Merchants
of Death:
|
"This nation is about to
embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an
extraordinary way at an unfortunate time."
- Senator Robert
Byrd, February
12, 2003
"The successful
prosecution of the war would be good for the economy."
- Lawrence
Lindsay, Former Director of the National Economic Council.
"The
good Lord didn't see fit to put oil and gas only where there are
democratically elected regimes friendly to the United States."
- Dick Cheney
"The
stakes in conflict do not change. Battle determines who will control
the wealth or its equivalent."
- Frank Herbert
|
Although
all of the issues covered on this web site are serious, they aren't
usually matters of life and death. War, however, is an event that
ALWAYS results in families destroyed, countries contaminated, and lives
lost. Many citizens believe that war should be a last resort in
times of crisis, while others argue that war is always a crime against
humanity and thus never justifiable. Regardless of your own opinion
on this issue, I hope that you will agree that there is nothing more
graspingly greedy, more odious or obscene, than to gain profit from death
and demolition.
|
“Give
me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man,
woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud.
I
will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will
crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace.”
- Charles
Sumner
“Strike
against war, for without you no battles can be fought! Strike
against manufacturing shrapnel and gas bombs and all other tools of
murder! Strike against preparedness that means death and misery to
millions of human beings! Be not dumb, obedient slaves in an army of
destruction! Be heroes in an army of construction!”
- Helen Keller
|
I'm sorry to say that we
live in a country in which the Military-Industrial-Congressional
Establishment is one of the most powerful institutions in our culture, and
as powerful as it has ever been. The term m.i.c.e. is one that I
love for its obvious distinction between these good 'ole
boys and real men. To be clear, they are m.i.c.e.., not
men. Women, to their credit, are underrepresented in this
group. Predictably, most of the m.i.c.e. who are now clamoring for
war in Iraq, also known as "Chickenhawks,"
have never served in the armed forces or been anywhere near a military
conflict.
I first came across the
term m.i.c.e. at a conservative/libertarian web
site against the impending Iraq war. I want to clarify here that
I respect the views of true conservatives and libertarians. Though
we often disagree, I have many friends that share these views. It is
the radical foreign policy and "class warfare" economics of the
pseudo-conservatives in Congress and the Bush Administration Corporation that I oppose, along with those so called "conservatives" who are willing
to betray their own long-held positions in electing and supporting them.
Many of the M.I.C.E. that make up the
defense industry and their powerful lobby have taken up positions in the
Bush Administration Corporation. Of course, they were appointed by our
President/CEO
and "Executive" V.P. who also have
personal and financial stakes in the establishment of perma-war. This
page is intended to document the corporate and congressional side of the scandalous abuses of "the system," in which those
who stand to profit from war unduly influence, or are directly responsible
for, important budget and foreign policy decisions.
|
"The
United States goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She
is a well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the
champion and vindicator only of her own. If the United States took
up all foreign affairs, it would become entangled in all the wars of
interest and intrigue, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of
freedom. She might become the dictatress of the world. She
would be no longer the ruler of her own soul."
- John Quincy Adams |
Budgeting
for Disaster: The Profit in Loss
|
“A
nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military
defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual
doom.”
–
Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr |
According to William
Hartung, from the World Policy Institute, our tax dollars subsidized
the defense industry to the tune of over $15 billion in 1996 and 1997
alone. This includes "6,500 full-time federal workers engaged
in promoting and financing weapons exports." That's right
folks, that's your hard-earned money being spent, perpetuating the cycles
of violence that dominate world affairs. Today's defense budget
decisions are no doubt influenced heavily by "thirty-two
former executives, consultants or major shareholders of weapons
manufacturers that have been appointed to important positions in the Bush
Administration. . ."
|
"I
wrote the Republican Party's foreign policy platform."
- Bruce
Jackson, V.P. of corporate strategy and development of Lockheed Martin |
Let's hear more from Mr. Hartung,
from testimony
before the House Subcommittee on International Operations and Human
Rights, on March 7, 2001:
j"The
United States is the world’s leading arms merchant. U.S. weapons sales
accounted for 54% of all international arms deliveries in 1999, the most
recent year for which full statistics are available. That’s more than
four times the value of arms exported by the next biggest supplier, the
United Kingdom; more than seven times the levels registered by France and
Russia; and fifty-four times the level of conventional arms exports
registered by China."
k"In the
ten years from 1986 to 1995, the United States had delivered $42 billion
worth of armaments to parties to 45 ongoing conflicts."
l"Of the
significant ethnic and territorial conflicts under way during 1993/94 90
percent of them - 45 out of 50 - involved forces that had received U.S.
weaponry or military technology in the period leading up to the conflict."
m"In a
painful demonstration of the "boomerang effect," U.S. arms or
U.S. military technology found its way into the hands of U.S. adversaries
in Panama, Iraq, Somalia, and Haiti. In addition, a significant portion of
the $6 billion in covert U.S. arms and training that went to Afghan rebel
groups in the 1980s was funneled to right-wing Islamic fundamentalist
forces that have utilized these resources to attack U.S. allies and U.S.
citizens."
Some of our "representatives" in Congress
go beyond just giving in to everything the Pentagon asks for. Some
of them want to grant even MORE, adding money to the defense budget for
projects that aren't even requested by the Department. In the years
of 1996-1998, your tax dollars financed $20 billion of pork that the Pentagon
didn't ask for, so that certain M.I.C.E. could pad their retirement
accounts and campaign coffers. Trent Lott appropriated almost 1.6
BILLION DOLLARS in unnecessary funds for the state of Mississippi in
1999 alone.
The Pentagon cannot even keep up with all the money
in its budget. Arthur Anderson would be ashamed if they had to claim
responsibility for the state of the Defense Department's books. Since 1999, there
have been over $2
TRILLION in transactions that are unaccounted for. In
fact, THE
PENTAGON HAS NEVER PASSED A SINGLE AUDIT!!
Clearly, members of Congress and their enablers in
the defense lobby (many M.I.C.E. jump freely from one ship to another)
have the blood of innocents on their hands, and blood money overflowing
their bank accounts. We, as citizens, perpetuate the system when we
do not speak out against it.
Foreign Policy For Sale: The
Auction Of Armageddon
Can there be any legitimate reasons
for the United States to pull out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, or
for us to thumb our noses at the Non-Proliferation Treaty? These
agreements are the cornerstones of world peace and stability. In
attempting to answer this question, we cannot look into the hearts of
those who are responsible for these policies. However, we
can document the real problems, both in the present and future,
created by these policies. And we can always follow the money, and
see where that leads us.
Many experts, and most world
government representatives, believe that our pursuit of the Missile
Defense System, along with our new Nuclear Posture Review, will escalate
arms proliferation worldwide. Contrary to this popular world-view,
the Bush Administration Corporation has authorized the implementation of expensive and unproven
missile defense technologies, and has unilaterally (and illegally, in my
opinion) withdrawn from the ABM Treaty. They continue to advocate
the expansion of nuclear targets, lowering the threshold for nuclear
strikes, and the creation of "usable nukes." These
positions are irresponsible. They are reckless. They are
indefensible. These
policies have eroded good will and support for America across the globe.
They increase the likelihood of violence and terrorism here at home.
|
“Violence
is the last refuge of the incompetent.”
- Isaac
Asimov
|
What are we to gain from these radical
shifts in policy? We are already the indisputably dominant military
power in the world. We can easily make Baghdad the equivalent of
Hiroshima WITHOUT using nukes. Unproven missile defense technologies
are admittedly inadequate
(this link courtesy of the Union of Concerned Scientists) in defending
from multiple attacks, and are years away from even moderate
success. How do the citizens benefit in the immediate escalation of
proliferation and anti-Americanism? The simple answer is that WE
DON'T. But the arms industry, it's backers, and it's representatives
in our government benefit greatly.
Example: Since 1962, we have
spent more than $140
BILLION DOLLARS on missile defense programs, adjusted for inflation. What do we have to show
for this? Nada. Again, this system is still FAR from being operational.
Example: "A World Policy
Institute analysis
of campaign contributions by ten major nuclear weapons and missile defense
contractors revealed that these firms made $8.6 million in political
contributions in 1999/2000, with 61% of the funds going to Republican
candidates; and $4.2 million in contributions so far in 2001/2002, with
64% going to Republican candidates. Five of the top six donors to
members of the House Armed Services Committee during the 1999/2000
election cycle were major nuclear weapons and missile defense
contractors." Now that's what I call greasing the skids!
|
"Every
gun that is made, every warship that is launched, every rocket fired
signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not
fed, those who are cold, and are not clothed. This world in arms is
not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers,
the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. . . This is
not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of war,
it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower |
More examples
of the arms industry's inequitable influences on our foreign
policy:
j"The
expansion of NATO - The U.S. Committee to Expand NATO (later renamed the
U.S. Committee on NATO), a lobbying group. claims Bruce Jackson as it's
president. He also happens to be the director of strategic planning
for Lockheed Martin.
k"The
Code of Conduct bill - This 1995 bill "would have tied all U.S.
arms exports to the customer's democracy record, human-rights record, and
its willingness to report arms imports and exports to the United Nations.
Both the Senate and House versions of the bill were soundly defeated, with
the 65 senators and 262 representatives who voted against it collecting
some $4 million in contributions from defense PACs..
|
"In
the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of
unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-
industrial complex."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower |
There can be no doubt that we are
being asked to continually mortgage world peace, good will, and personal
security to subsidize the profits and politics of the Military-Industrial
Congressional Establishment. Will we continue to allow these M.I.C.E.
to "lead" us, or will we choose to elect and support real
men, or even better yet, women?
|
"If
we don't end war, war will end us."
- H. G. Wells
"Why
can't we take risks for peace? We are so brave in war. We see
no risks in war. Now we should take risks for peace."
-
Former Israeli general Amram Mitzna
|
Global
Security Institute
In the most pressing issue of these
times. the George W. Bush administration is pressing for War in
Iraq. In their attempt to pre-empt the debate, they are framing the
question dishonestly, as a choice between WAR and NOTHING. But we
all know there is a huge space in between war and nothing. I agree
with the position of Global Security Institute, that this space should be
filled with ROBUST MONITORING. Please read the
GSI statement (pdf file) for the details of this argument, and consider
expressing your support for this idea, as well as support for the plan by
the French, German, and Belgium governments to preserve the fragile hope
for peace in this volatile region.
Arms-Trade
Activists
I was prepared to make a
list for you, but here it is, already done for me. Thanks to www.motherjones.com.
Arms
Trade Resource Center
"The Arms Trade
Resource Center was established in 1993 to engage in public education and
policy advocacy aimed at promoting restraint in the international arms
trade. The Center performs research on the U.S. weapons trade and U.S.
arms sales policy, and it publishes reports, magazine articles, and op-ed
pieces on the issue. We also serve as a resource for the media, citizen's
organizations, members of Congress, and Executive Branch
policymakers." William Hartung and company offer these detailed
reports, among others:
The
New Business of War: Small Arms and the Proliferation of Conflict
(pdf file)
About
Face: The Role of the Arms Lobby In the Bush Administration's
Radical Reversal of Two Decades of U.S. Nuclear Policy
Axis
Of Influence:
Behind the Bush Administration's Missile Defense Revival
U.S.
Arms Transfers and Security Assistance to Israel
Increases
in Military Spending and Security Assistance Since 9/11
The
Dirty Dozen: Partners in Mass Destruction
December 13, 2001
Eisenhower's
Warning: The Military-Industrial Complex Forty Years Later
Arms
Control Association
Mission: "The
Arms Control Association (ACA), founded in 1971, is a national nonpartisan
membership organization dedicated to promoting public understanding of and
support for effective arms control policies." The best
resources are the Treaties
page, with full text files of the actual treaties, and the Press
Room, with important media advisories.
The
Center For Defense Information
"The Center for Defense Information is a
non-partisan, non-profit organization committed to independent research on
the social, economic, environmental, political and military components of
global security. To ensure the ability to provide objective analysis, CDI
accepts no government or defense industry funding." This
objective resource offers comprehensive information on all defense related
issues. Don't miss the Defense
Monitor newsletter and the Arms
Transfer Project.
Making
a Killing: The Business of War
This eleven part series from the Center
for Public Integrity details some of the worst abuses of the global
arms supply system.
The
"Military-Industrial Complex" Speech
Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his 1961 "farewell"
speech, warned of what was to come, and coined a new term in the
process. He also said, "as we peer into society's future, we --
you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for
today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious
resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our
grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and
spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to
come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow." Read it
and weep.
The
Perpetual War Portfolio
This web site is a real gem, that
follows five of the
biggest defense contractors, their political connections, and
lobbying/election expenditures. The portfolio tracks the stock
prices of the group against the Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq since
12/2/02. Its creator says, "this portfolio can't lose while
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz are in power."
More Peace Activism
and Anti-War Groups:
Please take a look at
my action page to find out more about what YOU can do to help prevent war and
proliferation.
|
“Peace
is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive
at that goal.”
"The
ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting
the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it
multiplies it... Through
violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In
fact, violence merely increases hate.... adding deeper darkness to a night
already devoid of stars. Darkness
cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
–
Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
|
