War Profiteering

With $250 million spent EVERY day in Iraq it is obvious that war profiteering is out of control. No oversight and a Congress unwilling to do its job. What can YOU do? Vote Democratic. The military-industrial complex President Eisenhower warned of in his farewell speech is real and it is out of control. Vote in November and give the Democrats a chance to stop war profiteering. From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer: When war is on the horizon, follow the money GARY FERDMAN AND MYRIAM MIEDZIAN GUEST COLUMNISTS Pop quiz: Who founded the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq? A. A prominent Iraqi political exile. B. Bruce Jackson, former Lockheed Martin vice president C. Neoconservatives William Kristol and Paul Wolfowitz. Answer: b. What does this mean? To understand our nation's foreign policy, including military interventions, follow the money. .............. In his famous farewell address, President Eisenhower warned the nation of the "undue influence" of the military-industrial complex, and the need to control it. As the war in Iraq grinds on at a cost of more than $250 million per day, and another contractor-heavy organization, the Iran Policy Committee, calls for a pre-emptive strike against Iran, there is a dire need to act on his warning. .............. Pentagon contractors' congressional allies routinely defeat or bury in committee initiatives that could curtail war profiteering. This June, for example, all 55 Senate Republicans voted to kill an amendment strengthening laws governing waste, fraud and abuse in defense (43 of 45 Democrats voted for it). The Documentary "Why We Fight" focuses on this issue. If you can find it I recommend it. From President Eisenhower's farewell Speech: This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence – economic, political, even spiritual – is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.