Merchants Of Death

David Stockman: The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

"Next week Congress can do far more than stop a feckless Tomahawk barrage on a small country that is already a graveyard of civil war and sectarian slaughter. By voting 'no,' it can trigger the end of the American Imperium—five decades of incessant meddling, bullying, and subversion around the globe that has added precious little to national security but left America fiscally exhausted and morally diminished. Indeed, the tragedy of this vast string of misbegotten interventions is that virtually none of them involved defending the homeland or any tangible, steely-eyed linkages to national security. They were all rooted in ideology." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDavid Stockman: The End of U.S. Imperium—Finally!

Tell Congress: Don’t Attack Syria

"The Administration is considering intervening in the Syrian civil war. We oppose this. There's no vital national security involved. We are not the world’s policeman, nor its judge and jury. Our own needs in America are great, and they come first. The death of civilians is always regrettable, and civil war is regrettable, but no Americans have been attacked, and no American allies have been attacked. The British Parliament understandably has voted not to join in any attack. Notably, defense contractor Raytheon's stock is up 20% in the last 60 days. It seems that nobody wants US intervention in Syria except the military-industrial complex. I oppose US military intervention in Syria. Join me." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTell Congress: Don’t Attack Syria

Sheldon Adelson Becomes Obama Ally as Jewish Groups Back Syria Strike

"Lobbying on Syria has inspired coalitions of the unlikely, aligning President Barack Obama with Sheldon Adelson, the Republican billionaire who spent about $70 million trying to defeat him last year, in the push for a military response to the use of chemical weapons. The support Obama is getting from pro-Israel groups in the U.S. is important because of their history of political influence. The pro-Israel community contributed $14.5 million to federal campaigns for the 2012 elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That’s more than the $11.1 million in donations by the defense aerospace industry, one of the biggest and most consistent political contributors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSheldon Adelson Becomes Obama Ally as Jewish Groups Back Syria Strike

6 Groups that Will Win Big From a War with Syria

"It has to be obvious to almost everyone that the US war machine is trying desperately to get another war going… and – at least for the moment – failing miserably. The Romans had a phrase that they used for legal analysis: qui bono, which translates to 'who benefits?' Clearly, powerful individuals are pushing hard for the US to go to war. Let’s take a look at who these people are." Continue reading →

Continue Reading6 Groups that Will Win Big From a War with Syria

War Profiteers, Slavery, and the Hypocrisy of Imperialism

"The war profiteers at Raytheon have seen their stock prices soar in anticipation of the Syrian war. As the Boston Herald reported on August 31st, “The Waltham-based manufacturer of the Tomahawk cruise missiles, expected to be used in any strike on Syria, saw its stock hit a 52-week high last week at $77.93 per share, and has stayed near that high, closing yesterday at $75.41.” Officials like John Kerry argue that this war is somehow a humanitarian response to atrocities by the Assad regime. But the corporations that stand to profit are no humanitarians. To the contrary, they have been involved in some of the most grotesque human rights violations of our time." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWar Profiteers, Slavery, and the Hypocrisy of Imperialism

BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) In Action

"The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile. Introduced by General Dynamics in the 1970s, it was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a submerged submarine. It has been improved several times and, by way of corporate divestitures and acquisitions, is now made by Raytheon." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) In Action

Syria and the Perpetual War Economy

"The end of the Cold War did not bring a dismantling of the war apparatus. It found new enemies and new causes. Today, the unwinnable War on Terror virtually guarantees plenty of reasons for more military spending for years to come. The point of this discussion is not necessarily to rail against the military-industrial complex, as much as I hate it. Instead, I want you think about a more radical idea: That the military-industrial complex is now typical of how the American economy works across a breadth of industries." Continue reading →

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MSNBC Blames Boston Bombing on “Deeply Racist” Alex Jones

"'Alex Jones may sound crazy, but he has 300 million people that have watched him on YouTube,' said Wagner, characterizing Jones as 'deeply racist,' despite the fact that Jones has preached a message of peaceful, non-violent inclusiveness for the best part of two decades. On the contrary, Alex Jones and Infowars are renowned for communicating a message of non-violence and racial harmony, stemming back from the 90′s when Alex Jones protested against and bullhorned the Ku Klux Klan. In comparison, MSNBC is part owned by General Electric, a titan of the military-industrial complex and one of the biggest arms manufacturers on the planet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMSNBC Blames Boston Bombing on “Deeply Racist” Alex Jones

‘Campaign to Stop Killer Robots’ calling for ban on ‘fully autonomous weapons’

"The idea of autonomous killer robots may seem like the stuff of science fiction, but human rights groups are already preparing for what appears to be the future of weaponry. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of international groups, is preparing for a global summit in Geneva Switzerland on Wednesday, May 29 that will review a U.N. report on these types of weapons that was released earlier this week. The Campaign hopes to convince nations to sign on to an international ban on autonomous weapons." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Campaign to Stop Killer Robots’ calling for ban on ‘fully autonomous weapons’