Sadly it isn't hard to believe that the American government had to pay a $5 million dollar ransom to secure the 16 human rights workers that were being held in Egypt on trumped up charges. This isn't the first time that the US has had to pay to play with Egypt. The historic peace agreement of 1978 between Israel and Egypt came and an astonishing tax payer price. The United States gives on average $2 billion dollars in aid to Egypt annually and has done so since the Camp David peace treaty.
The question going forward is how much American sweat and treasure is enough for the gluttons of Egypt? Why do American taxes go up to pay for the lights of the courthouse where American humanitarian workers were illegally arraigned and imprisoned? Why do American tax dollars pay for Egyptian tanks and fighter bombers? Why do American tax dollars buy private helicopters and Mercedes for the corrupt tyrants of Egypt? Wrong is wrong and the enemy of my enemy is my friend is akin to catching a tiger by the tail. Eventually the tiger is going to bite us and we have the Mujahideen as a prime example of how that dictum plays out. In intelligence it's called blowback.
While we have supposedly bought an ally in the region and fought Islamic extremism the Arab Spring has called off all bets and past agreements. Now is the perfect time to stop wasting American tax dollars on a tyrannical and corrupt government that has been extorting the American people and the world for far too long. We can no longer borrow money from the Chinese just to give it to the Egyptians. While they have always had a gun to our head, this most recent egregious act shows that Egypt is no friend of the US and they are willing to take hostages. Let's shed the tax and deficit burden of these unapologetic racketeers once and for all and focus on fixing our own fiscal house for our own sake and for future American generations. We need to disengage the Middle East for good and we should start with Egypt.
Note: I have traveled to Egypt extensively and the money does not get to the people. It is a poverty stricken nation and should US charitable organizations increase development programs there I am the first one to applaud their efforts and contribute my share. This isn't about the people of Egypt. It's about the government and the general idea of foreign GOVERNMENT aid.
Images Left to Right: Opulent Presidential Palace, Palace, Palace, M1 Abrams Tanks, Presidential Helicopter, Egyptian Fighter Bombers