How the US weapons industry cashes in on war

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I have no way to verify if the facts in this article are accurate, almost correct, or misinformation, and I invite any NT member to disprove it, but only by posting contradictory proof, not just by criticizing the source.  However, what the video has indicated is something I, and others on NT, have posted about the benefits obtained through arms sales.  If in fact it is pretty well true, it does cast a suspicion at the very least that America does benefit from continuing a war, perhaps even without providing troops, but just with words and deeds that fan the flames, rather than doing whatever it can to end a war. 

I just watched the movie "Wall Street" on TV here, in which Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) said and entitled his book "Greed is Good".  It kind of made me think that for some "War is Good". 

In President Eisenhower's Farewell Address he thought it important enough to warn us about it:

"Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.

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 State house, 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.

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."

avalon.law.yale


The US defense industry provides weapons for many countries. The question is are they in the business of war or the business of national defense. As long as there are leaders like Vladimir Putin or Sayyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, business will be good as will the nature of that business.

The question is are they in the business of war or the business of national defense.

One might wonder why the USA requires such a multiple of what any other nation spends for "national defence".  Extreme paranoia?

We're a big country and we also provide security for a lot of smaller nations. Canada has benefited from our military strength, without the US they would have had to spend many times more than they have for defense. The world is full of killers and thieves but Canada lucked out by living next door to the Police Station so there was no need for state of the art security systems, hell they didn't even have to lock their door.

Yeah, true enough.  It has to take a big budget to maintain around 750 military bases around the world.  During my schooldays I studied Canadian poetry and I remembered a line from a poem and could never find that poem again.  It stated what you said.  "...and leave our defence to the Yankees."

This is a Canadian television broadcast by Gordon Sinclair.  It is a tribute to America.                                                                                                              Originally written for a Toronto newspaper, it was broadcast on June 5, 1973 on CFRB radio in Toronto, Canada.
It had a big impact at the time. A recording of Sinclair reading his commentary became a best-selling record that hit Canada’s top 30.  Canadian broadcaster Byron MacGregor produced a version in his own voice.  It was called “Americans” and became a hit record as well, rising to Canada’s top 5, selling 3.5 million copies.  That meant 3 gold records for MacGregor.  He donated the proceeds to the American Red Cross.
Both the eRumor and the text from the original broadcast are below.
Original script of Gordon Sinclair’s commentary:
“The Americans” The United States dollar took another pounding on German, French and British exchanges this morning, hitting the lowest point ever known in West Germany.
It has declined there by 41% since 1971 and this Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least-appreciated people in all the earth.
As long as sixty years ago, when I first started to read newspapers, I read of floods on the Yellow River and the Yangtse. Who rushed in with men and money to help?
The Americans did.
They have helped control floods on the Nile, the Amazon, the Ganges and the Niger. Today, the rich bottom land of the Misssissippi is under water and no foreign land has sent a dollar to help.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy, were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of those countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.
When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.
When distant cities are hit by earthquakes, it is the United States that hurries into help… Managua Nicaragua is one of the most recent examples. So far this spring, 59 American communities have been flattened by tornadoes. Nobody has helped. The Marshall Plan .. the Truman Policy .. all pumped billions upon billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now, newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent war-mongering Americans. I’d like to see one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplanes. Come on… let’s hear it!
Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tristar or the Douglas 107? If so, why don’t they fly them? Why do all international lines except Russia fly American planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or women on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy and you find men on the moon, not once, but several times … and safely home again. You talk about scandals and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everyone to look at. Even the draft dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, most of them … unless they are breaking Canadian laws..are getting American dollars from Ma and Pa at home to spend here. When the Americans get out of this bind … as they will… who could blame them if they said ‘the hell with the rest of the world’. Let someone else buy the Israel bonds, Let someone else build or repair foreign dams or design foreign buildings that won’t shake apart in earthquakes.
When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can name to you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble?
I don’t think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbours have faced it alone and I am one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of these. But there are many smug, self-righteous Canadians.
And finally, the American Red Cross was told at its 48th Annual meeting in New Orleans this morning that it was broke. This year’s disasters .. with the year less than half-over… has taken it all and nobody…but nobody… has helped.
ORIGINAL SCRIPT AND AUDIO COURTESY STANDARD BROADCASTING CORPORATION LTD.

Times have changed.  I know that Israel sent teams to help when there were certain disasters in America.  And if you want to go way back in history I think it was the French that made sure America isn't still an English colony.

Responsibilities.  As is evident in eastern Europe right now.


That and the simple fact that the US has an economy that can afford such a military budget......Something another country still envies.

I don't know of any country that ENVIES America's military budget - a nation with 750 military bases spread around the world HAS to have a huge military budget.  I think many other countries would prefer to spend that kind of money benefitting their people, like making sure everyone has a decent roof over their head, food on the table, education for their children and competent health care. 

I believe that China is certainly one. 

Well, following the point I made that you replied to, I think China preferred to "spend that kind of money benefitting their people, like making sure everyone has a decent roof over their head, food on the table, education for their children and competent health care."  China eradicated abject poverty. 

WHEREAS America spent lots of money on its military, whlle a lot of very unfortunate Americans are sleeping on the street.... 

I know. The entitlements part of the US budget is strangling us as well.

Heading to bed early tonight.  Because I'll not be available to moderate this seed I'm locking it, but I will unlock it for civil comments in about 9 hours from now.

Now unlocked for civil commentary.

Locking again for overnight as I will not be available to moderate.  Will unlock it in the (my) morning, 9 or 10 hours from now. 

Unlocked for the day for civil commentary.

Watched the video. One thing I did notice was that the US Defense Department spending seemed to be muddled together with corporations who do work for, but are not exclusively tied to, the DoD. That said, in time of war it should be expected that these companies should see their stock prices rise. 

This is not something exclusive to the US. Russian and China do plenty of the same in Africa, the Balkans, Central, and South America themselves.

True enough that it's not exclusive to the US, Israel comes to mind as well, but NO WAY EVEN NEAR to the extent that the US carries out the business. 

Ooops - forgot to lock this overnight, but the comments posted are civil and I have no complaint about them anyway.

It is approaching 10 pm so I am locking this seed for the night and will unlock it after I've had breakfast tomorrow for civil commentary.

Made delicious gojo berry banana pancakes for breakfast, so now unlocked for continuation of civil commentary, if any.

Morning..egg and bacon sanga (sandwich) was the go for me... pancakes are more lunch and tea than a brekkie (breakfast) food here...might give it a fling (try) one morning.

Good morning Shona1 - here is the pancakes recipe I posted on the 5 Ingredients or Less group years ago.  (LINK) -> thenewstalkers

As I didn't have any blueberries today I used gojo berries (a/k/a wolfberries).  They come in packages dried, but I soak them in hot water first to soften them up.  As well, I started using 3 bananas instead of two.

Time to lock this one for good.  It's been around for 6 days, and that's enough.