[PAA-Discuss] What's this about NASCAR?

Fri Apr 15 15:46:28 EDT 2011

Just a quick follow up - there were quite a few of you who didn't
understand why I ended up ranting about military recruitment as a part
of this thread, so I thought I would clarify.  

The $27.4 million
allocated in the budget for Nascar and also the $20 million more for the
National Guard is to provide these organizations with an advertising
budget for military recruitment. In the case of NASCAR, that may take
the form of the taxpayers funding a U.S. Army racecar and team, or it
may just mean that the military would be included in promotions during
NASCAR events and promotions. We won't know the details until we see the
results. We're just desperate to increase military recruitment for our
multiple wars that are currently costing the nation $10 billion dollars
/ month. 

Does anyone remember when President Bush and the Republican
controlled House and Senate said this conflict would cost the taxpayers
$80 billion? Ya, me neither. 

These wars will cost us trillions when
it's all said and done. 

Joseph Stiglitz was chief economist at the
World Bank and won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2001 wrote the
following article published in February 2008. 

THE THREE TRILLION
DOLLAR WAR  [1]
The cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have
grown to staggering proportions 

arg... 

On Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:38:39
-0400,  wrote:  

More from the Republican budget - supporting veterans
my @$$. This is despicable. 

But hey - President Bush, with John
McCain's support all the way, threatened to veto the GI Bill [See
Congress Eyes Major Expansion Of GI Bill [2] from CBS News, May 2008].
Bush would have been the first president in history to do so. So... I
guess defunding homeless veterans while beefing up advertising $ to
NASCAR doesn't (or shouldn't) surprise me. 

Military recruitment is
currently wayyyyyy down from where levels need to be with our multiple
wars in the Middle East now. 

In addition, the U.S. military, with our
tax $ is also now assisting in and / or actually producing their own
video games which are nothing more than military simulations and
training for future soldiers using virtual environments. They are
responsible for some of the most popular games including Call of Duty
[3], Medal of Honor [4], Navy Seals [5], Virtual Battlespace 2 [6]
(VBS2) and several others. These games are so violent and so realistic,
you cannot even visit the WEBSITE without entering your "age". If you
don't believe me, just look at the back of the box where you'll find the
famous "Go Army" logo emblazoned. 

See the official U.S. Army's website
section titled Games: Get in the Action [7] . See also Wired Magazine's
article titled U.S. Army Turns To Video Games for training [8]. 

Below
is a statement from the OFFICIAL website of the U.S. Army about their
role in gaming assistance and development. Did you all actually KNOW
that the U.S. Army actually has a liaison to the ENTERTAINMENT
industry??? Wow - our tax $ at work boy. Anyone remember the meaning of
the word propaganda and coercion? 

I HAVE A PRODUCTION IDEA INVOLVING
THE MILITARY. 
The Department of the Army's Office of the Chief of
Public Affairs, Western Region (OCPA-West), is the entertainment
industry's direct liaison to the United States Army. Its primary purpose
is to assist film, television, video and CD-ROM game professionals in
all matters relating to the United States Army. OCPA-West is staffed by
experienced personnel with many years of military service who are
thoroughly familiar with the industry production requirements. 

$75
MILLION CUT FROM HOMELESS VETS, $27.4 MILLION MORE GIVEN TO NASCAR

FULL
ARTICLE AT TIME MAGAZINE:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2064039,00.html#ixzz1JXfPpGXk

Unfortunately, in the recent round of intense budget cuts in
Congress, this small funding for the homeless-shelter project was
slashed, along with a total of $75 million in homeless-veteran benefits.
As both a veteran and an American, I don't believe that veterans'
programs should ever be isolated from budget cuts. After all, if the
nation is hurting, it is we veterans who have sacrificed and will
sacrifice first to protect her. But when I turn the pages of the budget
to find a $7.4 million guaranteed commitment to fund a U.S. Army NASCAR
sponsorship -- and $20 million more from the National Guard to do the
same -- my blood begins to boil. 

Read more:
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2064039,00.html#ixzz1JboAQnx1
[9]  

Links:
------
[1]
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article3419840.ece
[2]
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/12/national/main4087722.shtml
[3]
http://www.callofduty.com/
[4] http://www.medalofhonor.com/
[5]
http://www.socom.com/
[6] http://www.bisimulations.com/
[7]
http://www.goarmy.com/downloads/games.html
[8]
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/10/jtcoic/
[9]
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2064039,00.html#ixzz1JboAQnx1
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