Why We Fight Page #4

even more than we did it at

the height of the cold war.

Three, two, one.

Fire.

After the second World War the United States

literally divided the world up into commands.

And some American officer was

responsible for every region of the world.

There was the subdominant theory that

if any of these places fall to communism,...

... then the next place, and the

next place, and the next place...

will fall as well. And the next

thing you know they're in Missouri.

Once upon a time your hometown was safe.

But not now. It is possible for a rocket...

to strike your home, right

now, today, right now.

And what defense remains?

Strength, strength ready if we need it.

When my dad first became president, he came in

at the beginning of the third nuclear age.

I think we have to put the

We look back today and we think that 1950's

was a period of Elvis Presley and poodle skirts.

But in fact it was very

dangerous period of time.

Defense budgets throughout the western world,

doubled or tripled in four years in 1948-52.

The Soviets are outproducing

Americas aircraft factories.

There is a threat, but we

can't measure how much...

is enough defense spending

to stop the Soviet Union.

So by the time Eisenhower is president, there is

a huge new flow of cash into defense industries.

He was the first to

acknowledge that a permanent...

military establishment would be

required during this period.

But then unless we could find

some kind of breakthrough,

that in fact it would end up

creating a terrible cost.

The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this.

In modern brick school more than 36.

It is two electric power plants

serving at 60,000 population.

It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals.

We pay for a single fireplane

with a half million a week.

We pay for a single destroyer with new homes

that could have housed more than 9,000 people.

This is not a way of life at all.

And then the truth is...

Under the cloud of threatening war it is

humanity hanging from across the violence.

My father is president, yet

withdraws guiding principles.

He used to say weapons take food from

the hungry and shelter from the homeless.

So he was fighting with

the Pentagon all the time.

For asking how much is Congress giving to.

I don't think we should pay one cent for

defense more than we have to.

Eisenhower saw a starting to build programme

after programme, that was just out of control.

And his own ability to shape

national security policy...

was being hemmed in by these

forces, he couldn't control.

And he was the President.

On at least one occasion Eisenhower

was heard to say by those in the room,

'God help this country when

somebody sits at this desk,

who doesn't know as much

about the military as I do.'

January 17, 1961 Presided Eisenhower's

farewell address to the American people.

My fellow Americans, this evening I come to you

with message of leave taking and farewell.

And to share a few final thoughts

with you, my countrymen.

We have been compelled to create a permanent

armaments industry of vast proportions.

engaged in the defense establishment.

The total influence, economic,

political, even spiritual...

is felt in every city, every state house,

every office of the federal government.

We recognize the imperative need

for this development.

Yet we must not fail to comprehend

its grave implications.

In the councils of government we must guard

against, the acquisition of unwanted influence,

whether sort or unsort by

the military industrial complex.

The potential for the disastrous rise of

misplaced power exists and will persist.

You have to realise, this is

one of the greatest presidents,

great military leaders on his way out the door.

At the end of his second term he says...

'By the way, watch out for the

military-industrial complex'.

People know that he invented the

phrase 'military-industrial complex'

But very rarely you see the whole thing and...

realise how utterly

straightened his warning was.

I think it's one of the most profound statements

ever made by an American President.

Just like George Washington gave his warnings

about foreign tackles and things like that.

My dad was giving his warning against...

this military-industrial

complex, get out of hand.

We must never let the wait of this combination

endanger our liberties or democratic processes.

BLUE ANGELS AlR SHOW Pensacola, FL

CELEBRATE FREEDOM AlR SHOW Camden, SC

Today, the United States spends

more on defense than on...

all other discretionary parts

of the federal budget combined.

President has asked Congress for

Our country spends more on

defense than all of the...

other 18 members of NATO plus China and Russia.

From my point I think numbers

almost are distracting.

This is the medium machine gun,

I'm here to see hit-to-kill technology,

I'm not familiar with it.

It's a missile that goes up and shoots a

tactical ballistic missiles out of the sky.

These are my two daughters.

President Eisenhower's

concern about the military...

industrial complex, his words

have unfortunately come true.

He was worried that priorities are set by

the what benefits corporations...

is opposed to what benefits the country.

Name any plane part that would come

into your mind. 1,2,3 name a part...

Perfect, now we've never

met before, no collusion.

Which is really odd, because

collusion is our business.

Yes, collusion with the military.

You know, people sometimes

think of the defense...

budget as you got to arm the

troops, defend the nation.

But for most people who are involved

in that, you realize this is business.

Competition for contracts between

very large corporations.

Industry has to have a bottom line that's black,

otherwise their shareholders don't like that.

So they have to find ways to interest the

government in continuing to buy the product.

Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas

and Boeing throughout America.

There are factories, there are corporations,

that are involved on a daily basis...

...to produce the weaponry, the ammunition,

to carry out the American way of war.

Raytheon Missile Systems Tucson, AZ

The overall rate here on mission

in general, is to be the...

premier supply of solutions

that meet our customers' needs.

Our job is to provide tactical missiles

for our practical purposes.

Laser-guided bombs, Tomahawk

missiles, Stinger...

missiles, veilings, which is

actually a great big gun.

The American way of war has been described as...

overwhelming firepower, supported

by overwhelming logistics.

For every shooter out there, every man with a

gun there are hundreds behind supporting,...

... providing the ammunition, the

boots, the gas for the tanks, the oil.

I don't guess I'm real proud

of the fact that I make...

bombs, you know, for what they're used for.

I think about when I see

something explode out there,

that my hands actually help make that, you know.

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