Why We Fight
The film that explores this issue just came out on DVD and should be viewed by anyone who wants to understand our activity in Iraq, our economy and our Empire. The director, Eugene Jarecki, began his interest in this issue prior to the Iraq War when he saw Eisenhower's farewell speech. And it is this speech that opens the film. The night before he left office, Eisenhower issued a straightforward warning to the American people, the speech was not for any other purpose than to alert the public that the war machine, the "military/industrial complex" was gearing up and, without a vigilant public we would see the rise of misplaced power.
This is exactly what has been happening, and is now ramping up more than ever. Unelected think tank elite rationalists like Scooter Libby, Ken Adelman and Richard Perle now have power without accountability. They drive policy with position papers like the Downing Street Memo which outlays the preemptive doctrine in place today.
Those elected also can have power far beyond the intended scope of their position. Dick Cheney, along with many others, moved seamlessly between government and corporate positions that changed him from a non-millionaire to a man worth $70M in a few years. He went on to become the most powerful Vice President in history and along with a small cadre of ideologues directs policy more or less out of his own head. He is a man who does not listen, can't tolerate dissent and makes bad decisions.
Eisenhower had written the military/industrial/Congressional complex but left out the "silent C", as it is referred to in the film, because he had enjoyed a good relationship with Congress. But, Congress is the key to solving this increasingly militaristic and expensive problem. They are the only gatekeepers we really have, but, they are much more attentive to the votes from their constituents who work for this huge industry, then they are from a fat and happy, duped and silent American citizenry.
Jarecki lifted his title from a series of Frank Capra propaganda films from WWII, but feels Capra would make a film like this today because of his sympathy for the common man, the average American, who is the biggest loser here. As Eisenhower pointed out, for every destroyer we build, 8000 homes could be built.
Instead we increasingly spend on the tools to protect our corporate interests and promote our consumption-driven economy by installing 860 military bases in 135 countries all over the world, spending a trillion dollars on a standing army, selling arms to anyone who will use them, no matter who they are used against, invading leaders who do not want our soldiers, calling them terrorists, toppling unfriendly leaders, propping up heinous dictators and spending one half of our discretionary tax money on weapons.
Jarecki did the commentary track with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson who had travelled a journey from patriotism to cynicism and concern, as did a number of people featured in the film such as veteran Wilton Sekzer who almost fell off his chair when he heard Bush saying that Saddam never had any involvement with 9/11. "Oh really", he says, "Then what the hell did we go over there for?" This after his successful request to have his 9/11 victim son's name put on a bomb that fell on innocent Iraqis.
There was also the personal story of the orphaned, troubled inner city kid who joined the air force on the bullshit that he could fly helicopters, even though the recruiter knew he would never get to do that. But, he signed him up and drove him to the base, in his car. No busses full of recruits any more, it's personal, one-to-one as the silent draft of our poorest goes on.
In the film, 9/11 was explained as retaliation for our placing military installations in Saudi Arabia. This was described by Chalmers Johnson as blowback, payback for our imperialistic activities. Only thing is, their military action cost about $500K, ours cost $220B and counting. And of course, we killed many more innocent victims.
Also clarified is another fallacy we were told about precision air-strikes. 90% of the thousands of Iraqi casualties were civilians. Those huge bombs miss... a lot. We saw worldwide sympathy for us disintegrate into worldwide disgust as we blatantly lied to the world. At some point we will have to face the reality that the administration wants, and has wanted for decades, permanent installations in Iraq and lied to the world in order to get them. We will never leave Iraq.
We are also helped to understand that while we have seen a huge acceleration in build up since 2002, this is an endemic, systemic problem beyond any administration. Parts of the B2 bomber are made in every state, this is to ensure that no Congressperson will favor cutting the project. Projects must be huge to succeed. Wilkerson submitted a $400M plan for the Hummer for the 82nd Airborne and was told by a Congressional aide to make it bigger or get dumped. He made it into a $9B project, which was passed. The typical scenario is to underestimate costs and over-promise capability.
As this sector of our economy spirals out of control we see our ideals go along with them. Most developed nations spend 2-5% of GDP on arms, we spend 50%, more than all members of NATO, China and Russia combined. China, which comes in second, spends 16%. It's a good business, given the planned obsolescence of explosives, and the number of oppressive dictators and conflicts. But how much better off would we be if that money repaired roads and built libraries and hospitals?
We would then be able to walk beyond our protected shores into the world and be proud to be part of a country that stands for something more positive and sustainable than greed, war and endless violence. The American Empire is distinguished in its exportation of ideas, but what ideas? Notions of fame, glory and a life like Trump and Britney which, if lead by all of us, would turn our planet into a barren rock? But, it looks so good and we fall for it, without apology. Who, after all, would we apologize to? Our kids? The oppressed masses?
No, we'll turn to them and say we didn't know and we didn't want to know. So, we didn't go protest the war or write our Congressperson and we drove SUVs around a lot and we were part of the problem. Why do we fight? Everyone Jarecki asked said the same thing, "freedom". However, he felt that in a free society, there should be a variety of answers so he probed people about how we were fighting for freedom, and inevitably those same people with the spoon-fed media answer were at a loss to actually explain how we fought for freedom.
We think we live in a free society but our media takes rhetoric unquestioningly from leaders in order to continue to have access to them, they all work for one of a handful of large corporations that control content. Activity goes on in Congress every day to take away access to alternative sources of information. We are now in danger of losing the open internet we have, we've already lost rights to time-shift content and share content that we previously held.
After Vietnam the military began training all personnel in how to answer media and how to present its message in a way the American public would support. So, they, and our media, wave the flag and talk about mom and apple pie and how we represent freedom and that's why we fight... and if you still believe that "we fight for freedom" after reading this review, see the film and decide for yourself.
This is exactly what has been happening, and is now ramping up more than ever. Unelected think tank elite rationalists like Scooter Libby, Ken Adelman and Richard Perle now have power without accountability. They drive policy with position papers like the Downing Street Memo which outlays the preemptive doctrine in place today.
Those elected also can have power far beyond the intended scope of their position. Dick Cheney, along with many others, moved seamlessly between government and corporate positions that changed him from a non-millionaire to a man worth $70M in a few years. He went on to become the most powerful Vice President in history and along with a small cadre of ideologues directs policy more or less out of his own head. He is a man who does not listen, can't tolerate dissent and makes bad decisions.
Eisenhower had written the military/industrial/Congressional complex but left out the "silent C", as it is referred to in the film, because he had enjoyed a good relationship with Congress. But, Congress is the key to solving this increasingly militaristic and expensive problem. They are the only gatekeepers we really have, but, they are much more attentive to the votes from their constituents who work for this huge industry, then they are from a fat and happy, duped and silent American citizenry.
Jarecki lifted his title from a series of Frank Capra propaganda films from WWII, but feels Capra would make a film like this today because of his sympathy for the common man, the average American, who is the biggest loser here. As Eisenhower pointed out, for every destroyer we build, 8000 homes could be built.
Instead we increasingly spend on the tools to protect our corporate interests and promote our consumption-driven economy by installing 860 military bases in 135 countries all over the world, spending a trillion dollars on a standing army, selling arms to anyone who will use them, no matter who they are used against, invading leaders who do not want our soldiers, calling them terrorists, toppling unfriendly leaders, propping up heinous dictators and spending one half of our discretionary tax money on weapons.
Jarecki did the commentary track with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson who had travelled a journey from patriotism to cynicism and concern, as did a number of people featured in the film such as veteran Wilton Sekzer who almost fell off his chair when he heard Bush saying that Saddam never had any involvement with 9/11. "Oh really", he says, "Then what the hell did we go over there for?" This after his successful request to have his 9/11 victim son's name put on a bomb that fell on innocent Iraqis.
There was also the personal story of the orphaned, troubled inner city kid who joined the air force on the bullshit that he could fly helicopters, even though the recruiter knew he would never get to do that. But, he signed him up and drove him to the base, in his car. No busses full of recruits any more, it's personal, one-to-one as the silent draft of our poorest goes on.
In the film, 9/11 was explained as retaliation for our placing military installations in Saudi Arabia. This was described by Chalmers Johnson as blowback, payback for our imperialistic activities. Only thing is, their military action cost about $500K, ours cost $220B and counting. And of course, we killed many more innocent victims.
Also clarified is another fallacy we were told about precision air-strikes. 90% of the thousands of Iraqi casualties were civilians. Those huge bombs miss... a lot. We saw worldwide sympathy for us disintegrate into worldwide disgust as we blatantly lied to the world. At some point we will have to face the reality that the administration wants, and has wanted for decades, permanent installations in Iraq and lied to the world in order to get them. We will never leave Iraq.
We are also helped to understand that while we have seen a huge acceleration in build up since 2002, this is an endemic, systemic problem beyond any administration. Parts of the B2 bomber are made in every state, this is to ensure that no Congressperson will favor cutting the project. Projects must be huge to succeed. Wilkerson submitted a $400M plan for the Hummer for the 82nd Airborne and was told by a Congressional aide to make it bigger or get dumped. He made it into a $9B project, which was passed. The typical scenario is to underestimate costs and over-promise capability.
As this sector of our economy spirals out of control we see our ideals go along with them. Most developed nations spend 2-5% of GDP on arms, we spend 50%, more than all members of NATO, China and Russia combined. China, which comes in second, spends 16%. It's a good business, given the planned obsolescence of explosives, and the number of oppressive dictators and conflicts. But how much better off would we be if that money repaired roads and built libraries and hospitals?
We would then be able to walk beyond our protected shores into the world and be proud to be part of a country that stands for something more positive and sustainable than greed, war and endless violence. The American Empire is distinguished in its exportation of ideas, but what ideas? Notions of fame, glory and a life like Trump and Britney which, if lead by all of us, would turn our planet into a barren rock? But, it looks so good and we fall for it, without apology. Who, after all, would we apologize to? Our kids? The oppressed masses?
No, we'll turn to them and say we didn't know and we didn't want to know. So, we didn't go protest the war or write our Congressperson and we drove SUVs around a lot and we were part of the problem. Why do we fight? Everyone Jarecki asked said the same thing, "freedom". However, he felt that in a free society, there should be a variety of answers so he probed people about how we were fighting for freedom, and inevitably those same people with the spoon-fed media answer were at a loss to actually explain how we fought for freedom.
We think we live in a free society but our media takes rhetoric unquestioningly from leaders in order to continue to have access to them, they all work for one of a handful of large corporations that control content. Activity goes on in Congress every day to take away access to alternative sources of information. We are now in danger of losing the open internet we have, we've already lost rights to time-shift content and share content that we previously held.
After Vietnam the military began training all personnel in how to answer media and how to present its message in a way the American public would support. So, they, and our media, wave the flag and talk about mom and apple pie and how we represent freedom and that's why we fight... and if you still believe that "we fight for freedom" after reading this review, see the film and decide for yourself.
posted by Intervision at 9:48 AM
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