Where Is Ike When You Need Him?
How many folks benefit from the arms industry? Lots! Capitalism knows how to reproduce support.
"Washington has been insisting that there is no military solution to the region's trauma," Smith writes. "Yet it is proposing not only $20 billion in weapons to the Saudis but another $13 billion to Egypt and $30 billion to Israel -- a total of $63 billion for weapons in a part of the world already awash in modern arms. And this total apparently doesn't include $40 million in guns, bullets, rockets, missiles, small arms ammunition, night vision goggles, and spare parts for the Lebanese army this year and another $280 million for 2008. Nor does it include the $3 billion Iraq is spending on weapons and ammunition -- all of which are contributing to the current mayhem in these two countries."
How many people "Support the Troops"? Lots. Nationalism knows how to keep us in line but these soldiers have busted through the Fog of War. (they read some history)
"Political reconciliation in Iraq will occur but not at our insistence or in ways that meet our benchmarks. It will happen on Iraqi terms when the reality on the battlefield is congruent with that in the political sphere.There will be no magnanimous solutions that please every party the way we expect, and there will be winners and losers.The choice we have left is to decide which side we will take... In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also robbed them of their self repect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are , an army of occupation ,and force our withdrawal."
Buddihka Jayamaha is a US Army specialist, Wesley D Smith is a sergeant, Jeremy Roebuck is a sergeant, Omar Mora is a sergeant, Edward Sandmeier is a sergeant, Yance T Gray is a staff sergeant, Jeremy A Murphy (shot on Aug 12 , survived) is a staff sergeant
Thanks to Common Dreams for these quotes. Can an anti-imperialist support the troops, support the resistance and oppose religious fundamentalism?
Labels: Military-Industrial Complex
posted by troutsky @ 12:52 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Hi Trout,
Quick question, does the behavior of the Bush administration since 9/11/01 demonstrate the wanton disregard for life that it would take to perpetrate that excuse they have used to perpetrate this "different world" in which we now live. This seems to be an overarching question no one cares to frame in such a way that distracts from their own special interests. We gotta put down the knittin', quit all that sittin' and call the liars on their bullshittin — our representatives have sold out industrial/military lobbyists, if they ever saw people as more than stepping stones in the first place. They don't represent the constitution any more than they represent any sort of citizen concensus and its high time to do some house cleaning.
Do only the elite sense the power behind this blatant imperialism at whose naked ass I insist on pointing, naively unaware of my squashability for such behavior if my readership goes up?
I recommend you check out the link to theshiftmovie.com as the closest to the kind of kindred spirit I have in mind.
excuse the bum link below, just click THIS
I thought the soldier's statement was the most insightful writing about Iraq, I read in quite awhile.
Greg, I couldnt seem to access the flick but if I understand your question, I don't think this administration is in any way unique in it's
"wanton disregard". They certainly have their own arogant style, where others have been a bit more subtle.In Marxist lingo it is known as "primitive accumulation".
The constitutional question is an interesting one and Renegades recent post on the Venezuelan constitutional referendum brings up some things for US democrats to ponder.
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