i was listening to

bbc world news on npr this morning and i heard some dude saying we were giving pakistan (well musharraf who then distributes it as HE sees fit. greasing palms and paying off soldiers so they won't turn against him and on and on) MILLIONS, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars A MONTH. well, it was WICKEDLY EARLY and i thought i misheard all of that shite UNTIL, i came across this (and i wasn't even looking for it)

U.S. Aid to Musharraf is Largely Untraceable Cash Transfers
By Spencer Ackerman - November 7, 2007, 5:05PM
After Pervez Musharraf declared martial law this weekend, Condoleezza Rice vowed to review U.S. assistance to Pakistan, one of the largest foreign recipients of American aid. Musharraf, of course, has been a crucial American ally since the start of the Afghanistan war in 2001, and the U.S. has rewarded him ever since with over $10 billion in civilian and (mostly) military largesse. But, perhaps unsure whether Musharraf's days might in fact be numbered, Rice contended that the explosion of money to Islamabad over the past seven years was "not to Musharraf, but to a Pakistan you could argue was making significant strides on a number of fronts."
In fact, however, a considerable amount of the money the U.S. gives to Pakistan is administered not through U.S. agencies or joint U.S.-Pakistani programs. Instead, the U.S. gives Musharraf's government about $200 million annually and his military $100 million monthly in the form of direct cash transfers........

i'm stunned at my own ignorance. i had NO IDEA this was happening when i sure should have
and our veterans are homeless AND lacking care AND our children don't have health insurance OR enough educational supplies AND there are victims from coast to coast of natural disaster that have NEVER recovered and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and andand and and and and and and and and and and and and and...........