Sustaining the Culture of Violence Through Wars

By Erick San Juan

“Conditions today are the most perilous in world history. Global war is possible. The threat is real and ominous. Open discussion is suppressed. Media scoundrels won’t touch it.” (Four More Years of War by Stephen Lendman)

Yes, no matter how we like to celebrate the coming New Year with so much fun and full of hope with our family, the glooming scenario of an impending war is inevitable. As much as we don’t want to be the messenger of gloom and doom, we just have to help the present government to be wary and read the writings on the wall as it kowtow (unfortunately) to a perceived master in the process.

In the article of Lendman, the warning of then US President Dwight Eisenhower was mentioned regarding the military-industrial-Complex, to quote, “In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961 Speech)

According to Lendman the warning of Eisenhower was ignored and the military-industrial-complex (M-I-C) did prevail and persisted up to the present US leadership.

“Every gun that is made, every war ship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, from those who are cold and not clothed.

“Today’s legacy is force-fed austerity. Health and public welfare are sacrificed on the alter of America’s addiction. Obama has plenty more in mind. Wars of choice are planned.

“Since WW II, none of necessity existed. America is masterful at inventing enemies when none exist. No matter how many times people are fooled, they’re easy prey to convince alleged threats must be challenged.” (Ibid)

There seems to be no end to the existing culture of violence that was highlighted after 9-11 which guise as the war on terror, started by Bush and being continued up to this very day by the Obama second term presidency. It’s very clear to the recently approved (by the US Senate) 2013 budget that has allotted $633 billion for US defense. Every year the federal budget has been allotting 58 percent for its military and/or defense expenditures, both domestic and abroad.

As what Valentin Zorin (a political observer) wrote “The country’s state debt is growing at a fast rate. And judging by the newly approved 2013 budget, Washington has no intention of ending the arms race. At present, the US military expenditure exceeds combined military spending of all other countries.

Experts attribute the current difficulties experienced by the US economy to the fact that it cracked under the burden of military spending, which proved too heavy for it, if not outright intolerable. According to the US Treasury Department, the unprecedented $17 trillion debt will increase to $19 trillion in the foreseeable future and exceed 100% of the country’s current GDP. On top of that, Boston University Professor Laurence Kotlikoff has established that the US budget deficit is larger than the officially reported amounting to a whopping $200 trillion.”

In order to sustain the big business in the M-I-C, war is a necessity and an outside enemy is needed to justify the huge spending.

Just like what retired United States Marine Corps Major General and two time Medal of Honor recipient Smedley D. Butler wrote in his speech and in his booklet – War Is A Racket that “he frankly discusses from his experience as a career military officer how business interests commercially benefit from warfare.”

Being run by racketeers profiting from war materiel – “the military-industrial complex has turned the arms race into an endless source of profit for weapons manufacturers and dictates policies to those in power. All hopes and election pledges on the part of aspiring politicians drown in this strive for profit which gains the upper hand defying people’s interests and the requirements of the common sense.” (Prof. Valentin Zorin, Political Observer of The Voice of Russia)

As they profit from this endless war games, the culture of violence is being sustained and those countries being part and parcel in this ‘game’ maybe wittingly or unwittingly, will find themselves in a debt trap and their poor citizens will suffer the deadly consequences.

People will keep on repeating history if they will not heed to several salient points being given by past leaders and distinguished military men and humanity will be the one to make his own apocalypse in the process.

Be very vigilant new year to all!