Can Drinking Less Tea Help Defend A Nation?

[NATO AIR]

Taiwan's government is sure hoping so...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6063203/

Can drinking less tea defend a nation?
Taiwan thinks so; citizens told to cut back to help military budget
Updated: 10:44 a.m. ET Sept. 21, 2004TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan people should drink less tea and use the money saved to help pay the United States for a big weapons package that will protect the island from arch-foe China, the defense ministry said on Tuesday.

Faced with criticism that an $18 billion arms offer from Washington is too expensive, the ministry is issuing pamphlets to rally support for the special budget, which has to be approved by lawmakers.

“A cup of pearl milk tea for national security,” the ministry said in a colorful cartoon, which pictured a boy holding a giant plastic cup of tea next to photographs of a submarine, Patriot anti-missiles and submarine-hunting aircraft.

“We can buy top-notch equipment to protect our country (if) everyone drinks one less pearl milk tea every week,” it said.

Pearl milk tea, also known as “bubble tea” is a popular drink containing small white balls of glutinous sago.

Opposition parties have vowed to block the budget, saying the money should be spent on education and welfare. The military says the weapons are vital to counter a build-up by China, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province to be brought back to the fold, by force if necessary.

“It’s very sad that we have to use the milk tea analogy to seek support for the arms purchase,” Defense Minister Lee Jye told parliament. “But we hope to use the simplest terms to tell people the arms budget is not too big.”

Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters

 

[onedomino]

Taiwan's government is sure hoping so...

I believe that we should supply the loans necessary to help the Taiwanese defend themselves against the PRC military. Then the Taiwanese can spend the money necessary for education and health care. The PRC will whine about it, but it will not risk its economic relationship with the US (more than 120 billion in trade will occur during 2004) over an island that has been functionally independent for more than 50 years.

 

[NATO AIR]

i wish we had more taiwan defenders in Congress to help pressure the administration to do this.

With all those missiles pointed at them, we need to firmly show the Taiwanese people we support them.

Loans indeed!

 

[NATO AIR]

oh btw, great article on china's continued love of bullying china

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/661xekri.asp

 

[janeeng]

Why not just GIVE it to them! We give money away to every other Country, pay to have immigrants come to the USA for surgery, etc., why not help Taiwan in helping defending their Country?

 

[NATO AIR]

makes great sense especially with china misbehaving

(man i hate when we travel near or through the straits between china and taiwan.. talk about being nervous, there's nothing like being a big floating target with more than a thousand missiles ready to be fired on you in case some Chinese hardline general wants to kick off ww3)

 

[janeeng]

makes great sense especially with china misbehaving

(man i hate when we travel near or through the straits between china and taiwan.. talk about being nervous, there's nothing like being a big floating target with more than a thousand missiles ready to be fired on you in case some Chinese hardline general wants to kick off ww3)

Not only do you have to watch for flying missiles in China, you have to watch for whatever else disease they come up with!!!!!

 

[NATO AIR]

my faith in "our protection" from the SuperSARS they'll likely throw at us is about the same as my faith in being able to safely bounce off the pavement after jumping off the empire state building.

they have some nasty bugs in china and i don't mean creepy crawler insects.

 

[janeeng]

my faith in "our protection" from the SuperSARS they'll likely throw at us is about the same as my faith in being able to safely bounce off the pavement after jumping off the empire state building.

they have some nasty bugs in china and i don't mean creepy crawler insects.

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!