Hold Your Fire!

Our troops must now use their bullets sparingly because bullets are in short supply.  To offset the squeeze, the Army is taking unusual stopgap measures such as buying ammunition from Britain and Israel. 

CUT!!!  Are you telling me that, not only are we dependent on foreign oil,  we are now dependent on foreign bullets, too?   As Frank Barone would say on "Everybody Loves Raymond,"  HOLY CRAP!!

Military consultant Loren B. Thompson said, "In essence the Army underestimated what its future ammunition needs might be."   The tight supplies of bullets reflect a shutdown of factories in recent years and the unexpected level of resistance in Iraq, according to a Washington Post article July 22nd.  (Click on the title above to read the article.)  The Army estimates it will need 1.5 billion rounds of small ammo this year for the M-16 rifles, triple the amount produced in 2001.  Brig. Gen. Paul Izzo says we actually have a stockpile of 1 billion rounds, but he wants to save those for emergencies.  He calls the stockpile "our trump card." 

The U.S. has also beefed up its production of armored Humvees.  Now we produce about 350 a month, up from 60 a month.  By the end of 2004, production will reach 450. 

One concern is the high price tag of the ammo now that the military is using overseas suppliers.  Christopher Hellman, director of the Project on Military Spending Oversight at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, said, "If you have to scramble to bring up capacity, then you're likely to pay a premium."    Okay, all together now, "DUH!"

All right.  Enough of this.  If you're fascinated by weapons, guns, and bullets, you may want to investigate this subject further.  But as for me,  I am not interested in ammunition- never have been.  Although I'm unimpressed with our military ineptitude in long-range planning,  I can't get excited about producing more and more ammunition to presumably kill more and more human beings.  And while we're here, doesn't this whole discussion prove that we are escalating our war agenda?  Of course, it does.  We are on the warpath.  

We need to seek peace in our world.

We are currently building 14 new military bases in Iraq.  God help us!  We are on the wrong road.  What energizes so many Americans today is the prospect of war and all its benefits.   Wars make billionaires.  Wars allow some to exercise that "bully" mentality that has been so evident since George Bush was selected as our "president." 

Work for peace, not war.

If we could be imaginative enough to visualize a peaceful world and put all our efforts into achieving peace,  we could get there some day.  If we don't change course,  our legacy to our children and grandchildren will be war and misery. 

Just a reminder:  A vote for Bush is a vote for war!