Recieved this email today. True? I hope!


> Subject: Hasta la vista . . . baby!
>
>
> > Always be careful what you ask for, you just may get it!
> >
> > One of the many headaches that George W. Bush inherited from his
> predecessor
> > was the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. In the waning years of the
Clinton
> > administration, protesters demanded that the U.S. Navy abandon bombing
and
> > naval gun fire exercises that had taken place on the largely uninhabited
> > island for nearly seventy years. It became a leftist cause. Liberal
icons
> > bumped into one another to fly to Puerto Rico, boat over to the island,
> > trespass (but never on a day that there was an exercise scheduled) and
get
> > arrested for the benefit of the New York Times or Newsweek. They
included
> > the Reverend Al Sharpton, Mrs. Jesse Jackson, Joan Baez, Robert F.
> > Kennedy,Jr., Edward Olomos, Michael Moore and Ramsey Clark, just to name
a
> > few. Hillary Clinton, then running for the U.S. Senate in New York,
> > chastised the U.S. Navy for not bowing to the "will of the citizens of
> > Puerto Rico", until her husband, a week before the election, issued an
> > executive order to phase out the facility by 2003, despite pleas from
his
> > own Secretary of Defense and the Chief of Naval Operations.
> >
> > In 2002, the bombing exercises were transferred to an Air Force bombing
> > range in central Florida, not far from the Jacksonville and Pensacola
> Naval
> > Air Stations. In January, many of the protesters were back in Puerto
Rico,
> > celebrating the final bombing exercise on Vieques and waved Puerto Rican
> > flags and placards that read "U.S. Navy, get out of Puerto Rico."
> >
> > On February 21, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that the
> U.S.
> > Navy will close the Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in Puerto Rico in
> > 2004, eliminating 1200 civilian jobs as well as 700 military positions.
> >
> > This naval facility is estimated to put nearly $300 million annually
into
> > the local economy. The next day a stunned Governor Sila Calderon, held a
> > news conference in San Juan, protesting the base closure as a serious
blow
> > to the Commonwealth's fragile economy. The governor stated that "The
> people
> > of Puerto Rico don't now or never did have an interest in closing the
> > Vieques bombing range or the Roosevelt Roads naval base. We are
interested
> > in both staying in Puerto Rico." When asked, the Commander-in Chief,
> Western
> > Atlantic Command, said, "Without Vieques, I see no further need for the
> > facility at Roosevelt Roads. None." So, Yanqui go home? Fine. But we'll
> take
> > our dollars with us. Hasta la vista . . . baby!
> >
> > On February 21, the Secretary of Defense also announced that starting
this
> > year, the U.S. European Command would begin moving most if not all of
its
> > active combat and support units from bases in Germany to others being
> > established in Poland, The Czech Republic, Hungary and Turkey to "better
> > position them for rapid deployment to likely hot spots in those parts of
> the
> > world". Immediately the business and government leaders in the German
> states
> > of Hesse, Rhineland and Wurttemburg, protested the loss of nearly $6
> billion
> > in revenue each year from the bases and manpower to be displaced. A
> > spokesman for the Foreign Ministry speculated that the move may be "what
> the
> > Americans call 'payback' for the actions of this movement in opposing
> > military action in Iraq." Whatever. Does anyone know the German
> translation
> > for "Hasta la vista . . . baby?"
> >
> > Oh, ain't it nice to see a government with guts (and a good memory too)
.
> .
> > .
> >
> > I love it!

 

I have read a little about Vieques and thats true! As for Gremany i'm not sure.

 

Hasta la vista is Spanish for good bye.

Auf Wiedersehen is German for good bye

 

Being in the military, I get the inside scoop at times......It is a fact that the US is seriously looking at moving a LOT of the military out of Germany, most of it back to the states which will increase the time away from home, but saving tons of money and giving the Germans a little payback. We are also, looking at moving some of those troops to Poland and Chech. also. Don't forget that since Saudi Arabia didn't let us launch combat ops from our nice new bases in SA we are moving out and going to Quatr.

My two cents worth, since we have no bases in France I say while we are doing a little payback, I thing the US should call in a rather large payment from the Frogs for the loans we made to them after the 2 World Wars (or did we forgive those loans during the Clinton area??)

 

It's rather unfortunate that they are a U.S. Republic though, but since they don't pay taxes to the U.S. government I guess it doesn't really matter then. Just don't understand (if I interpreted this right) why tests aren't good enough for Puerto Rico, but they are good enough for Florida.............at least they pay taxes.

 

I wish we could call in the debt of somewhere near 3 trillion dollars from France. (thats how much i heard it was in todays dollars) But of course Clinton forgave them of these debts so everyone would like him.

 

No, Clinto forgave them of the debt so the Frogs would vote for him for UN Secretary General, and it is a poorly kept secret that Clinton wants that job.

 

Well I guess (not to say I agree with what France is doing) that 15 million for the Louisianna purchase or their help in the Revolutionary War wasn't any big deal to us. History goes in patterns, one century we help someone, they don't help us, and vice versa the next century.

 

Personally, I think we have helped them out plenty of time.....the fact that there is still a France and they do not speak German says as much. I actually had a friend of mine over there recently, he is in the air force like me and passin through france on his way back to the states. He was at an airport when this French chick came up and asked if he was an american. When he said yes she kinda turned up her nose at him.. he had one simple quistion for her. he asked "Do you speak German?" She looked embarrased and turned away.

 

Puerto Rico is funny that way. From time to time you hear about these people who go around causing trouble in the name of freeing PR from the United States 'domination'. They get a lot of publicity and media play. Then everytime it's put up to a vote the people of Puerto Rico say no, we want things to stay the way they are (meaning we continue to pump $$$ in to their economy and protect their interests in world affairs). And then the hype dies down for a period of time, but after a while the troublemakers (whose only claim to fame is the "Free Puerto Rico" kick) start up again, the politicians and other media lovers join in, and the whole thing goes around in another circle.

I see the same kind of thing with regard to the Vieques issue. All these media attention types getting together for some air time under the guise of stopping the naval exercises down there. So the US says "OK, if thats what you want, fine, then Hasta La Vista." As soon as we say that, now all of a sudden the Governor of the Island realizes (a bit late) how big a blow that will be to his constituents, and so now he does a complete 180 and says "we really didn't mean what we were saying and protesting about before." Well Gov, that's just too bad, ain't it? My question to you: Where are the Hillaries and Sharptons now, and why aren't they speaking out on behalf of Vieques any more?

You know the old saying, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.

P.S. Glad to hear about the proposed decision to re-deploy some of our troops and facilities out of Germany.