Why are we giving Kenya Free Navy Seal Boats?

1. 77

   dragonflyflaposted 13 years ago

   Why are we giving Kenya  Free Navy Seal Boats?
   
   The government of Kenya is about to receive a gift from the Obama Administration - five top-of-the-line Navy Seal boats. Why?
   
   These are boats are turbocharged , 36 feet long, capable of  carrying  a crew of three, plus one SEAL squad. Each one carries an M60 7.62mm machine gun, a MK19 40mm, and a M2 .50 cal. machine gun.
   
   Why does Kenya need these boats? Who is the target? And why should we pay for them? What is the cost and why is the contract being awarded as non-competitive (not open for bids)?
   
   We are running 1.3 trillion deficit…is this something we really should be doing?
   
   
   
   
   

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2. 79

   junksellerposted 13 years ago

   So far I have been unable to find a reliable source to verify this information. The story seems to primarily be swirling around I-hate-Obama websites, so I am unconvinced.
   
   If it is a true story, then I suspect the more plausible reason is that they will be used in some capacity to fight terrorists. I don't know why the administration would leave it open to speculation. Perhaps they figured that relative to the billions in aid given to other countries, it wasn't even worth mentioning.
   
   I'll leave it to the conservatives around here to postulate stories about Kenyan special forces using them to rescue Obama's Grannie from pirates.
   
   As for whether we should pay for them, why not? 3 trillion or so already spent on the War on Terror, who will even notice. It is kind of like fretting over whether to buy an air freshener for your Porsche. The time to think about and question the War was 10 years and a few hundred thousand deaths ago.

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   1. 77

      dragonflyflaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks Junkseller for such a thoughtful response. I agree with you that it will be used in some capacity to terrorist, but who do they consider terrorist? Our friends or our enemies?

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3. 77

   dragonflyflaposted 13 years ago

   Here is a link that isn't an "I-hate-Obama websites"  and is probably the original source.
   
   
   http://www.tradeaidmonitor.com/2012/05/ … obama.html
   
   
   
   The writer seems to think that non-competitive bids are ok since Obama didn't allow republican contributions to get in the way and NAVSECs believes they are the only one capable of filling the contract. 
   
   I would question both reasons. Perhaps it was more of a win-win contract where Obama got the Kenyans their boats and the Republicans didn't raise a fuss! Of course the taxpayers get the bill.
   
   "A review of Federal Election Commission campaign contribution records supports NAVSECs contention that it awarded the noncompetitive contract based on USMI’s ability to provide the equipment; indeed, the Obama Administration clearly did not allow the company executive team’s generosity to Republican causes to stand in the way of this award.

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