| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"netvegetable" |
| Date: |
20 Apr 2004 04:51:27 AM |
| Object: |
So what do we get out of our alliance with the yanks? |
At the moment we've got discredit for an illegal invasion of iraq, an
increased terrorism threat, part responsibility for a civil war, and
lower trading preference than Chille.
In the past, it is said the US saved our bacon in WWII. This ignores the
historical fact that the Japs abandoned any plan to invade Aus early '42,
and the only reason they attacked us in the first place was because we'd
agreed to let the Americans use our country as a base.
It is true that they provided us with invaluable logistic support in E
Timor, plus diplomatic pressure on the Indonesian govt. But that was only
after our Prime Minister directly approaced their president, and pleaded
with him. Compare this with the complete, unconditional support or
government tends to show them, presumably because it is required.
I suppose you could argue we get lots of good secondhand military
equiptment we get out of them at "mate's rates"......
There's the $1bn purchase of the Sea Sprite helicopters, still not in
service, and $300 mill over budget.
There's the $116 million purchase of two secondhand frigates, Manoora and
Kanimbla, which after rust repairs has ballooned out to $400 million.
And recently we've agreed to spend $5bill in purchasing "reconditioned"
Abrams tanks, though even some American analysts wonder what for.
Wonderful toys, but each tank requires a team of specialists to maintain,
and a fleet of support vehicles just to fuel. And this ofcourse, assumes
there isn't other unexpected maintenace costs, like we've had with all the
other "deals" we've got from our American friends.
So what, specifically, do we get out of this alliance with the US?
--
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#politcs_oz irc.undernet.org
"..... I think what has kept your country safe and sane, relatively, is that you
have an ethic we don't have in America, which is that if one person is hurting,
we're all hurting."Michael Moore
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| User: "PagCal" |
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| Title: Re: So what do we get out of our alliance with the yanks? |
20 Apr 2004 05:25:09 AM |
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Well, you get valuable war experience. Every once in a while, you've got
to 'test' your military system to see what works and what doesn't.
And recently we've agreed to spend $5bill in purchasing "reconditioned"
Abrams tanks, though even some American analysts wonder what for.
Wonderful toys, but each tank requires a team of specialists to maintain,
and a fleet of support vehicles just to fuel. And this ofcourse, assumes
there isn't other unexpected maintenace costs, like we've had with all the
other "deals" we've got from our American friends.
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| User: "pb" |
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| Title: Re: So what do we get out of our alliance with the yanks? |
20 Apr 2004 08:08:41 AM |
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Net I agree with your idea. I think Johny boy is selling the self
pride of Aussies to Americans. It is their stipud war, which illegal
why would the Australian soldiers pay for the Dubya's dodgy desciion.
Now a days he tell lies so much that poeple do not listen to Bush
anymore offcourse we have Johny boy.
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