Minstrel Boy: LAST CALL FOR ARMORED HUMVEES

LAST CALL FOR ARMORED HUMVEES

Who in their right mind would vote to stop the production of armored humvees, to lay off workers at the only plant that makes them? Who would turn off the production while leaving tens of thousand of soldiers to drive hill billy armored humvees before the enemy's improvised explosive devices, car bombs and rocket propelled grenades?





The odds are 39% that it was your senator. That's right.









A simple measure to keep the production of armored humvees at two shift capacity for a couple of extra months this summer passed by only a 22 vote margin; 61 to 39 in the Senate this week.





If you care about the troops, you'd better pay attention because things are horribly wrong.



With $81 billion in "emergency" supplemental spending this year for Iraq and Afghanistan, one assumes (incorrectly) that armored humvees would be at the top of the list since around 400 of the 1500 fatalities were killed in them; a tally that increases daily. One might assume military spending on a solution would be a priority in Washington but it isn't.



Haven't you heard? The problem is solved. That's what the Army says. So instead the Emergency Supplemental funds for the war pay to move a police station to make way for a baseball stadium in Washington DC, it funds a ship terminal in Pennsylvania, it funds a large library in Hawaii, a fish hatchery elsewhere, a states' rights fight over islands off Alabama, and the list goes on.



So along comes little Amendment 520 sponsored by Sen. Bayh of Indiana and Sen. Kennedy: a small amount of money for a big matter. The amendment asks for $213 million to be added to the measure keep the only armored humvee production plant running at a two shift capacity this summer instead of shutting it down and laying off workers for lack of orders from the Army. As Tom Squitieri of USA TODAY noted,









Minstrel Boy: LAST CALL FOR ARMORED HUMVEES

Milbloggers et all
MilBloggers,



The Department of North Carolina: Veterans of Foreign Wars together with the Departments of Virginia, Delaware, Missouri and Wyoming are pleased to announce that our new Military WebCOM Video Conferencing Program for our soldiers and their families is ready for Beta Testing. Our program will enable a Solider and a significant other to communicate with audio/video via the Internet at no cost.



National VFW Commander John Furgess has offered to inaugurate the program by placing the first call to the troops.



What we need are volunteers presently stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan with the "right stuff" a computer, Internet connection , a web cam and the ability to be available today April 23 at 7:30pm Eastern Standard Time.



The VFW through programs like its Operation Uplink has always demonstrated its support in assisting military families in staying connected. This new Departmental program will only strengthen this dedicated effort.



If you can support our efforts or have any questions please e-mail vfwwebcom@gmail.com or call Ross Myers or Tara Sue Clark at (336) 235-2393. Thank you.



Yours in Service,

Ross Myers

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press

JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press

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