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12/14/2009 12:35 pm

POV

Pakistan: The Money Pit, by E.D. Hill

E.D. Hill

Editor’s Note: Emmy Award-winning journalist E.D. Hill is a nationally known TV and radio host and author. She spent the past ten years hosting several daily programs on Fox News Channel and was Bill O’Reilly’s sidekick on The Radio Factor, heard on 400 stations. She currently hosts "Good Day" with E.D. Hill on americaswebradio.com Tuesdays and Thursdays 8 - 9 AM EST. E.D. and her husband have eight children and pets too numerous to mention. She splits time between their ranch in Texas and the East Coast. You can contact E.D. at hillfriends.com.

What the —? A Pakistani court is refusing to hand over to the FBI five Americans arrested in Pakistan last week on suspicion they are plotting terrorist attacks. "All the government functionaries, including federal government or provincial governments, are directed not to hand over the alleged detainees [Americans] to any American agencies, or any other foreign agencies," the order said, according to Faisal Zaman, attorney for the government of Pakistan’s Punjab province. It’s not a stretch to say that Pakistan’s fragile government is challenged to successfully investigate alleged terrorist activities of Americans, yet the FBI’s help is rebuffed in fairly sharp language. This after President Obama just called the region the "epicenter" of violence.

This quick display of unwillingness to work together caught my attention all the more because of last week’s decision by the US House of Representatives to give Pakistan $1.5 billion dollars over the next five years specifically to fight terrorists. So, if I get this straight — they admit they don’t have enough money now to fight terrorists, yet when we offer to take Americans off their hands and do it for them they say "no."

While contemplating this odd choice, I read in the paper about our dismal economy and questions about how our government will find the money to stimulate it. I remembered the Kerry-Lugar Act, which passed the Senate this year, giving Pakistan $7.5 billion over the next five years to counter widespread anti-American sentiment by helping the Pakistani government deliver basic services to its own citizens. That’s right. Pakistan claims it doesn’t have enough money to fight terrorists and it doesn’t have enough money to get elementary aid to its population. I continue thinking the choice to let America take over the burden and cost of investigating its own citizens is a no-brainer.

At this point I assume that I must have misunderstood the Kerry-Lugar or P.E.A.C.E. Act (Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement Act — who gets paid to come up with these convoluted acronyms?). According to govtrack.us, that means every single one of us is paying $32 just for this part of the aid. When I check into the fact I find that I understood the gist of it but didn’t realize that there is also $300 million set aside to give Pakistan in 2010 specifically for counterterrorism assistance. Wait, the FBI is offering free counterterrorism assistance right now and being rejected?

By now you know where this is going. Add in the $1.6 billion for Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund. If coalition still means groups working together for a specific reason — in this case fighting terrorism — we may want to rethink the title of the fund. Then we’re giving another $268 million of foreign military financing during 2010.

83 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

This gives me the slow burn.  The GWB admin offered to send special troops to flush out those caves along the border.  Pakistan said NO.  Then, they offered to train Pakistani forces with new technology to search those caves.  Again, NO.  But Pakistan was happy to accept three billion to fight terrorism.  Only.. it didn’t.  Instead they bought fighter jets in case nuclear India got frisky.

The CBO estimates the USA has spent $943.8 billion on Afghanistan since 2001 and will spend another 1.6 trillion over the next decade .  As if that isn’t bad enough, there are the nut jobs attempting to govern Pakistan in a helter skelter mode that further impedes any progress in Afghanistan.  There is something absurd about sending American troops to protect a country from the drug thug Taliban, a corrupt central government, and an insane asylum across that border.

By MaggieW on 12/14/2009 12:19 pm

But I thought that the all knowing, all seeing OBAMA was going to "do the right thing"???

Not possible he is a sham and a liar. Now his is collecting all of YOUR money people. He doesn’t give a damn about America or Afghanistan.

His only concern is a New World Order and where HE will fit in there.

By notaSocialist on 12/14/2009 3:56 pm

After nine war conferences in the Situation Room with top military strategists, Middle East strategists, top USA generals, Robert Gates, and numerous phone conferences with our allies,  the President and his council decided this was the best approach.

Af course, they didn’t have an armchair general like you to advise them about your amusing New World Order.  I’m guessing they could have used a hearty laugh.

By MaggieW on 12/14/2009 4:07 pm

nota socialist, I have to agree with your comments.   I believe Obama sees himself not as the President of the United States, but a world leader.   He plays to Europe and Asia posturing himself as more important than they are.   New World Order is a serious statement and it needs to be stated here.    Thank you for your post.

By deberB on 12/14/2009 5:13 pm

I have to agree with you 100%.  Why others can’t see through this man I don’t know.

By CarolLegarra on 12/14/2009 10:35 pm

We are giving money to the wrong country. During Parvez Mussharf regime, We gave money to Pakistan every time they claimed to have captured a terrorist. NO one bothered to check if their claim was truthful. India Has been attacked several times by the terrorists who are trained in Pakistan. Their intelligence agency is involved in training these terrorists to attack India. Europe and US is threated by the terrorist attack by these people trained in Pakistan. Why do we still provide all the aid to Pakistan? Go figure.

By AnitaVarma on 12/14/2009 12:45 pm

Liars, cheaters and thieves…..we should never believe anything they say.   Same with Afghanistan and Iran.     We should stop the money flow into Pakistan today and hire Blackwater to find and kill Bin Laden and his band of murderers.    It would cost the taxpayers less money and it will over with in record time.   Then Pakistan can face India alone.

By deberB on 12/14/2009 12:53 pm

Blackwater is already in Pakistan and has been for a long time working alongside the CIA. 

By phyllisDoylePepe on 12/14/2009 1:36 pm

Special forces, phyllis.   The "A" team.

By deberB on 12/14/2009 1:47 pm

What deber, an "A" team in the band of thugs known as Blackwater??

By MelBerg on 12/14/2009 1:52 pm

Mel, as in the equivalent of navy seals, rangers, special forces.   Blackwater has a special team trained to go out on special missions.   Perhaps we should engage that special team to get the deed over with.

By deberB on 12/14/2009 2:47 pm

deber, I think NOT. Blackwater, is nothing but scum, they kill innocent people and they answer to no one. Our government has employed them to the tune of billions for far to long.

By MelBerg on 12/14/2009 3:24 pm

Mel, your statement is way too broad and can’t be supported.      There’s no way this company would have the contracts they have if they were murderers.   They are still working for our government….and they have active training contracts in South America.   Thank God we had them in Iraq.   Now we need their snipers to take out Bin Laden.

By deberB on 12/14/2009 3:28 pm

deber, there are many articles about Blackwater here is just one

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090817/scahill

By MelBerg on 12/14/2009 3:45 pm

Mel, and yet these murderers keep getting huge contracts.   Can you explain that?

By deberB on 12/14/2009 3:52 pm

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