Missile Madness......

This political 'to do list' is shocking and gives some indication what awaits us if they get re-elected the majority party. Manufacturing a problem and then offering to fix it is the platform Republicans run on.

It was the Bush Republican administration that got us into Iraq and Afghanistan, dragging reluctant allies with them. If they win control of the House and Senate they plan on expanding the domestic stockpile of nuclear arms. Who these missiles are defending us from remains a question.

Russia has always been a military threat. We have a missile advantage over them and any potential military threat is unlikely, they have enough internal problems. START Treaty with Russia provides some stability.

The capitalistic genie is out of the bottle in Russia and the days of expansionism and East/West confrontations by proxy are over. Russia poses a threat to the West in their sloppy handling and security of nuclear materiel. Our real enemies today are terrorists and their possible access to nuclear bomb components.

Countries like India and Pakistan do have nuclear capabilities but these are short range (300km) tactical warheads and don't pose any threat, except to each other, which isn't a bad thing.

If N. Korea had any money, or friends, they might be a threat. They do have a limited nuclear capability, supplied with the assistance of our staunch ally, Pakistan. China remains a major super power with formidable nuclear capabilities, but war with China is very unlikely.

China's economy relies on the mass export of consumer goods (mostly junk) to the west and they are not going to damage their only source of foreign revenue. China is an economic threat to the rest of the world, and we let them.

Republican plan to fund a Missile Defense Programme is a return to the Ronald Reagan 'Star Wars' initiative. There is no such thing as a missile defense force and we only have a guaranteed retaliatory strike capability. Recent test firing of US interceptor missiles have failed. There is no defense against an incoming missile, just the mutually assured ability to toss one back.

Relocating air launched missile capability from bases in the UK is another proposal. Just as in the 1970/80's having British allies maintain nuclear weapons for the US is a return to Cold War planning. UK land forces in what was then W. Germany (BAOR) were caretakers for US tactical nuclear missiles (Honest John Missile).

Bases in the UK are part of the North American missile early warning system. Having US long-range bombers stationed in the north of England would make the UK a prime terrorist target.

Extending and enforcing sanctions and embargo against Iran is another proposal in their agenda. After fifty years we have all seen how effective embargoes worked against Fidel Castro. Sanctions and embargos do not work, and never will.

Enforcing these unworkable sanctions against Iran is a euphemism for military action and Iran is no Iraq, Grenada or Panama. The US trained, and supplied military hardware to the Iranians which made them the third largest military in the world in the 1970s. Iran remains quite probably, our next military campaign, particularly if they ever develop nuclear missile technology.

Saddam Hussein with US backing couldn't beat them, and it would be a long costly campaign.

Republican party leadership seem to suffer from political Tourette's syndrome. They constantly leap up with bursts of old tried and failed promises of cutting taxes, reduce spending, less government and promoting Christian fundamentalist faith-based initiatives. President Obama has had two years to undo eight years of the George Bush administration. Realistically this can't be done overnight and hopefully the voice of reason will rear its ugly head in November and Republicans will stay out of power.

I really don't want a missile silo in my backyard.

Across the Pond