[Peace-discuss] Obama lies about nukes, too

[Stuart Levy]

On Sat, Jan 16, 2010 at 10:11:35AM -0600, C. G. Estabrook wrote:
> [Obama was praised for his pious posturings about eliminating nuclear 
> weapons. What a shameless liar he is. --CGE]

It may be so, but seems we need answers to the unanswered questions
mentioned here before knowing whether this is indeed a step away
from eliminating nuclear weapons.  The two definite items in here
are $600+ million for nonproliferation funding, and $145M from DoD for
"nuclear weapons surveillance".

If a new-improved-nuclear-weapons program gets funded, then I would agree with you.

But why count monsters before they're hatched?

> 	Saturday, January 16, 2010
> 	Nuke Budget May Rise 10 Percent
> 	By John Fleck
>
>     The Obama administration is preparing to ask Congress for a 10 percent 
> increase in the U.S. nuclear weapons budget, according to an internal memo.
>
>     The National Nuclear Security Administration' s budget for nuclear 
> weapons research, development, maintenance and manufacturing would rise to 
> $7 billion in 2010, up from $6.38 billion this year, according to a Dec. 22 
> memo from Energy Secretary Steven Chu to the Office of Management and 
> Budget.
>
>     The weapons program funds work at Los Alamos and Sandia national 
> laboratories, which together employ about 20,000 New Mexicans.
>
>     The memo, a copy of which was obtained by the Journal, outlines a 
> preliminary deal worked out between OMB and the Department of Energy, the 
> federal agency with jurisdiction over the weapons program.
>
>     Administration officials have repeatedly declined comment on the budget 
> request pending its formal release next month, but the increase discussed 
> in Chu's memo has been widely expected. The budget request goes to 
> Congress, which must then determine a final spending level for fiscal year 
> 2011, which begins Oct. 1.
>
>     According to the memo, the Defense Department has agreed to contribute 
> some money from its budget in future years to help the Energy Department 
> fund nuclear weapons work.
>
>     The memo says the Defense Department money — $145 million per year 
> — would be used to fund nuclear weapons surveillance, in which old 
> nuclear weapons are routinely removed from the arsenal and dismantled to 
> look for problems caused by aging. The additional money also would support 
> basic nuclear weapons science, engineering and technology work done at the 
> labs.
>
>     The proposed funding increase comes as the Obama administration is 
> trying to win support for a new arms control treaty with the Russians.
>
>     In a Dec. 15 letter, 40 Republican senators and independent Joe 
> Lieberman wrote that any arms control reductions need to be accompanied by 
> money to modernize the remaining U.S. nuclear arsenal, along with the labs 
> and plants that maintain the nuclear weapons.
>
>     Chu's memo is silent on several key questions, including whether the 
> administration will heed the Republicans' request to fund design of a 
> next-generation nuclear weapon. The memo also is silent on how much the 
> administration might request for replacement of Los Alamos National 
> Laboratory's cold war-era plutonium laboratory. Federal officials have long 
> pushed for a new plutonium lab, but the multibillion-dollar price tag has 
> repeatedly gotten in the way.
>
>     In addition to the increase in nuclear weapons spending, the 
> administration also anticipates asking for a 26 percent hike in spending on 
> nuclear nonproliferation programs, to $2.7 billion, according to the memo.
>
>     Significant parts of that work also are done at Sandia and Los Alamos .
>
> Copyright © 2010 Albuquerque Journal Journal Staff Writer
> URL: http://www.abqjournal.com/north/16231643north01-16-10.htm
>
> 	###
>
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