W. "defenders" of freedom like Repubs, we don't need enemies: Spending (what we ain't got) 26 B for Israel; 61 B for Ukraine--Jew S A zilch, suckas

Apollonian

Guest Columnist

America Last: House Bill Provides $26B for Israel, $61B for Ukraine and Zero to Secure U.S. Border​

Chris Menahan
InformationLiberation
Apr. 17, 2024

Link: https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=64398/
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House Speaker Mike Johnson's newly unveiled foreign aid bill includes over $26 billion for Israel -- $12 billion more than the previous bill which asked for $14 billion -- $61 billion for Ukraine and absolutely nothing to secure America's borders.

As Sen. Rand Paul notes, Johnson is also putting forward bills to ban TikTok (to silence criticism of Israel), turn American businesses into NSA spies and seize Russia's assets to give to Ukraine in an act of war (the REPO Act).


From Reuters, "US House sets long-awaited vote on billions for Ukraine, Israel":
The U.S. House of Representatives will have its long-awaited vote on aid for Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific as soon as Saturday, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday, paving the way for its possible passage despite fierce objections from the right wing of his conference.

The House Appropriations Committee unveiled legislation providing more than $95 billion in security assistance, including $60.84 billion to address the conflict in Ukraine and assist regional partners as they handle Russia's invasion, of which $23.2 billion would be used to replenish U.S. weapons, stocks and facilities.

The effort to pass security aid gained new urgency following Iran's unprecedented attacks on Israel over the weekend in retaliation for a suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran's embassy compound in Damascus on April 1.

The Israel bill totals $26.38 billion, some of which will cover the cost of U.S. military operations in response to recent attacks. And $9.1 billion of the total is designated for humanitarian needs, something Democrats had demanded for them to support the bill.
As a reminder, the Intercept reported on Monday that the U.S. -- not Israel -- shot down the majority of the drones and missiles Iran fired at Israel.

Reuters continues:
The Indo-Pacific measure totals $8.12 billion.

Johnson said he would give House members 72 hours from the bill's introduction - until mid-day Saturday - to review the bill. He said the chamber would vote on final passage on Saturday evening.

He also said he would release a separate border security bill, meeting a demand from conservatives.

Democratic President Joe Biden said he strongly supported the package. He called on the House to pass it this week and the Senate to quickly follow. "I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: We stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed," Biden said in a statement.
This bill is literally worse than the one they tanked a few weeks ago.

NumbersUSA said they won't be supporting Johnson's separate border bill because it's "a meaningless border cover vote" and "not a serious effort" to secure our border as was promised.

When are Americans going to realize their government has been completely captured?

 

Mike Johnson Goes Full Neocon, Nikki Haley May as Well Be House Speaker​

April 19, 2024 9:46 am by CWR
via Mike Shedlock

Link: https://citizenwatchreport.com/mike...con-nikki-haley-may-as-well-be-house-speaker/

In a speech that Nikki Haley would endorse 100 percent, Speaker Mike Johnson begs the House to approve more aid to Ukraine and Israel to the tune of $95 billion total.
Speaker-Plans-Separate-Votes.png


Mike Johnson Gives Impassioned Ukraine Speech

Newsweek reports Mike Johnson Gives Impassioned Ukraine Speech as He Defies MAGA
Speaker Mike Johnson said he will “take personal risk” by pushing ahead with his plans for a House vote on foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, as fellow Republican representatives continue to call for him to vacate the chair.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on sending additional aid to Ukraine and Israel on Saturday as part of the $95 billion military funding. The package is divided into four bills, the third issuing funding for Taiwan. The fourth includes sanctions on Russia, China and Iran as well as measures to allow the seizing of frozen Russian central bank assets to aid Ukraine.
Following the publishing of the draft legislation, President Joe Biden said in a statement that he “strongly” supported the package and called on the House and Senate to back the bills.
“I will sign this into law immediately to send a message to the world: we stand with our friends, and we won’t let Iran or Russia succeed,” Biden said.
Full Metamorphosis
The Wall Street Journal reports Mike Johnson Opposed Ukraine Aid. Then He Risked His Job for It.
“I really do believe the intel and in the briefings that we’ve gotten,” Johnson said. “I believe Xi [Jinping] and Vladimir Putin and Iran really are an axis of evil,” warning that Russia could march west across Europe if not stopped now. “To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys.”
That is a false dichotomy.
See also Ridiculous headline from Axios. Republicans aren’t panicked about Mike Johnson. Democrat Mouthpiece Media is foaming at the mouth.
One does not have to make a choice between sending bullets or men to Ukraine. One could easily do neither or both.
Sending bullets does not preclude further stupidity such as sending troops.
Johnson’s Axis of Evil Rant
“This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage. I can make a selfish decision and do something that’s different but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing.”
“I think providing lethal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important. I really do. I really do believe the intel and the briefings that we’ve gotten. I believe Xi, Vladimir Putin and Iran really are an axis of evil. I think they’re in coordination on it.”
“So I think that Vladimir Putin would continue to march through Europe if he were allowed. I think he might go to the Balkans next. I think he might have a showdown with Poland or one of our NATO allies.”
“To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys.
My son is going to begin in the Naval Academy this fall. This is a live-fire exercise for me as it is so many American families. This is not a game, this is not a joke.”

Dave Stockman, Ronald Reagan’s former budget director, blasted Mike Johnson for his speech.

See also Johnson doesn’t have enough republican votes to bring up foreign aid package. Mike Johnson tries to thread the needle.

From Stockman
This is why Speaker Johnson must go. His statement is laced with neocon paranoia, stupidity, lies and hollow excuses for warmongering. Putin has no interest in molesting the Poles, to say nothing of storming the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. And Russia has a GDP of $2.2 trillion versus NATO’s $45 trillion.
China’s $50 trillion debt-ridden Ponzi would collapse in months if its $3.5 trillion flow of export earnings were disrupted by an attempting landing by its single modern aircraft carrier on the California coast. And Iran has no nukes, no intercontinental range missiles and a GDP equal to 130 hours of US annual output.
Some Axis of evil!
When House Republicans booted Kevin McCarthy for Mike Johnson, I confidently predicted Johnson would be no better and might prove to be much worse.
The results are now in. Johnson is proven much worse. To get deals, Johnson has even agreed to expand Child Tax Credits.
Not even Nikki Haley would have done that.
Child Tax Credit Expansion
On January 27, I asked How Much Will That GOP Deal on Child Tax Credits Really Cost?
We have a new number on the deal the House Republicans agreed to. It’s $1.5 trillion over ten years. That does not include an Affordable Housing giveaway.
It’s possible that deal dies in the Senate. But time and time again Johnson has given into progressive demands.

What is the Best Way to Help Israel and Ukraine?
On April 16, I asked What is the Best Way to Help Israel and Ukraine?
See if you agree with my answer.
 

Ron Paul Issues BRUTAL TAKEDOWN Of Speaker Mike Johnson Following Ukraine Funding Bill​

Infowars.com
April 23rd 2024, 5:56 pm

Link: https://www.infowars.com/posts/ron-...-mike-johnson-following-ukraine-funding-bill/

[see vids at site link, above]

'It was a total victory for the war party.'

Former Texas Congressman Ron Paul delivered a scathing rebuke of House Speaker Mike Johnson after he crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats on a $95 billion foreign aid package, contrary to the will of members of his own party who put him into power.
“In the worst example of bipartisanship, Johnson reached across the aisle, stiffed the Republican majority that elected him speaker, and pushed through a massive gift to the warfare corporate welfare state,” Paul says in a video posted to social media. “After the House voted to send another $60 billion to notoriously corrupt Ukraine, members waved Ukrainian flags on the House floor and chanted, ‘Ukraine! Ukraine!’ While I find it distasteful and disgusting, in some ways, it seemed fitting.”

Check out a transcript of Ron Paul’s message, a reading of his recent article “Final Nail in America’s Coffin?” below:
When future historians go searching for the final nail in the US coffin, they may well settle on the date April 20, 2024.
https://www.infowarsstore.com/turbo...tm_medium=banner&utm_content=turboforcebanned
On that day Congress passed legislation to fund two and a half wars, hand what’s left of our privacy over to the CIA and NSA, and give the US president the power to shut down whatever part of the Internet he disagrees with.
The nearly $100 billion grossly misnamed “National Security Supplemental” guarantees that Ukrainians will continue to die in that country’s unwinnable war with Russia, that Palestinian civilians will continue to be slaughtered in Gaza with US weapons, and that the neocons will continue to push us toward a war with China.
It was a total victory for the war party.

The huge spending bill is all about politics for Biden, yet so many Republicans simply went along with it. The last thing the people running Biden’s White House want to see as a close election approaches are ads blaming Biden for “losing Ukraine.”
The US and its allies have already sent over $300 billion to Ukraine and the country is still losing its war with Russia. Nobody believes another $60 billion will pull a victory from the jaws of defeat. But this additional money is meant to keep up appearances until November at the expense of Americans who are forced to pay for it and Ukrainians who are forced to die for it.
Speaker Johnson could not have passed these monstrosities without the full support of House Democrats, as the majority of Republicans voted against more money for Ukraine. So in the worst example of “bipartisanship,” Johnson reached across the aisle, stiffed the Republican majority that elected him Speaker, and pushed through a massive gift to the warfare/(corporate) welfare state.
After the House voted to send another $60 billion to notoriously corrupt Ukraine, Members waved Ukrainian flags on the House Floor and chanted “Ukraine, Ukraine.” While I find it distasteful and disgusting, in some way it seemed fitting. After all, they may as well chant the name of a foreign country because they certainly don’t care about this country!
Along with sending $100 billion that we don’t have to fund more overseas war, Speaker Johnson threw in another version of the Tik Tok ban, which gives Joe Biden and future presidents the power to shut down websites at will by simply declaring them to be “foreign adversary controlled.”
Not to be outdone, the US Senate on that same day passed the extension of Section 702 of the FISA Act, which not only allowed the government to continue spying on us without a warrant, but also contained new language massively expanding how they can spy on us.
Many conservative voters are asking what the point of Republican control of the House is if the agenda is determined by Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is even reported to have bragged to his colleagues about how easily Speaker Johnson gave Democrats everything they wanted and asked for nothing in return.
What is the silver lining in all this bad news? Most Republicans in the House voted against continuing the Ukraine war. That’s a good start. Our ideas are growing, not only across the country but even in the DC swamp. Take courage and don’t give up! Work for peace!
This article first appeared at RonPaulInstitute.org.
 
Rand Paul, US Sen. (Ky-R), says there's lots of room for cutting spending, commends Musk & Ramiswamy for their willingness to do tough things politically--always un-successful for principle, as there should be competing currencies.

 

How Lies from the Biden Administration Expanded the Ukraine War​

by William L. Anderson | Mises Institute April 3rd, 2025 1:22 PM

Link: https://www.infowars.com/posts/how-lies-from-the-biden-administration-expanded-the-ukraine-war/

War breeds lies. Lies gave us Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now the Ukraine War.

How Lies from the Biden Administration Expanded the Ukraine War
Image Credit: Getty

Most of our readers are too young to remember the Vietnam War of a half-century ago, but those of us alive who held draft cards classifying us as 1A have a more personal perspective. In 1971, when I received my low draft number, all I could think was that perhaps I, too, would have to participate in the horror that was combat in that wicked war.

The Paris Peace Accords of January 1973—signed a month after I took my military physical—ended direct US involvement, although the US government continued to aid the South Vietnamese until their government and armed forces completely collapsed in April 1975. Today, Vietnam and the US are at peace with each other, but even today, unexploded US bombs continue to blow up and kill innocent people.

Samuel Johnson wrote in 1758:

Among the calamities of war may be jointly numbered the diminution of the love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity encourages.
To put it another way, war breeds lies. Lies gave us Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and now the Ukraine War. Like it has done with so many wars that have US involvement, the New York Times has first promoted the conflicts it later claims to abhor, and Ukraine is no exception. Popular columnist David French—who has never seen a US war he didn’t support—two years ago visited Ukraine and gushed about the “valor” he saw with the Ukraine people:

This is primarily a Ukrainian story, of course. We know from bitter experience that we can supply “allies” with billions of dollars of American weapons, only to watch them collapse in the face of a determined attack. But Ukrainian valor and resolve are breathtaking. Most Ukrainians I’ve talked to since arriving don’t say “after the war”; they say “after the victory.” But this is also an American story, and at the risk of sounding a bit corny, when I watched the air defenses we helped build intercept Russian hypersonic missiles above Kyiv, I felt proud to be an American.
With the Donald Trump administration now trying to broker a peace, French is not as “proud to be an American” as he was before January 20, and his rage-filled columns are aimed at either Trump or evangelical Christians that don’t share French’s political views. However, even French’s employer is now admitting that President Joe Biden and others in his administration were lying all along about the war, its progress, and the extent of US involvement:

But a New York Times investigation reveals that America was woven into the war far more intimately and broadly than previously understood. At critical moments, the partnership was the backbone of Ukrainian military operations that, by U.S. counts, have killed or wounded more than 700,000 Russian soldiers. (Ukraine has put its casualty toll at 435,000.) Side by side in Wiesbaden’s mission command center, American and Ukrainian officers planned Kyiv’s counteroffensives. A vast American intelligence-collection effort both guided big-picture battle strategy and funneled precise targeting information down to Ukrainian soldiers in the field.

One European intelligence chief recalled being taken aback to learn how deeply enmeshed his N.A.T.O. counterparts had become in Ukrainian operations. “They are part of the kill chain now,” he said.
Journalist Matt Taibbi, who always has said that US involvement was much deeper than Biden and his acolytes were claiming, writes:

The people who quarterbacked the NATO side of the Ukraine war are so pleased with themselves, they can’t keep from boasting about things that will make the average American want to pitchfork the lot of them. (Adam) Entous (of the NYT) describes a tale told “through a secret keyhole” that reveals how America was “woven into the war far more intimately and broadly than previously understood.” (Translation: it was hidden from us.) Sources not only make it clear that the public was lied to on a continuous basis from the outset of the conflict, they describe how we were lied to, apparently thinking the methods clever. Some are small semantic gambits the idiots wrongly believe exculpated their actions, but the main revelation involves one gigantic, inexcusable deception. From Joe Biden down, they all lied about the risk of World War III.

They risked our lives and our children’s lives, knowingly, repeatedly, and for the worst possible reason: politics. Afraid to admit a mistake, they planned individual excuses while letting bureaucratic inertia expand the conflict. Worse, as was guessed at on this site late last year, the Biden administration after last November’s election increased the risk of global conflict by “expanding the ops box to allow ATACMS and British Storm Shadow strikes into Russia,” in order to “shore up his Ukraine project.” If you check this “secret history” against contemporaneous statements of American and European leaders, you’ll find the scale of the lies beyond comprehension.
One only can conclude that the US had stepped well over the boundaries of what would be called “acts of war,” and only paying scant attention to the fact that Russia still has nuclear weapons aimed at US cities. According to the NYT:

The partnership operated in the shadow of deepest geopolitical fear — that Mr. Putin might see it as breaching a red line of military engagement and make good on his often-brandished nuclear threats.
Although the Biden administration claimed this was not a “proxy war,” it was the very definition of a proxy war, with Ukrainian political leaders wanting even more US involvement, making the American advisers a veritable “trip wire” if Russia attacked any Americans. Indeed, it was the major deception known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident that brought American ground troops to Vietnam in the first place.

This whole point bears repeating: the Biden administration was willing to risk nuclear war with Russia to promote a war that never needed to be fought in the first place. By pushing NATO to Russia’s borders and using CIA, USAID, and agents from other agencies to destabilize regimes bordering on Russia, the US risked plunging an entire region into pointless warfare. Taibbi writes:

While the Times piece does little to clear up whose fault the military and diplomatic failure was (there were numerous passages of the “mistakes were made” variety), it’s clear we were lied to about everything. Zelensky and his set will no doubt tell their side now, and it’s possible Ukraine’s freelanced heightening of risk to Americans will come out seeming less treacherous. Either way, it’s clear the Biden administration should have cut the cord years ago, to prevent Americans from being dragged into World War by “partners” with every incentive to pull them in. Instead, the administration berated its critics as treasonous cowards who’d have let Hitler swim to London.
Given that most of the political players in this fiasco are out of power, new scrutiny will likely move to the Trump administration’s actions. Yet, while we have “dodged a bullet” (or, better put, “dodged a nuclear missile”), this affair is not over. More than a million people have died, much of Ukraine lies in ruins, and Trump has been unable to broker that elusive cease fire.

None of this had to happen. The Biden administration was full of Samantha Power and David French types that have anxiously awaited the US’s latest “war of liberation.” In the end, of course, there is no liberation, just the death, destroyed cities, and irresponsible international “experts” who already are in search of their next war—until someone stops them.



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Ukrainian-born & descended, Congress-lady fm Indiana now speaks up dis-approving Zelinsky, spoke against sending more tax-payer money to Ukraine, etc., and other criticisms

 

US spent $2 trillion, lost thousands of lives, and took 20 years to replace Taliban with… Taliban​

June 17, 2025 9:55 pm by Alex

Link: https://citizenwatchreport.com/if-y...and-20-years-to-replace-taliban-with-taliban/

Between 2001 and 2021, under four U.S. presidents, the United States spent approximately $2.3 trillion, with 2,459 American military fatalities and up to 360,000 estimated Afghan civilian deaths.

After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, approximately $7.12 billion worth of military equipment was left behind, according to a 2022 Department of Defense report. This equipment, transferred to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) from 2005 to 2021, included:
  • Weapons: Over 300,000 of 427,300 weapons, including rifles like M4s and M16s.
  • Vehicles: More than 40,000 of 96,000 military vehicles, including 12,000 Humvees and 1,000 armored vehicles.
  • Aircraft: 78 aircraft, valued at $923.3 million, left at Hamid Karzai International Airport, all demilitarized and rendered inoperable.
  • Munitions: 9,524 air-to-ground munitions worth $6.54 million, mostly non-precision.
  • Communications and Specialized Equipment: Nearly all communications gear (e.g., radios, encryption devices) and 42,000 pieces of night vision, surveillance, biometric, and positioning equipment.
See also DOE gave away $93 billion in 76 days no oversight funds vanished, amount exceeds 15 years combined spending in historic giveaway

The total equipment provided to the ANDSF was valued at $18.6 billion, with the $7.12 billion figure representing what remained after the withdrawal. Much of this equipment is now under Taliban control, though its operational capability is limited due to the need for specialized maintenance and technical expertise.

The United States has provided at least $93.41 billion in total aid to Afghanistan since 2001. This includes:
  • Military Aid (2001–2020): Approximately $72.7 billion (in current dollars), primarily through the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund ($71.7 billion) and other programs like International Military Education and Training, Foreign Military Financing, and Peacekeeping Operations ($1 billion combined).
  • Humanitarian and Reconstruction Aid (2001–2025): Around $20.71 billion, including $3 billion in humanitarian and development aid post-2021 and $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan assets transferred to the Afghan Fund in 2022. Pre-2021 reconstruction and humanitarian aid (e.g., $174 million in 2001 and $300 million pledged in 2002) adds to this, though exact figures for the full period are less clear.
See also 3 years isn't enough.

Sources:

https://theweek.com/afghanistan-war...s-20-years-in-afghanistan-by-the-4-presidents

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...ssion-that-went-awry/articleshow/85394985.cms

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/8/19/whats-next-for-the-us-taliban-and-afghanistan



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