«   |   »

36% Of Weapons U.S. Sent To Afghanistan Are Missing

by Ben Hoffman

WASHINGTON (CNN) — More than one-third of all weapons the United States has procured for Afghanistan’s government are missing, according to a government report released Thursday.

The U.S. military failed to “maintain complete inventory records for an estimated 87,000 weapons — or about 36 percent — of the 242,000 weapons that the United States procured and shipped to Afghanistan from December 2004 through June 2008,” a U.S. Government Accountability Office report states.

The Defense Department spent roughly $120 million during that period to acquire a range of small arms and light weapons for the Afghan National Security Forces, including rifles, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

[…]

The military is unable to provide serial numbers for 46,000 of the missing 87,000 weapons, the report concludes. No records have been maintained for the location or disposition for the other 41,000 weapons.
Source

What this means is, the insurgents we’ve been fighting in Afghanistan may be using our weapons to kill our troops. This is crazy. There were similar problems in Iraq with missing weapons, not to mention, 9 billion dollars unaccounted for.

It’s time to start looking back. There needs to be some accountability. We are a country of laws and no one is above the law, including the president.

Posted on November 14, 2009 at 10:09 AM in Education, Politics, World News   |  RSS feed |   Reply   |   Trackback URL

34 Responses to “36% Of Weapons U.S. Sent To Afghanistan Are Missing”

    
  1. steve
    November 14, 2009 at 12:06 PM

    I like your closing statements Ben. Very well put. It seems like we’re a ‘nation of laws’ until we attempt to apply the law to politicians; ie Charlie Rangel, Tim Geithner, etc…(I mean members of both parties).
    They’ve always had problems handling tax-payer money responsibly.

    Reply
  2. pino
    November 14, 2009 at 2:49 PM

    More than one-third of all weapons the United States has procured for Afghanistan’s government are missing, according to a government report released Thursday.

    And you would have these clowns run your medical care.

    You are crazy.

    Reply
    • Ben Hoffman
      November 14, 2009 at 3:17 PM

      [And you would have these clowns run your medical care.

      You are crazy.]

      Settle down… Take a deep breath… Nobody’s proposing the government run medical care.

      There is a proposal for government run health insurance, which is not the government taking over health care.

      Reply
      • pino
        November 15, 2009 at 7:37 PM

        There is a proposal for government run health insurance, which is not the government taking over health care.

        You don’t think so? Of course that’s what it means. And if you don’t think that’s what it means, then “insurance” doesn’t mean what you think it means.

    • Moe
      November 22, 2009 at 11:02 AM

      So you’re agreeing Pino. that the Pentagon failed, which means they failed to conduct proper oversight and were lack in their record-keeping. And that, of course, is wrong.

      But if we apply proper oversight and record-keeping to health care, that’s also wrong??

      Reply
      • pino
        November 23, 2009 at 9:25 PM

        So you’re agreeing Pino. that the Pentagon failed,

        I agree that there was a lack of oversight on some level. Given that all military personal report through the Pentagon, you can say that people under their command “failed.”

        But if we apply proper oversight and record-keeping to health care, that’s also wrong??

        I don’t think that the government CAN apply proper oversight and record-keeping.

        Look. I get the Left’s problem with health care and war. If we have money to invade Iraq we have enough money to provide a doctor to our citizens. And to a very large degree I sympathize.

        I differ here: I think that there are times to “Release the Hounds of War” and a time to call them back again. I think we are fairly okay using discretion going in, but we have no ability to get out again.

        The difference is that War is a proper function of the Federal Government. Giving people things is NOT the proper role of the Government.

        And yes, our government, right or left, equally mismanages war as well as entitlement programs.

      • Moe
        November 23, 2009 at 9:46 PM

        [The difference is that War is a proper function of the Federal Government. Giving people things is NOT the proper role of the Governent.]

        So what about all that ‘provide for the general welfare’ stuff?

      • pino
        November 23, 2009 at 10:14 PM

        So what about all that ‘provide for the general welfare’ stuff?

        “The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States”

        It seems to me that Congress has the power to:

        1. Lay and Collect taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises
        2. Pay the Debts
        3. Provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States

        I do not think that these enumerations grant the Congress the power to tax one man and give it to another in the name of “welfare”.

      • Ben Hoffman
        November 23, 2009 at 10:29 PM

        [I do not think that these enumerations grant the Congress the power to tax one man and give it to another in the name of “welfare”.]

        Yeah, I want my money back that was given to BoA, AIG, Goldmann Sachs, and the rest of the bastards that destroyed our economy. And I want to see Henry Paulson rot in prison for giving it away.

      • pino
        November 23, 2009 at 10:40 PM

        eah, I want my money back that was given to BoA, AIG, Goldmann Sachs

        Whoa Tiger ;-); me too!

        the rest of the bastards that destroyed our economy.

        You mean Fannie and Freddie, right?

        And I want to see Henry Paulson rot in prison for giving it away.

        I am less out for revenge; I just wanna see that what he did was illegal and can’t be done again.

        See; we agree. Packers SUCK! 😉

      • Ben Hoffman
        November 23, 2009 at 11:18 PM

        [You mean Fannie and Freddie, right?]

        That was a small part of it, but not as much as the banking giants that became too big to fail.

        [See; we agree. Packers SUCK!]

        Packers?

      • The Arbourist
        November 24, 2009 at 1:35 AM

        You are absolutely right Pino, that damn Guv’ment has got to go! Let us start here…

        The Teabagger/Libertarian Socialist-Free Purity Pledge

        I, ________________________________, do solemnly swear to uphold the principles of a socialism-free society and heretofore pledge my word that I shall strictly adhere to the following:

        I will complain about the destruction of 1st Amendment Rights in this country, while I am duly being allowed to exercise my 1st Amendment Rights.

        I will complain about the destruction of my 2ndAmendment Rights in this country, while I am duly >being allowed to exercise my 2ndAmendment rights by legally but brazenly brandishing unconcealed firearms in public.

        I will foreswear the time-honored principles of fairness, decency, and respect by screaming unintelligible platitudes regarding tyranny, Nazi-ism, and socialism at public town halls. Also.

        I pledge to eliminate all government intervention in my life. I will abstain from the use of and participation in any socialist goods and services including but not limited to the following:

        * Social Security
        * Medicare/Medicaid
        * State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP)
        * Police, Fire, and Emergency Services
        * US Postal Service
        * Roads and Highways
        * Air Travel (regulated by the socialist FAA)
        * The US Railway System
        * Public Subways and Metro Systems
        * Public Bus and Lightrail Systems
        * Rest Areas on Highways
        * Sidewalks
        * All Government-Funded Local/State Projects (e.g., see Iowa 2009federal senate appropriations–http://grassley.senate.gov/issues/upload/Master-Approps-73109.pdf)
        * Public Water and Sewer Services (goodbye socialist toilet, shower, dishwasher, kitchen sink, outdoor hose!)
        * Public and State Universities and Colleges
        * Public Primary and Secondary Schools
        * Sesame Street
        * Publicly Funded Anti-Drug Use Education for Children
        * Public Museums
        * Libraries
        * Public Parksand Beaches
        * State and National Parks
        * Public Zoos
        * Unemployment Insurance
        * Municipal Garbage and Recycling Services
        * Treatment at Any Hospital or Clinic That Ever Received Funding From Local, State or Federal Government (pretty much all of them)
        * Medical Services and Medications That Were Created or Derived From Any Government Grant or Research Funding (again, pretty much all of them)
        * Socialist Byproducts of Government Investment Such as Duct Tape and Velcro (Nazi-NASA Inventions)
        * Use of the Internets, email, and networked computers, as the DoD’s ARPANET was the basis for subsequent computer networking
        * Foodstuffs, Meats, Produce and Crops That Were Grown With, Fed With, Raised With or That Contain Inputs From Crops Grown With Government Subsidies
        * Clothing Made from Crops (e.g. cotton) That Were Grown With or That Contain Inputs From Government Subsidies
        * If a veteran of the government-run socialist US military, I will forego my VA benefits and insist on paying for my own medical care

        I will not tour socialist government buildings like the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

        I pledge to never take myself, my family, or my children on a tour of the following types of socialist

        locations, including but not limited to:

        * Smithsonian Museums such as the Air and Space Museum or Museum of American History
        * The socialist Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Monuments
        * The government-operated Statue of Liberty
        * The Grand Canyon
        * The socialist World War II and Vietnam Veterans Memorials
        * The government-run socialist-propaganda location known as Arlington National Cemetery
        * All other public-funded socialist sites, whether it be in my state or in Washington, DC

        I will urge my Member of Congress and Senators to forego their government salary and government-provided healthcare.

        I will oppose and condemn the government-funded and therefore socialist military of the United States of America.

        I will boycott the products of socialist defense contractors such as GE, Lockheed-Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, Humana, FedEx, General Motors, Honeywell, and hundreds of others that are paid by our socialist government to produce goods for our socialist army.

        I will protest socialist security departments such as the Pentagon, FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, TSA, Department of Justice and their socialist employees.

        Upon reaching eligible retirement age, I will tear up my socialist Social Security checks.

        Upon reaching age 65, I will forego Medicare and pay for my own private health insurance until I die.

        SWORN ON A BIBLE AND SIGNED THIS DAY OF ____________ IN THE YEAR ______________.

        ___________________________ ___________________________

      • Moe
        November 24, 2009 at 10:08 AM

        A:

        Brilliant list. Beautifully conceived and written. We must find a way for it to be seen by a much wider audience than this little group of us trying to break through to two angry people.

        May I copy it to my blog with full attribution and link to you and this thread?

        Ben, sleepy – what do YOU think?

      • Moe
        November 24, 2009 at 10:12 AM

        [3. Provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States

        I do not think that these enumerations grant the Congress the power to tax one man and give it to another in the name of “welfare”.]

        And I DO think that “these enumerations . . .” so, two opinions. And we disagree, which is how all this democracy thing is supposed to work.

        And in other news, Elvis is still dead.

      • sleepygirl
        November 24, 2009 at 10:14 AM

        Moe, I think it’s great, too. And Arbourist, if it’s okay with you, I’d also like to post it on my blog (with proper credit to you, of course). 🙂

      • pino
        November 24, 2009 at 10:42 AM

        Packers?

        Often politics comes down to “My Team” vs “Your Team”. In much the same way people are illogical in their defense of Pro-Football teams and other things:

        Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings
        Ford vs Chevy
        International Tractors vs John Deere

        And other “emotional” based stuff.

        Sometimes, a LOT of times, I see people who are Republican and don’t know why. Same with Democrats; they don’t know why, only that they are. And now that they are, “Their Team” is “better” and has “to win”.

        For example, I would imagine that if you and I sat down for a beer, we would agree on much more than we disagree on.

      • pino
        November 24, 2009 at 10:45 AM

        That was a small part of it, but not as much as the banking giants that became too big to fail.

        The banking giants that became too big to fail were/are to blame for the bailout money. The economic condition we find ourselves in now is due directly to the institutions that borrowed money to people that could not afford to pay it back. Most of those loans were either held by Fan/Fred or were made due to market movements caused by Fan/Fred.

      • Ben Hoffman
        November 24, 2009 at 10:50 AM

        [Most of those loans were either held by Fan/Fred or were made due to market movements caused by Fan/Fred.]

        Sorry, that’s just not true.

      • pino
        November 24, 2009 at 12:43 PM

        strictly adhere to the following:

        Listen, there are things that the Government “Ought” do. Then there are things that it shouldn’t do.

        No one denies that the Government’s role is to provide Defense. That doesn’t make it Socialist.

        No one denies that the Government ought protect the “Right of Property”. Again, that doesn’t make it Socialist.

        No one denies that the Government ought protect the contracts entered into by two or more voluntary adults. Not Socialist.

        My question to you; serious, no snark. Is there something, anything, that the Government “Ought” not do? For example, can the government become involved in deciding your profession? Can the government decide if you do or do not go to college, and if so, can it pick the college?

        Can the Government step in and dictate how much of your paycheck should go towards savings, groceries, entertainment?

        Is there anything that the government Ought not do? If so, what is the characteristic that differentiates that thing from say, dictating that I must buy health insurance?

  3. Moe
    November 24, 2009 at 10:13 AM

    That last was a reply to Pino – must have posted in the wrong thread.

    Reply
  4. Moe
    November 24, 2009 at 10:38 AM

    A – Do you have a blog, website? Your name doesn’t link.

    Reply
    • Ben Hoffman
      November 24, 2009 at 10:48 AM

      It looks like the Teabagger Socialist-Free Purity Pledge originally came from a letter sent into the DailyKos site:

      http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/18/783895/-The-Teabagger-Socialist-Free-Purity-Pledge

      Reply
    • pino
      November 24, 2009 at 10:52 AM

      It looks like the Teabagger Socialist-Free Purity Pledge originally came from a letter sent into the DailyKos site:

      That’s alright Ben. It’s the Left that’s okay with others doing work with the fruits of that labor being distributed to the less fortunate.

      I’m sure KOS won’t mind redistributing the wealth.

      Reply
      • sleepygirl
        November 24, 2009 at 10:56 AM

        Nah…in fact, it looks like they’ve encouraged it! Darn socialists… 🙂

      • Moe
        November 24, 2009 at 11:09 AM

        [I’m sure KOS won’t mind redistributing the wealth.]

        In fact, Kos doesn’t mind. The editor there asks that the list be distributed widely. So I’m just obeying my master, the Great Orange Satan.

        And Pino, your earlier post rang very true for me. You use the word Team. I’ve used the word Tribe, which I think indicates a deeper connection. I do disagree however that that is all there is. I believe deeply in the tenets of liberalism (not all of them of course). And I’m sure you could say the same thing.

  5. Ben Hoffman
    November 24, 2009 at 10:59 AM

    Here’s a good post that addresses the question: “Did Fannie and Freddie cause the mortgage crisis?

    http://www.econbrowser.com/archives/2008/07/did_fannie_and.html

    The authors are:

    James D. Hamilton is Professor of Economics at the University of California, San Diego

    Menzie Chinn is Professor of Public Affairs and Economics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

    Reply
  6. The Arbourist
    November 24, 2009 at 12:02 PM

    You guys are busy, I only wish I could have been responsible for the list. I actually got it from Pharyngula and as established by Mr.Hoffman, its source is the Daily Kos.

    The pledge was one of those poignant works that deserved to be disseminated again. I apologize for the cut and paste fail as I grabbed it off my blog without the attribution chunk.

    It was good timing when it originally came out as I was have a discussion with a few libertarian types who can be somewhat difficult to reason with.

    Reply
  7. The Arbourist
    November 24, 2009 at 2:04 PM

    Pino said:
    Listen, there are things that the Government “Ought” do. Then there are things that it shouldn’t do.

    No one denies that the Government’s role is to provide Defense. That doesn’t make it Socialist.

    No one denies that the Government ought protect the “Right of Property”. Again, that doesn’t make it Socialist.

    The list is intentionally inflammatory because I think it is meant to convey the idea that the government, through the collection of taxes and the redistribution of wealth, makes a net positive benefit for society.

    This idea is contrary to libertarian belief that ‘rugged individuals’ if only freed from the onerous ‘shackles of the state’, could really live free and make a wonderfully decent living for themselves.

    Hence, listing all of the things that one would have to do without is often a useful place to start when discussing what the role of the state is and how it works in conjunction with its citizen.

    The other trope that this letter deals with is the idea that socialism is evil. Any political system can be ‘evil’ persay but socialism is not by definition inherently evil(I would argue that capitalism, which is based on the exploitation of one class of society for the benefit of another would be a better fit for the ‘evil’ category).

    My question to you; serious, no snark. Is there something, anything, that the Government “Ought” not do? For example, can the government become involved in deciding your profession? Can the government decide if you do or do not go to college, and if so, can it pick the college?

    The government is already involved in deciding what profession you are going to be in. For instance, if you do not comply with the American Medical Association’s guidelines for practicing medicine you will not be licensed as a doctor; similarly the Bar for lawyers or the board of education for teachers.

    Your comment brings up an important point: the government is required to regulate a multitude of areas for the benefit of individual citizens. The EPA, FDA and CDC are all examples where through government regulation and intervention the state provides a irreplaceable service that could not be done via individuals alone.

    I am, for one, happy to have a regulated food industry (mildly regulated in the US, as the profit motive has been steadily deteriorating the quality and quantity of food regulation/inspection). Not dying from Listeria or E. Coli is a good thing.

    Can the Government step in and dictate how much of your paycheck should go towards savings, groceries, entertainment?

    The government currently steps in and collects money for defense,healthcare, police, fire protection, education, social services etc. I happily endorse and condone this level of taxation. I look at my taxes every year as the price I pay for the benefits of civilization. The neo-darwinian leanings of some libertarian ethos, conversely, to me are quite distasteful.

    Is there anything that the government Ought not do? If so, what is the characteristic that differentiates that thing from say, dictating that I must buy health insurance?

    That would have to be decided on a case by case basis, as there are many factors to be considered when compiling exactly what the state should and should not be responsible for.

    I realize this is a not a definitive answer, but given the complexity of the question, it best describes how much the state should be involved in the individual lives of citizens. I will address the health insurance issue though.

    The public option would mean everyone would have a greater chance to access health services. Doctors could be seen, preventative health education promoted to those who need it most could be accessed, the standard of health care accessible to people would be raised.

    If more people have less encumbered access to health care, then more people should be healthier. Therefore, the overall cost of healthcare, not to mention the lessening of poverty related crime, would result in an overall benefit to society. (The US already spends the most on healthcare per capita anyways, why not try something new?)

    So, yes, you are helping to pay for someone else but, in doing so are keeping them healthier, safer and less likely to commit a crime/transgression against you while trying to meet their needs.

    Reply
  8. Ben Hoffman
    November 24, 2009 at 2:05 PM

    I don’t feel like scrolling to the top to hit the reply link, so I’ll post this here:

    [No one denies that the Government’s role is to provide Defense. That doesn’t make it Socialist.]

    No, but when the government’s foreign policies are for the benefit of private corporations, that makes it a fascist regime. (See Iraq invasion)

    [My question to you; serious, no snark. Is there something, anything, that the Government “Ought” not do?]

    The answer is simple. The government should be involved with things for the commons — things like utilities, police, fire departments, parks, wildlife protection, roads, highways, public transportation, and yes, health care. The government should not be involved in manufacturing. You don’t want the government making your car or your computer.

    [Can the Government step in and dictate how much of your paycheck should go towards savings, groceries, entertainment?]

    Only if you’re living on the dole.

    [If so, what is the characteristic that differentiates that thing from say, dictating that I must buy health insurance?]

    It’s pretty nutty to go without health insurance. If you get seriously injured or sick and you don’t have health insurance, the rest of us have to pick up the tab. I’m for a system where everyone is covered for those types of things automatically through a single payer system, but nobody’s proposing that. I’m not convinced requiring everyone to buy insurance is the right way to go, unless it’s just to cover catastrophic illnesses and injuries.

    Reply

Trackbacks

    

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: