plenty of wacko conspiracy junkies "omg teh j00s did 9/111") but people who are more likely to at least politely listen and comment, rather than just "digg down" those who share unpopular opinions, as I've seen too much on Digg.
      • sherrife, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4"Premptively striking others for the slightest excuses for decades" is pretty darn false. Take for example, the war in Lebanon last summer. Do hundreds of rockets killing your civilians, tens of soldiers killed and 2 kidnapped within Israel not count as a few decent casus belli (reasons for war - or "excuses" if you want)?"

        What the hell? Israel began bombing the entire country after two Israeli's were captured by Hezballah whilst on Lebanese soil. It then proceeded to destroy the nation's budding and historic infrastructure, on the pretense of weakening Hezballah. Get your facts right by reading _non-american_ news sources please.

        http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1844021,00.html
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3I don't know where you live, but clearly you know nothing about what happened in the summer of 2006, nor do you know anything about American media. First off, CNN's Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer are butt buddies with Israel's leadership. They pretty much carry out the Israeli government's line to the American public. But, they're not the only ones, ABC, CBS and FOX are the same.

          Now, about the summer of 2006. What you said would have been nice and dandy and makes for a good coutner point, only if it weren't 50% of the story. You see, before these two Israeli soldeirs were captured, Israel had raided southern lebanon in the preceeding months, more than once mind you, and had kidnapped lebense citizens. Not only that, but, Israel holds in Israeli jails close to 400 lebanse men who have been in prison for years with no trial or charges brought against them. Not to mention, that they were kidnapped in the same manner that the others were kidnapped, from deep inside Lebanese territory. Now, you have the full picture and yes, Israel did exagurate and launch an offensive that can only be described as burning someone's house to the ground after they've pushed and called you names.
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4I don't know where you live, but clearly you know nothing about what happened in the summer of 2006, nor do you know anything about American media. First off, CNN's Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer are butt buddies with Israel's leadership. They pretty much carry out the Israeli government's line to the American public. But, they're not the only ones, ABC, CBS and FOX are the same.

          Now, about the summer of 2006. What you said would have been nice and dandy and makes for a good coutner point, only if it weren't 50% of the story. You see, before these two Israeli soldeirs were captured, Israel had raided southern lebanon in the preceeding months, more than once mind you, and had kidnapped lebense citizens. Not only that, but, Israel holds in Israeli jails close to 400 lebanse men who have been in prison for years with no trial or charges brought against them. Not to mention, that they were kidnapped in the same manner that the others were kidnapped, from deep inside Lebanese territory. Now, you have the full picture and yes, Israel did exagurate and launch an offensive that can only be described as burning someone's house to the ground after they've pushed and called you names.
      • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2That is quite the lie. The two soldiers were on Israel proper (as declared by Hizzbalah), and during their kidnapping, rockets were fired at nearby population centers as a decoy.

        'Hezbollah launched "Operation True Promise" at 9:05 AM, on July 12, 2006. The operation began with a diversionary attack of rockets and mortar shells fired at Israeli settlements and military posts near the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah troops then entered Israel, attacked two armored Israeli Humvees, patrolling the border village of Zar'it, with rocket propelled grenades, killing three soldiers and capturing two others. The Hezbollah force then retreated back into Lebanon with their captives, later identified as Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.'
        http://www.historyguy.com/israel-lebanon_war_2006.html
        • Matthew720, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2True Promise eh? That's got a nice ring to it. Israel loves giving it's wars and raids catchy names. They ring nicely in the propaganda filled media.

          What was the promise? To bring back the soldiers? Or bomb southern Lebanon back to 1981? No let's go with 1983 because the destruction this time around was on a larger scale than the last attack.

          You're the kind of guy who's so diluted in himself like some 4 year old kid who collect action figures of Superman and batman and thinks that his heroes are going to save the world. Well, your Israeli Occupation Forces are no heroes.
          • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2You got some serious reading comprehension problems: "Hezbollah launched 'Operation True Promise'...".

            I am the kind of guy that put on a uniform and served in his country's armed forces. Those are all the heroes I need. And lo and behold, 60 years going and it's all still up, animals like you non-withstanding.
        • foopirata, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2You got some serious reading comprehension problems: "Hezbollah launched 'Operation True Promise'...".

          I am the kind of guy that put on a uniform and served in his country's armed forces. Those are all the heroes I need. And lo and behold, 60 years going and it's all still up, animals like you non-withstanding.
    • dftpnkezln, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Yeah miles, what a brilliant analysis. Theres no chance that Israeli policies and the continuation and gradual expansion of its occupation could have perhaps the slightest, tiniest bit to do with the 'radical brainwashed terrorism' is there? Israel might be a democracy