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Money, Power and War

The horrors of war can only be viscerally, and empathetically understood by those who have experienced:  the fragility of their own bodies in danger and combat; the repulsive but demanding urgency of flowing blood; the blending odors of blood, sweat, urine, feces and death itself; heard the screams, moans, groans, curses and prayers at sudden violent trauma; and experienced the abrupt vacant finality of death.  The futility of existence for someone with PTSD, is reason enough to strongly support, assiduously study and generously fund anti-war research and study. Please!  No more lavishly unnecessary funds for ‘defense’ (a politically correct term for war).

Feb.9th 2018 – The U.S. National Budget – 6.39 A.M., a tweet by President Donald Trump, “Just signed a bill. Our military will now be stronger than ever before. We love and need our military and gave them everything and — even more. First time this has happened in a long time. Also means JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!”

Our nations’ militaristic complex, the ogre ‘MIPUGU’, beamed with gratitude. (The Military, Industries, Politicians, Unions, Government and Universities) —- all deeply involved in the business of war.

The following individuals speak eloquently for me.

Marcus Tullis Cicero, 60 B.C. in The Great Quotations, “The sinews of war are infinite money.”  Imagine! The arms dealers would be selling arrows, clubs, spears, swords and — shields for security. One would think that in the 2078 years since, that the world would have learned how to eliminate war.  We haven’t!  Our ancient system of money-exchange appears to make war profits currently inevitable.

Historian Will Durant in The Story of Philosophy wrote: “Immanuel Kant (about 300 years ago) had complained, as apparently every generation must, that our rulers have no money to spend on public education” because all money is for the “next war.” Modern words.

Albert Einstein in Ideas and Opinions wrote, ” —– the powerful industrial groups concerned in the manufacture of arms are doing their best in all countries to prevent the peaceful settlement of international disputes.”  No compassion here!  No Golden Rule!   Profits dominate!

Stanford Professor David M. Kennedy in the LA Times, May 5th, 1985, “Almost in one stroke the war swept away the blight of economic depression that had afflicted the U.S.  for 12 years before Pearl Harbor.”  That is why the permanent war economy of the U. S. has developed. That explains Trumps mantra, “JOBS, JOBS, JOBS”.

MLK in Where Do We Go From Here? “The Washington Post has calculated that we spend $332,000 for each enemy we kill.” And that was in 1967 dollars!  “The security we profess to seek in foreign action, we will lose in our decaying cities.” MLK was descriptively and accurately prophetic. The nation soon erupted with explosive riots.

Alan Greenspan, ex-Fed chairman, Sept 16th, 2007, “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: The Iraq War is largely about oil.” The nation’s financial wise man knew the truth.

American Friends Service Committee newsletter- 2009 -“The total cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan War is now a trillion dollars. 765 billion dollars could provide the 15.3 million unemployed Americans with a job paying $50,000 for one year — just 3/4 of the war bill. Our unemployment rate would be zero and we’d still have $235 billion left over to build schools, provide health insurance or office training.” Health and education were on the ‘back burner.’  REVOLTING!