How do we educate the public about the military industrial complex?

[cynatnite]

Sometimes I'm a little late in seeing the latest documentaries. This morning I've been watching 'Why We Fight'. It's an eye opening documentary about the collusion of the defense industry, the military and congress.

It begins with Eisenhower who speaks of the dangers of the military industrial complex to this country. His daughter says he was heard on more than one occasion to say 'God help the country if anyone sits at this desk that doesn't know as much about the military as I do'.

One example they discussed was the B1 bomber. The parts come from every state in the union. Every senator, democrat or republican, has a stake in the defense industry.

I do believe we need a military, but I don't see why we need one so over-the-top with how it's managed today. We have become what Eisenhower feared most.

This is a must see documentary, folks. It goes into detail about PNAC, how indoctrinated this country has become in needing this kind of military, the history of America's military influence over foreign policy and more.

How do we educate public? How do we let them know how much the military industry complex drives this country?

[Greeby]

1. Oh, and don't they crank up the price

To something like 20 times the actual cost? I can't remember clearly, I saw Why We Fight baqck when it was a BBC documentary in early 2005

[porphyrian]

2. Use the example of "An Inconvenient Truth."

People need to have the facts presented to them, but in an easily-digestible way, especially for those who were weened off of the truth a long time ago. A number of documentaries already exist, but many of them can't hold the attention of the average American apathete. Then, someone needs to consider providing this information for free. Someone who already thinks it's bunk isn't going to spend money on it to watch it. I'm not sure what the best way to go about this is.

[groovedaddy]

3. promote the idea of doing "coffees"

Do showings of the "Why We Fight" documentary in people's homes. Look for civic/activist organizations who might want to watch it.
Show it to "movers and shakers" or anyone who could afford to bankroll an airing of this important film on mainstream t.v.
Can it be shown on public access channels on cable?
Make sure your local library has copies of the film available.
I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.

[The2ndWheel]

4. Tell them that

America only exists because of war, expansion, conquest, and empire. It continues to exist because of that. It will collapse because of that.

Our entire way of life is based on expansion, in any and every sphere of life. If any one of food, taxes, jobs, consumption, transporation, communication, population, military, government, corporations, life spans, this, that, and the other thing, stop expanding, everything collapses. Not only that, they must expand at ever increasing speeds. Just think about each one, and wonder what might happen if they didn't quickly grow.

There isn't anything we can do about the MIC. It has to do exactly what it does. It has been from the earliest days of the republic, and it won't stop voluntarily.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

5. I believe in a grass root effort...

I have had five letters to the editor published in our regions newspaper in the past year.

As a matter of fact, my newspaper contacted me yesterday to tell me they're going to print one I recently submitted to them.

It's explaining PNAC, in less then the two-hundred word limit. :P