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Friday, January 28, 2011

The States of War Budgets - 4

In this series we have been taking a serious look at the reality that imperialistic warmongering is bringing to the world, and to the nation at home.

We have stated several times that the USA spends more on militarism than all the rest of the nations combined.

People believe that or not based upon their concept of "militarism".

Some do not realize that "militarism" includes not only wars, it includes spy ops, psychological ops, propaganda networks, tax breaks for the weapons industry, a war college system, and campaign financing at home and abroad where the military needs to "grease the palms" of "patriotic" politicians.

Any resource exerted toward advancing the warmonger effort is a part of the vast system of militarism, including preparations for detainment camps when the American people get all roguish and mavericky like the Egyptians:
A new report by the U.S. Army War College talks about the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used should the economic crisis lead to civil unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered banks.

“Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security,” said the War College report.

The study says economic collapse, terrorism and loss of legal order are among possible domestic shocks that might require military action within the U.S.
(The Government of the Government). The grotesquely misnamed "Homeland Security" is part and parcel of those expenditures.

For another example, we have pointed out that there are more people in military marching bands goose stepping to warmonger tunes than there are employees in the State Department employed for the purpose of advancing pro-American diplomatic interactions in the world around us.

A world that we increasingly invade, destabilize, and otherwise offend.

Dredd Blog is not the only place that makes the assertion that we spend more on militarism than the rest of the world combined:
The essential facts remain: U.S. military outlays today equal that of every other nation on the planet combined, a situation without precedent in modern history.

The Pentagon presently spends more in constant dollars than it did at any time during the Cold War -- this despite the absence of anything remotely approximating what national security experts like to call a “peer competitor.” Evil Empire? It exists only in the fevered imaginations of those who quiver at the prospect of China adding a rust-bucket Russian aircraft carrier to its fleet or who take seriously the ravings of radical Islamists promising from deep inside their caves to unite the Umma in a new caliphate.
(Andrew Bacevich, Huffington Post). The exceptionalist's addiction to what they perceive to be the glory of all this escapes many people, perhaps even the majority.

10 comments:

  1. Brazil is building free homes for those who lost theirs in the recent global wierding floods.

    The MOMCOM could do that too if it were not a militaristic warmongering enterprise.

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  2. MOMCOM's versions of housing for the poor: a pup tent, OR, if you're REALLY lucky, a shipping container (multi-family units only of course).

    I'd look for another military misadventure on or before the next financial meltdown, which I'd peg right around 2012 election time. Wars are a great distraction from the woes of the masses, and the current stock market run-up, especially in the face of so many other counter indicators, is actually pointing to another massive collapse, as the asset price inflation this time is due to little more than Fed issued "funny money" funneled to the banks, which had no productive use for it other than speculation in equities/worthless pieces of paper. It certainly isn't because the underlying assets have magically recovered all the earnings values they lost just two short years ago.

    With North Korea being muzzled by China, Pakistan being successfully droned already from Afghanistan, and Iran looking a little less threatening of late than previously thought, Mexico might be a prime target this time under the guise of immigration control and/or intervention in their wildly chaotic narco state, which is itself of course fueled by the US's ravenous appetite for their illegal wares. Both of these issues would play well with the great conservative base, and liberals would find the sentiment for such a war very hard to resist as well. Hell, if MOMCOM DIDN'T do it, local Arizona militias probably WOULD.

    Who knows, an expansion into Mexico could even fuel an eventual conservative push into South America to secure oil and gas supplies. It would also allow for a redeployment of resources from Iraqistan while still keeping the war drums beating here at home, AND, have the extra benefit of keeping troops close at hand to put down any embarrassing civil insurrections here at home that might pop up in conjunction with the financial meltdown. And of course the icing on the cake would be that a subdued Mexico would open up fresh captive "free markets" for rapacious American corporate interests to loot and plunder with renewed vigor. What's not to love?

    Mexico! MOMCOM's next foreign misadventure.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Forgot to add, a war with Mexico would also serve two other propaganda purposes very nicely.

    It would bring the "War on Terror," whose reputation has been slipping a little lately, home and in your face. Nothing like a hot war right on the border to get people fired up and all "patriotic" again.

    Second, it would provide a much needed "win" for MOMCOM after 8 years of quagmire in Iraqistan. Mexican narco gangs are motivated for the most part only by money and power, the same things that motivate MOMCOM, and hardly the fanatical religious jihad they face in Iraqistan. If nothing else, they could be surreptitiously be bought off and brought into the fold. Nothing could be better for MOMCOM's flagging image than an easy war with tremendous political upside fought right across the border, so that even local TV news crews could get involved in the flag waving/coverage.

    I could even imagine a settlement where MOMCOM takes up permanent border enforcement and allows one way passage only; i.e., Americans would be free to go south - many to consume legalized drugs, prostitution, etc. - and return, but the "evil" undocumented aliens coming north to "steal" American jobs would be clamped down on with an iron fist.

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  4. disaffected,

    The invasion of Mexico. How retro. Time to refurbish the Alamo. Get some dudes in raccoon skin caps to head down and hold off Santa Anna. Soooooooo MOMCOM.

    Truth is, that will happen long before they regain their sanity it would seem.

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  5. Dredd,

    If there's another financial collapse, it's only a question of where we'll be invading next, not if.

    Another advantage: after subduing Mexico, MOMCOM could conscript much of he indigent population (greatly harnessing and reducing local discontent), especially the narco-gang members who already have paramilitary down pat, and ship them off to Iraqistan as IED fodder. It most cases, it would likely be the best and/or only job they've ever had. Talk about win-win.

    See? I'm a MOMCOM natural. I need to get me an office on K Street and put out a shingle.

    How about Egypt? Shit is spiraling out of control fast. Signs of things to come to a locale near you soon. And NoBama? Ever the calm, deliberate, "speechifying" "statesman." What an empty suit. Same for his HillBillary acolyte at State.

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  6. disaffected,

    "another financial collapse"

    Ha!

    Reminds me of the trainer ... of boxers ... who often said "the last thing you want to know is how many punches you can take, because you only realize that on your way to the mat as they begin to count 10 ... and you are out ..."

    There is only one financial collapse that matters, and it is the one on the way to the mat.

    That is never thrown by a jab of the champ himself upon himself, it always thrown by a jab of the opponent, and it is never expected, never talked about before it happens.

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  7. Randy,

    Yes, true.

    But remember the only one that can let the guard down is the champ himself, which obviously teaches us that every champ on his way to the mat did not realize when he had let his guard down.

    Obviously it was not when he put his "dukes" up, it was when he did not know what was coming his way.

    Capice?

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  8. Randy/Dredd,

    EXCELLENT points both! The idea that the US - especially economically speaking - is a punch drunk fighter, is something I should have come up with. Needles to say, I agree with your analysis wholeheartedly.

    Nevertheless, the Champ will fight his demise with "all the King's horses, and all the King's men," hence my original posts. As in, expect MOMCOM to scream BLOODY MURDER when budgets run out and are threatened to be cut in the face of increasing social costs in the face of flatlined or even - dare I say it - decreased imperial war costs. MOMCOM is an irritating squealing pig that way.

    With that in mind, expect MOMCOM to react like it always does; with renewed appeals (and VERY emotional at that!) for renewed funding. And expect the American Sheople to react as they always do and have, by just saying YES to even MORE imperialistic MOMCOM misadventures. Jeez, this stuff is entirely predictable and MSM presentable at this point.

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  9. Randy,

    Perhaps I should have responded to your original post.

    IMO, the next financial collapse will be the one that brings us to the mat. In fact, I'm reasonably sure of it. And I'm ALSO reasonably sure that it's right around the corner, as in within the next 1-3 years.

    There, I said it, and I stand by it. And there are many more with much greater "cred" than I that believe it as well. For what it's worth.

    As always,I could be wrong, OR, more likely, partially right.

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  10. Your analysis is well founded disaffected.

    ReplyDelete