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01 October, 2005

Ted Turner

Salam,

I was watching David Letterman show last night, and one of his guests was Ted Turner, I was ver impressed with the interview and all what Turner has done and his attitude toward the war and how he is a peace man. Here is something Mr. Turner said:

" Ted believes good education and health care and a better standard of living is the best way to fight terrorism. Provide them with the above and they won't want to blow themselves up or go to war. He points out that the United States spends $400-500 billion a year on their military budget. The rest of the world spends the same amount. Is all that money spent on the military spent wisely? In a speech earlier this year, Ted went through a laundry list of the leading social problems around the world and the dollar cost of fixing them. For instance:-$15 billion a year for universal primary education of all children.-$4 billion a year for adult literacy-$10 billion a year for reproductive health and family planningOn and on and on Ted spelled it out in this speech. Total cost: $62 billion a year. He reminds us that the United States spends $500 billion on the military alone each year. And the U.S. wouldn't have to pay the entire $62 billion; it would be spread out across the world. "You don't stop terrorism with tanks, you stop it with hope," says Ted. Dang it, it makes sense to me. "

Then I also read this email from AL-AWDA about US aid to Israel:

Total Direct Aid to Israel Conservatively Estimated at Almost $105 Billion
By Shirl McArthur

TABLE 1. RECENT U.S. AID TO ISRAEL(millions of dollars)

Year Total Grant1949-1996 68,030.9
1997 3,132.1
1998 3,080.0
1999 3,010.0
2000 4,129.1
2001 2,873.8
2002 2,848.0
2003 est. 3,741.1
2004 est. 2,687.3
Total: 93,534.6

Notes: The economic grant was earmarked for $960 million for FY2000 but was reduced to meet the 0.38% recision. FY2000 military grants include $1.2 billion for the Wye agreement and $1.92 billion in annual military aid. Final amounts for FY2003 are reduced by 0.65% mandated recision, and final amounts for FY2004 are reduced by 0.59%.
Source: CRS Issue Brief, Israel: U.S. Foreign Assistance, updated Dec. 9, 2004.
_______________________________________________________________
Shirl McArthur, a retired U.S. foreign service officer, is a consultant in the Washington, DC area.
Peace