enthalpy

Monday, March 28, 2005


Here's an arms deal the Defense Department isn't happy about. Why? Because it's not theirs.
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expressed concern over Venezuela's purchase of some 100,000 AK-47 automatic rifles from Russia on a tour of Latin American nations focusing on security, drug trafficking and the war on terrorism.

The purchase, as well as plans by Caracas to buy Russian attack helicopters and fighter jets, has fueled Washington's ire against populist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

"Certainly I'm concerned. I can't imagine what's going to happen to 100,000 AK-47s. I can't imagine why Venezuela needs 100,000 AK-47s, and I just personally hope that it doesn't happen," Rumsfeld said here after meeting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Defense Minister Jose Alencar.
And what, pray tell, does Pakistan need with F-16s? Air shows? Are they putting on a barn-storming show? The fact that these two stories came out on the same day makes it even more ironic. High performance Multirole fighters to a nuclear power: OK. Small arms to a third world country: blasphemy. Hey, I know. How 'bout a train load of M-16s. Never been fired, and only dropped once. I wonder if Rummy would have a problem with that?



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