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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sidney Reilly who wrote (422835)	7/3/2003 11:03:20 PM
From: American Spirit	Respond to of 769670

Part of Eisenhower's warning to us all, everyone read it. It's about too much power in the hands of a few who control the military and major industry, emesged, and in the case of Bushies, definitely link in the oil and energy industries together with far-rightwing zealotry and zionism: "Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. 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. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together." * The message really is, keep democracy strong, no voter fraud allowed, strong parties in opposition to balance, keeping each vote meaningful and keeping our news media out of the hands of a few spin artists. Eisenhower saw a lot of war and knew it was hell. He also knew it didn't solve all our problems. Not at all. In fact, sometimes it created greater problems.