Why can't the U.S "Give peace a chance"?

[Uben]

Why is it that the U.S. can't seem to go a decade without starting a war? Why do we continually funnel money into the industrial military complex? It goes without saying the two are joined at the hip. Those who profit off of war are the same ones rattling the swords in times of peace. No war, no profit. Wanna stop the wars? Tear down the cabal of warmongers here in the U.S.

How do you defeat those who strip you of your monies through taxation to finance wars of choice? You vote against their interests.
They fill Americans with fear so they will accept the fleecing of the treasury as necessity. We know them as republicans, and that is why we as democrats need to remain resolute in our beliefs and stay united in our fight against the warmongers. A strong democratic majority in government is the only way to stop them. They will spend their last dime trying to make you think that they offer the only way out, because that is what will replenish their coffers.

To them, "peace" is not profitable. When the U.S. is not making smart bombs, fighter jets, and other weaponry, they are not getting the lion's share of the monies, which they see as "not an option". So, they rattle their swords and tell us how the enemy is on the verge of emminent attack and of the impending mushroom cloud that is on the horizon.

We can't pay for all these social programs as long as the money is "needed" for defense. We can't afford to save the lives of millions of sick people because we need that money to fight off the "boogey man".

Surprise! We've been looking for the "boogey man" for eight years! Eight years and they can't get Bin Laden? Don't kid yourself.
As long as Bin Laden is free, the monies will continue to flow to the defense contractors. That is why he is still free.

Peace is not profitable, therefore, it doesn't get a chance. That's where we are at. It's got to change.

[unhappycamper]

1. Well said Uben.

k&r

[JoeyT]

2. We never really wanted Bin Laden anyway.

The man has probably been dead for a while now.

[Uben]

4. I doubt it.

He's probably hiding out in Cheney's bunker watching the stock market ticker as his investments in defense companies multiply. They probably share a glass of champagne as the tens of millions are added to their portfolios.

[rollingrock]

14. Probably

according to FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, the US maintained 'intimate relations' with Bin Laden and the Taliban 'all the way up until that day of September 11.'

[KharmaTrain]

3. A Perpetuating Military/Industrial Complex

Sadly, two basic instincts of human nature are greed and status. This country has always had a problem with both...as it prides itself on being free enterprise and capitalistic yet protects the status of those with the wealth and power. Nothing does that more than a good hate/war. It's always been both a political tool and money maker and thus has been an active part of the Executive as they perceive "national interests" in broad terms and have a large industrial base that is centered around war.

No...this country hasn't learned how to cash in a peace dividend. We did following World War II when our industry supplied a lot of the resources for the rebuilding of Europe and Japan, but now that base has vanished in the greed of profits over all else. These corporates have learned to game the system, buy the politicians and have spent the past 30 years codifying their power. It's going to be a real tough hoe to try to reverse these things...especially when the profits still roll and the politicians benefit. A military base or defense plant means jobs and votes in many districts. This is especially the case in tough times where jobs are tight...unfortunately a war is always a good way to perk up a depressed economy.

[yeswedid08]

5. The sad truth

The sad truth is that Democrats love war near as much as Republicans and vote for war time and time again. Why? Democratic Senators can employ their constituents in airplane construction facilities and other war-time plants that reside in their country.

We as Democrats should not be blind to the war-mongering of our own party. If we want peace we must help educate our fellow citizens about the cost of war while helping to change the mind-numbing 24 hour news loop mentality of our current media.

I am sickened by the Army Guard ads that portray war as a video game devoid of consequences. Let's help change the debate on war.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/sartre-meets-afghanistan_b_383529.html

[invictus]

6. Answer: The Military-Industrial-Complex and AIPAC with their neo-con agents

[H2O Man]

7. Well said.

Recommended.

[mmonk]

8. Because the Democrats have the neoliberal PPI and DLC

calling the shots and the Republicans have the neoconservative AEI and Heritage Foundation calling the shots.

[MsLeopard]

9. War is our biggest export product

it seems. And, as you said, there's no money in peace. K&R

[Diclotican]

10. Uben

Uben

The easy answer is No money in peace.. In war you get billions to build weapons that kill.. In Peace you have to build thing that people really need and wanted, not overpriced things that just kill..

Jut se what happened between 1991 and 2000, when "peace" broke out in the world.. Specially in Europe and most weapon factories around the world had to find other things to do.. Even when they managed to have a grip of building weapons.. They had to fire/laid off a lot of the workforce... Because the cold war was going down... And in the decade following the end of the cold war, was in many cases a horrible time for the weapon industry, for a while it looked like they have to pack down their weapons, and to build tractors instead of... But now they can build a lot of tanks... or other stuff because the war on terror is there to be for a long, long time it looks like..

Now as the "war of terror" will not stop - the old republican republican administration told us that the war on terror will not end before we all are dead, the next 100 year or so... Money, a lot of money for the weapons factories to be earned...

The bottom of it all is MONEY, a lot of MONEY...

Diclotican

[THUNDER HANDS]

11. ironically, tons of money for social programs are tied into the military industrial complex

join the military you get free housing, health care, education.

The United States military is the largest socialist force in the history of the world, but nobody looks at it like that.

[gratuitous]

12. Because we love war more

That's what comes from being able to project power all over the earth, pretty much secure in the knowledge that none of our "enemies" can ever mount a concomitant counterattack. Sure, we lost about 3,000 on our own turf one day years ago, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to what we inflict on the rest of the world. But that one day panic is sufficient to fuel the most paranoid, pants-wetting dreads of the populace, especially when driven by the popular media, whipped up by people who stand to make a killing (financially speaking) from death and destruction. Death and destruction that happens far, far away from us, is perpetrators.

When the fundatroids gas on about how the Founding Fathers were Christians, don't believe it for a second. The true national religion in the United States is a deep and abiding belief in the power of Violence to remedy any situation. From banging on an appliance to get it to work right to launching elective invasions of other countries, we never tire of trying violence as the first, last and every resort in between. Occasionally, it works out. Sort of. Or by coincidence. And that provides the basis for the ongoing faith that Violence redeemed whatever problem we were facing. Welcome to the land of the High Church of Redemptive Violence.

[Vidar]

13. K&R.

[NoPasaran]

15. Because the world is an imperfect, dangerous place

Not a goofball pop song

[Mari333]

16. because we make the world an imperfect dangerous place

by our never ending fucking warmongering.