Posted on 11/23/2004 10:56:06 AM PST by Not a 60s Hippy
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Republican representative Ohio's David Hobson, who chairs the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee moved to wipe out funds for the program entirely.
(Excerpt) Read more at defensetech.org ...
Hobson is an ignorant ass. The reason these projectiles are being designed is because there are bunkers -- in Iran and North Korea, for example -- that our conventional weapons can't reach. If we are denied deep penetrators, nukes will be the only arrow in our quiver when the time comes. Hope that choice meets with Congressman Bozo's approval.
Someone explain to me how a Water/Energy guy can strike out language for the bunker busters...is this in a defense appropriations bill? I thought that was already passed.
this one is the mini-nuke.
Add an "h" and an extra "p" to wiped and the headline becomes true. Words are cool.
Yankee Whiskey Bravo Tango Sierra.
It ain't dead, yet. But the Bush administration's push to research and develop new nuclear weapons could be on the verge of flat-lining, after a key Congressional leader moved on Wednesday to eliminate funding for the atomic arms projects.
Ohio Republican Rep. David Hobson, who chairs the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, wiped out $96 million in nuclear projects from the government's budget for next year -- including funds for researching nuclear "bunker-buster" bombs and low-yield, "mini-nuke" weapons. Hobson also snapped the purse strings of projects to build thousands more plutonium hearts for nuclear weapons and to fast-track atomic testing.
Just last week, the Department of Energy submitted a plan to pare thousands of weapons from America's existing nuclear arsenal. But, despite the proposal, much of the country's nuclear arms budget is still at "Cold War" levels, Hobson complained in a statement. The Energy Department "needs to take a 'time-out' on new initiatives until it completes a review of its weapons complex in relation to security needs, budget constraints and this new stockpile plan."
Anti-nuclear activists were giddy after Hobson's stand. Two weeks ago, the full House of Representatives narrowly defeated an amendment to take away the money for researching the "Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator" -- a weapon designed to burrow deep into the ground before unleashing a nuclear hell-storm in underground bunkers. Taken together, activists said they believe the maneuvers forecast a gloomy future for a new atomic arsenal.
Nuclear (or nuke-u-leer) weapons R&D is performed by the Department of Energy.
Most of the nation's nuclear materials (including weapons grade) and their creation come under the authority of the Dept of Energy (DOE), not DoD, so the Water/Energy chairman could well strike out the DOE appropriations.
[Natalie Maines] Just so you know, we're ashamed David Hobson is from Ohio. [/Natalie Maines]
Yeah, but who's responsible for beeber-stuning research? (c8

Excuse me while I whip this out! Blazing Saddles revisited.
IMO - It's projects like this that need to be in the "Black Budget".
Recall, impeach,discredit.
THANKS. I did not know that. This guy is hurting our defense. I hope his efforts fail.
Yeah thats smart, Cut weapons programs while we are at war? Not only that, but the very weapons that we may NEED to defeat a present eniemy.
One word---STUPID!
The alternative to using smaller penetrator nukes to get at these bunkers is to attack them with surface blasts from far larger nukes. This doesn't make sense from the perspective of reducing civilian casualties from any military action to a minimum. I'm not particularly happy about the worldwide nuclear fallout, either.
This moron needs to be called on the carpet. Doesn't he understand that the mere threat of using such a weapon will bring rogue regimes to heal? Right now the Iranians and NKs think that they're safe because we won't invade and we won't use big nukes to knock out their nuke programs - and they're probably right. We need more arrows in our quiver, and a mere Congressman shouldn't stand in the way. Maybe Bush should veto any bill that provides money to his district....
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