Military Industrial Complex Speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower – 1961
President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned America of the potential danger to liberty by the Military-Industrial Complex, in his farewell speech to the nation upon leaving office.
“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.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”
In spite of this wise admonition the American people have allowed their government, more or less, free reign when it comes to military spending and expansion. America spends more than the next 20 nations combined on military spending not counting home-land security and there seems to be no end in sight.
Out of the military industrial complex ‘s approximate 900 bases, in about 130 countries, congress refuses to allow any of them to be closed and literally trillions are spent on weapons and weapons systems all in the name of protecting us against, as John L. Graham stated in a 2003 article on Antiwar.com, “…the dangers of $1.49 box-cutters.”
Anytime a candidate or anyone for that matter, suggests that we need to make cuts in our military spending, in lite of the fact that we are, for all practical purposes, bankrupt, the politicians and the right-winged talk show host go on a tirade accusing them of being unpatriotic or uncaring about the safety of Americans. Ron Paul has suggested many times that cutting spending is not synonymous with cutting Defense but somehow these warmongers are unable to grasp the gravity of our situation and the danger to our security that their continual meddling into the business other nations is causing. And despite the fact the U.S. has not won a war since WWII which, was the last time the U.S. was involved in a legally declared, Constitutional war, the U.S. government continues to use it’s vast military industrial complex to meddle and bleed the American economy dry to support it’s imperialistic goals. Meanwhile freedom loving Americans are rapidly relinquishing their liberty for the false promises of security to this over bloated military industrial complex.
The Military Industrial Complex Trumps Campaign Promises
George W. Bush campaigned on the idea that the U.S. should not be the policeman of the world but we all know what happened after he became the Commander and Chief. And have his successors changed direction? Of course the answer is no. President Obama has continued the policies of his predecessors and escalated America’s interventionist policies, reneging on his promise to bring the troops home from Afghanistan shortly after taking office and now our young men and women are being shot down by our own Afghan allies as they have become weary of war and the actions of the US military in their country. The Afghan war is a quagmire that will never end with our current policies and that’s just the way the U.S. military industrial complex likes it. Face it, it’s good for their business.
One reason, I believe, these men always break their campaign promises with respect to America’s foreign policy and our continued involvement, militarily around the globe, is because the tail does not wag the dog. Just as Eisenhower warned we have become the victims of the mighty military industrial complex and its unfettered influence upon our elected officials so, now we serve it, working our brains out paying exorbitant taxes for its continued support. The truth about war and militarism is it’s all about the money.
Military Industrial Complex or Socialism (Government Nanny-ism)
It has been said that the Democrats have their Welfare, Republicans have their Warfare, sadly, both are going to bankrupt the country. As obvious as the looming financial collapse is, even to the casual onlooker, the perpetrators of the continued rise in both of these failing positions continue to demand even more and as long as the citizenry continue to look to the government to solve their problems, there will be no end until the end which, I fear is coming soon to a neighborhood near you. Government is not the solution, it is the problem and the Military Industrial Complex is not making us safer nor is it securing our freedom, in fact, it’s doing the exact opposite and needlessly sacrificing the lives of our young men and women in the process.
Three Cheers for the Military Industrial Complex!!! Rah! Rah! Rah!
Remember, The Military Industrial Complex is NOT about defending Americans it’s about money, power and influence and defending such an institution is not patriotism it’s blind nationalistic fascism.
Military Industrial Complex = Defense is FALSE
Military Industrial Complex = Bankruptcy = Loss of Liberty is TRUE