I just spent some time with an acquaintance who used to be a US military officer and now works for a US weapons manufacturer selling weapons abroad. I left our conversations finally convinced that our efforts to save democratic processes in the American republic and to reduce the use of wanton violence in US foreign policy are doomed. In its present form, in the present context, progressives, liberals, whatever you want to call us, are absolutely powerless. Our bleatings are wasted
So, my acquaintance supports, or claims to support, equal legal rights for homosexuals, women, all races, and loathes organized religion. In personal life is decent, hardworking, and thoughtful. But voted for Bush, thinks we're winning in Iraq, seems to have no sense that selling weapons might be an immoral way to make a living. Doesn't know just how high the US military budget is - half of total world military spending, more than the next 32 powers combined. And when he heard these facts, they made no impression on his view that we need MORE military spending.
So here's thing one thing we talked about. US weapons manufacturers are encouraging Japan to change the "No offensive war" clause in its constitution. So they can sell them more weapons. My acquaintance greeted the recent news of N. Korean missile launches with a smirk - that stuff's good for business.
So Japan openly developing a military with offensive capabilities will kick off a rapid arms race in East Asia. The weapons manufacturers will be very pleased. Meanwhile at the foreign policy forums where diplomats, military officers, weapons manufacturers discuss policy, extreme right-wing think tanks always have their panelists around.
This ratcheting up Japanese military spending business is completely off the radar in the MSM. But our weapons manufacturers are on it, and they're effectively running US foreign policy in East Asia, with the right-wing think tanks providing the ideological justifications for an arms race. No one outside a very narrow circle will be aware of these policy changes until we're in a full-blown "Cold War" with China, perhaps verging on hot. And then we'll all blame the evil Chinese.
These people do now KNOW live-and-let-live. They don't know cooperation and diplomacy as elements of security policy. They KNOW stirring up trouble, raising tensions, making bucks off of fear and actual mass death. And they have tremendous money and power.
The US military-industrial complex is the biggest, most powerful, most heavily armed, wealthiest interlocking set of bureaucracies on the planet. The people inside blithely boast about their ability to erase countries from the map, but also claim to believe that it's all about "defense". And also at the same time speak consciously about how war is good for business. So, which is it? Is the US defending itself, and are the weapons manufacturers a bunch of disinterested patriots? Or are they ready to make a profit out of whatever mayhem ultimately follows from the arms races they generate? These folks, and my acquaintance, will tell you both things, and never even see a problem. Like in the 1980s, when they sold weapons to Iran and Iraq, as millions died, and laughed.
That is evil.
But frankly, there isn't a goddamn thing we can do about it. I have no doubt that both party's candidates in 2008 will promise to INCREASE "defense spending." A Democratic Congress would increase defense spending, so as to appear strong on national security, and not to piss off some very wealthy people in the weapons industry. We will do this until the American state collapses of its own weight, and god knows what happens then.
Letters to the editor, demonstrations, blogging, reading groups, phone banking, it is all f*cking in vain, folks. In the face of the money and power wielded by the "Iron Mountain," the alliance of state and weapons makers, with fear and "patriotism" on their side, there is nothing we can do. Pacificism, non-violence is a pathetic joke faced with monstrous weapons these people make and can wield, as well as the vast sums they have to spend to delude the population.
There's a lot more mass slaughter in humanity's future. And those responsible walk around with smug smiles, convinced that they're defending "peace" by mass bombing of civilians. They are evil, but most of us don't identify them as such, because they're good fathers, or mothers, or pillars of the community, or nice to dogs.
Hitler was nice to dogs.
We're screwed. No doubt that as a species we will deserve what we do to ourselves. But I feel sorry for the individual innocents.
And what kind of God would give a world to these lunatics to rule?