As they do in every war especially wars of choice, the more shock and awe at the invasion and longer the occupations the better, one of the main reasons leaders will use any means to push for them! And as those ordered into come home, whether economy is strong or especially now still stagnant and nearer to collapse, those who reap hoard the riches made seeking other opportunities for that easy cash return!
Dec 28 2011 - This month marked the end of the Iraq war. The nearly decade-long skirmish ended with a low-key announcement, as tens of thousands of U.S. troops still continue to fight in Afghanistan.
“It’s going to be a bit awkward to be celebrating too much, given how much there is going on and how much there will be going on in Afghanistan,” said Don Mrozek, a military history professor at Kansas State University.
Our troops wont be coming home to ticker-tape parades. Instead they’ll find themselves returning to a country with a tanking economy and soaring unemployment rates.
So was the Iraq War worth it? I’m not talk about ethical issues – I’m talking about profit for large corporations. How much money did the 1% make off our of the Iraq war? For my book, "The American Dream: Walking in the Shoes of Carnies, Arms Dealers, Immigrant Dreamers, Pot Farmers, and Christian Believers", I ventured to the largest military weaponry arms show in the United States to find out.
Remember, as Billy Bragg once said: “War, what is it good for? It’s good for business.”
Lords of War
Every February the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center holds the Association of the United States Army annual military hardware trade show, where the latest in weaponry, surveillance and defense technology is displayed. The AUSA Winter Expo is set up like your average tradeshow–with industry exhibits, booth babes, and slick sales presentations–but instead of companies selling the newest innovations in plumbing supplies, it’s the latest in military weaponry.
With a $475 billion yearly defense budget, the Iraq War cost Americans $720 million per day, $500,000 per minute, equaling enough money to provide homes for 6,500 people and health care for 423,529 children. Like a happy marriage of politics and commercial interests, the AUSA Expo is a direct realization of the military-industrial complex–a term President Dwight D. Eisenhower coined to warn of the dangers of the close, symbiotic relationship between our nation’s armed forces and its private defense industries.
AUSA–Supporting America’s Best read more>>>
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