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Up to Half of the $14 Trillion Spent by Pentagon Since 9/11 Has Gone to War Profiteers

News & Views
#21

Good post, FDN, and thanks for this reminder from an evil mastermind of pro-war propaganda from the 20th century, Hermann Goering.

This is a helpful reminder of propaganda blasted at us in the US. Perhaps it should be posted often, monthly? Weekly?

The opposite message comes to us from Dr. ML King, in his Beyond Vietnam address in NYC, April 4, 1967.

As a peace maker denounced for my lack of patriotism in my public witness against US imperialist wars, from late September, 2001 through the invasion, debacle and aftermath in Iraq, and until now, I can declare to the dimwits in Dubuque, “Actually, I had other priorities for spending those 14 trillion dollars.”

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#22

I would like to see someone write a rebuttal song: they thought they were free! But of course, no $ in that narrative.

#23

There is already is a book by that name. but the entire title is ‘they thought they were free’ the germans 1933-45; author milton mayer. My copy was a college textbook which probably wouldn’t be acceptable today in our…ummm…modernized corporate-funded and right wing & christo-taliban censored universities with their McCarthy lists of unacceptable professors.

Like the University of Chicago Press that put out this book in 1955!

It’s not entertaining at all. Reading it brings for the smells wafting in the US winds. Rather horrifying at the numb acceptance by ‘everyday folks’ and justifications etc etc just like what we are seeing today across this country. Growing Fascism is no joke, and there could likely be a point where it gets too real. What are YOU going to do then? Of course you do know whose side the military-grade armed police forces are going to support, right?

As if the US isn’t already there but somehow people are ‘tired’ of paying attention. Exactly like how CoVid is being looked at after 18 months of a pandemic. Well, Fascism is a virus, too, one that also affects the brain.

sealintheSelkirks

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#24

Excellent and cogent reply. Thanks.

#25

I’ve read that book. I think I still have a copy somewhere (probably buried in one of many book boxes).
I think of it every time my local radio station urges listeners to tell their smart speakers to play the station. Same for Facebook, Twitter, and cell phones.
Sometimes I imagine long-dead secret police rolling over in their graves and groaning they could have had it so easy. No hard work breaking legs or sneaking around to tap phone lines. Just set up a stand and sell home entertainment bugs and other devices. Heck, they might have even had their fans instead of just trench coats and truncheons. (ha)

#26

I started laughing when you added FaceBlech, Twits, and cells and the concept of long-dead secret police rolling. Unfortunately the current crop of East German Stasi in this country (and around the world in far too many countries) are salivating with how great they have it I’d imagine. They get everything now because so much is online.

And now Apple is saying the Israelis have infected more than a billion I-phones with a hack program that doesn’t even need to be opened to work that is so bad (good for their purposes) that they are sending out fix-it to everybody who owns one. Of course the Israelis are a well-maintained police state and I’m sure their R&D is working on a go-around to this Apple patch as I type… And our tax dollars support this Israeli crap.

Of course posting comments on websites like this one gets us on the list, too, with our words being permanently copied in some file somewhere. But I still have never signed into FaceBlech, never been a TWIT, and still refuse to get rid of my landline including the DSL modem this machine runs on. So we ALL are under surveillance at some level no matter what we do.

Hell, I still drive a clutch (but shifting is so much better in the winter snow zone I live in).

Last thought is that the totalitarian enforcers have so many better weapons that trench coats and truncheons now…LRAD and Microwave heat rays and…truly Buck Rogers come real.

sealintheSelkirks

#27

Many commenters here seem to feel that this is just another reminder of how we’re being ripped off by our politicians and our industries, especially the defense industry. The situation is even worse than that. Consider Hartung’s list of corrective actions: our Congress would have to give up the power, money, grifts and post-Congress job opportunities to fix a situation that they themselves intentionally created. Take a look at the F-35 for just one example. It was designed from the beginning not as an aircraft but as a funnel for corruption. No one cared at the beginning and no one cares now if it flies or what it cost. It produced billions of campaign dollars and bought millions of votes. But its entire design and procurement history wouldn’t have produced a successful paper bag.

#28

Which came first, the terrorists, or the wars? Just as in Vietnam, why do we expect to make war against the culture of a whole country and have a positive outcome? Wars are easy to start in the US. We have certain buzzwords
that get our dander up and bring out our best qualities in the worst way, Just say the words terrorists, or Communists and the weapons manufacturers can count on huge profits.

America has turned war into a major industry…
Within the past month we were all glued to our tv sets, horrified that the army we sent to Afghanistan to overturn their culture might not be able to escape the Taliban. And Americans love the drama of political blame. Is it Biden’s fault that his abrupt decision to withdraw from Afghanistan put some troops and civilians in danger? Surely he could have withdrawn them slowly over many months and allowed many more to be killed in a more civilized and predictable manner, That is what war is- killing whoever our leaders decide is an enemy. Not necessarily one that will jump on boats or into airplanes to come over here, just ones that will defend themselves from us. We go around the world looking for wars to put our military personnel in danger but think of all the ‘heroes’ we have created. Or we could have spent the trillions of dollars here, on raising$ up the poor, on healthcare and college for all, on climate control, on affordable housing

#29

We have no wars now.But they are still asking for an increase in defense budget? We will never fight another conventional war. Everything is digital now thats where the next war will start and be fought.Drones and other autonomous weapons will be used if need be.We no longer need pilots for the fighter jets or pilots for ships. Air craft carriers will be obsolete very soon if not already.The war machine should be paying the taxpayers back from now on.And the republicans are complaining about a 3.5 trillion bill that will help all of us in many ways? We the people have to unite and take to the streets.Let THEM eat cake!