Is Military Spending Saving or Enslaving?
(Activist Post) -- by Michael Edwards --
The latest announcement that the Pentagon's military research division, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), has created shape-shifting robots sounds like another Terminator sequel, but this is mainstream news. Sure, this is still theoretical, as these robots are just half a millimeter thick, but it portends a future where, "it will be used to create full-sized cars and aircraft that morph as they move, or robots that can 'flow' like mercury into small openings, or multipurpose military uniforms that can adapt to different environments." There is no discussion in the article about the benefits to mankind, only the military applications.
Whether or not the categories listed below were conceived of by individuals who had a desire to contribute to Humanity's progress, the fact remains that between 45%-90% of American taxpayer money now goes to military spending. The U.S. has set the stage, but many other governments certainly have received their marching orders. The relationship between the foreign battlefield and civilian life at home can be traced back to the advent of world wars, as private research and development was often subsumed into the military mission. In our modern era of perpetual war on nebulous terror, it might be worthwhile to ask: Is our support of military spending helping humanity or enslaving us?
Surveillance -- Spy technology was naturally a military creation. One could certainly argue that every country has real enemies, and it would be profoundly naive not to conduct surveillance against potential saboteurs. However, the citizens of the world who have paid the bill for this technology have clearly had it turned upon us. The ways we are being tracked, traced, and databased certainly makes it seem like we the people are the enemy...
Weapons and Security -- Tasers and sound cannons, are just two of the myriad weapons of modern war. And, yet, these torture technologies are now routinely appearing where citizens attempt to peaceably assemble. This militarization of domestic security functions can create an adversarial relationship between law enforcement and the people they are sworn to protect. One only has to walk through a naked body scanner at the airport, under the auspices of the abusive TSA, to learn what it feels like to live in a war zone...
Dwight Eisenhower succinctly warned us 50 years ago of a "Military-Industrial Complex."
Do we in fact have a military-industrial complex today? This list of companies fulfilling military contracts certainly is indicative. Maybe the question shouldn't be: Is military spending enslaving us, but are we enslaving ourselves when we support the concept of war itself?...MORE...LINK
-------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment