Why We Fight
"Why We Fight," by director Eugene Jarecki, is a really good documentary on the American “military-industrial complex.” As with most things in life, the issue of unbridled American military power is mostly about money. But it’s also about the American attitude that they are the new “Roman Empire,” that it is their duty and obligation to police the world, to “spread democracy.” Some interesting points...
Dick Cheney was quoted as saying, around the time of the Iraq War, that “There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has Weapons of Mass Destruction.” There is no doubt. Note that he did not say, “we believe, based on our intell...” Was this simply Dick Cheney’s inappropriate wording?
Donald Rumsfeld was quoted as saying that “The United States knows that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction. The UK knows that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction. Any country on the face of the earth with an active intelligence program knows that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction.” Really? They know? They know with absolute certainty? Was this Rumsfeld’s inappropriate wording? Or was he feeding us a line of bullshit?
Of course, today we know no such thing. WMDs were never found. Some people still stubbornly cling to the belief that Iraq has WMDs. They may, or they may not, we will never know. But to base foreign policy and military action on this belief is INSANE.
George W. Bush was quoted as saying recently that “We’ve had no evidence that Saddam was connected with 9/11.” Whoa! No evidence? Then what the hell are they doing in Iraq???
Richard Perle was quoted as saying that if someone is about to fire a missile at you, then it is common sense for you to take him out before he launches that missile. How can anybody argue with that?! I found myself thinking, “Richard, you are absolutely right. I agree with you 100 percent. Against an imminent attack, you should strike first. That’s common sense.”
However, Saddam did not pose an “imminent” threat at the time of the invasion. Perhaps the Bush administration’s definition of “imminent” is different from my definition of “imminent,” in the same way that Bill Clinton’s definition of “sex” is different from my definition of “sex.”
The problem with preemptive action when a threat is not “imminent” is that you may be wrong. You may attack without just cause, and this is intrinsically immoral.
Apparently, the United States are in the process of setting up 14 permanent military bases in Iraq. That may explain why the Bush administration has no “exit strategy.”
The military-industrial complex, and Donald Rumsfeld, like to flaunt their weapons technology, especially their “precision munitions.” Apparently, their “smart” bombs aren’t very smart. In the first 6 months of the Iraq War, the United States launched 50 “precision” strikes against the Iraqi leadership. Not a single one hit their intended target! Impressive record.
The Iraq War is part of the ongoing trend of “economic colonialism” of the United States. Senator John McCain said that the United States are a force for good in the world, but they must be careful not to cross the line and become a force for imperialism. I submit that it’s too late, they’ve already crossed that line.
President Dwight Eisenhower, in his farewell speech of 1961, warned the world about the dangers of unauthorized power in the hands of the “military-industrial complex,” a term he first coined. From those days, there has been an intimate relationship between the military, the defence industry, and Congress. (Defence spending means JOBS. It is the representative’s duty to bring home the bacon.)
Recently, there has been a fourth leg of this relationship. Add the “think tanks” who provide government with detailed analyses and projections WITHOUT any verification of the facts. These thinks tanks, through their powerful influence, dictate foreign policies with zero accountability to the voters. The political system in the United States is really screwed up now...
One final note: Despite what these “think tank” reports say, raw intelligence data show that Saddam Hussein tried to secure WMD materials in the 1980s but had not done so in the years from 1990 to 2002. The invasion of Iraq was based on lies perpetrated by these think tanks.
The military-industrial complex...it’s about MONEY and POWER. It’s about Capitalism and manipulating the world to the benefit and security of the United States. It’s all about U.S. self-interest.
Dick Cheney was quoted as saying, around the time of the Iraq War, that “There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has Weapons of Mass Destruction.” There is no doubt. Note that he did not say, “we believe, based on our intell...” Was this simply Dick Cheney’s inappropriate wording?
Donald Rumsfeld was quoted as saying that “The United States knows that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction. The UK knows that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction. Any country on the face of the earth with an active intelligence program knows that Iraq has Weapons of Mass Destruction.” Really? They know? They know with absolute certainty? Was this Rumsfeld’s inappropriate wording? Or was he feeding us a line of bullshit?
Of course, today we know no such thing. WMDs were never found. Some people still stubbornly cling to the belief that Iraq has WMDs. They may, or they may not, we will never know. But to base foreign policy and military action on this belief is INSANE.
George W. Bush was quoted as saying recently that “We’ve had no evidence that Saddam was connected with 9/11.” Whoa! No evidence? Then what the hell are they doing in Iraq???
Richard Perle was quoted as saying that if someone is about to fire a missile at you, then it is common sense for you to take him out before he launches that missile. How can anybody argue with that?! I found myself thinking, “Richard, you are absolutely right. I agree with you 100 percent. Against an imminent attack, you should strike first. That’s common sense.”
However, Saddam did not pose an “imminent” threat at the time of the invasion. Perhaps the Bush administration’s definition of “imminent” is different from my definition of “imminent,” in the same way that Bill Clinton’s definition of “sex” is different from my definition of “sex.”
The problem with preemptive action when a threat is not “imminent” is that you may be wrong. You may attack without just cause, and this is intrinsically immoral.
Apparently, the United States are in the process of setting up 14 permanent military bases in Iraq. That may explain why the Bush administration has no “exit strategy.”
The military-industrial complex, and Donald Rumsfeld, like to flaunt their weapons technology, especially their “precision munitions.” Apparently, their “smart” bombs aren’t very smart. In the first 6 months of the Iraq War, the United States launched 50 “precision” strikes against the Iraqi leadership. Not a single one hit their intended target! Impressive record.
The Iraq War is part of the ongoing trend of “economic colonialism” of the United States. Senator John McCain said that the United States are a force for good in the world, but they must be careful not to cross the line and become a force for imperialism. I submit that it’s too late, they’ve already crossed that line.
President Dwight Eisenhower, in his farewell speech of 1961, warned the world about the dangers of unauthorized power in the hands of the “military-industrial complex,” a term he first coined. From those days, there has been an intimate relationship between the military, the defence industry, and Congress. (Defence spending means JOBS. It is the representative’s duty to bring home the bacon.)
Recently, there has been a fourth leg of this relationship. Add the “think tanks” who provide government with detailed analyses and projections WITHOUT any verification of the facts. These thinks tanks, through their powerful influence, dictate foreign policies with zero accountability to the voters. The political system in the United States is really screwed up now...
One final note: Despite what these “think tank” reports say, raw intelligence data show that Saddam Hussein tried to secure WMD materials in the 1980s but had not done so in the years from 1990 to 2002. The invasion of Iraq was based on lies perpetrated by these think tanks.
The military-industrial complex...it’s about MONEY and POWER. It’s about Capitalism and manipulating the world to the benefit and security of the United States. It’s all about U.S. self-interest.
posted by Darkest Knight | 12:39 PM
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