Friday, August 25, 2006

Why We Fight

I just saw Why We Fight. It's terrifying. I saw Farenheit 9/11 and was able to dismiss a lot of it as Michael Moore being Michael Moore (I think he's pretty irresponsible with his facts in order to make his points). This movie isn't something you can dismiss.

What I found really troubling was how the private sector that manufactures weapons is so integrated with the government - now we have contractors doing the work of military - it's just peeling potoates and shining shoes now but it's a scary trend.

They also talk about how an aircraft carrier is sold. And did you know that a piece of the B-52 is built in every state in America so that if the government tries to discontinue these there will be outcry?

It's disturbing.

Here's a good sound bite "when war becomes this profitable, you're sure to see more of it."

I'm not saying there aren't just wars. I'm not saying that I wish Saddam were still in power - I think he was horrible - but the term "power corrupts" seems very apt after watching that film and it seems that the locus of power is in wealthy corporations more than anywhere else.

The Corporation is another good film talking about corporations being the new United Nations.

Comments welcome - I'd particularly like to know how some of you reconcile your feelings about any good outcomes from a war that may or may not be just. For example, I've heard people say that of course Saddam was bad and it's good that he's gone but that the war in Iraq was still unjust.

Things I'm mulling over these days...

2 comments:

Jennifer said...

Robin, I'm coming late to this and haven't seen the movie you mentioned (though I did see F 9/11 and I tend to think that it's the Bush govt rather than Michael Moore who is loose with facts, LOL!) but I'll respond to your "unjust war vs. good outcome" question.

War is seldom just in my view, but this war was not *about* getting rid of Saddam. This war was about oil, money and opportunity. The Bush administration wanted war with Iraq long before 9/11 (there are memos to prove it) and they used 9/11 to seize the chance. We stormed in under false pretenses, killed thousands of innocent people and Iraq is now more unstable than ever due to our actions.

Yes, Saddam was awful. He was a brutal man and the world is better off without him in power, anywhere. However, there are other ways to rid the world of brutal dictators and we broke international law with our actions. That is shameful. We expect other countries to follow the law, but we don't have to do so? Furthermore, there are other brutal dictators in other parts of the world, yet we haven't stepped in...no oil in those countries...??

The bottom line though, for me, is that a just war is just in its cause. It is not just simply because something positive happens collaterally. So "good" outcome or not (I'd say not, yet, looking at the state Iraq is in right now) it wasn't just.


Thought-provoking topic and question!

Robin L. said...

So, I have to admit I blogged after only watching the first half of this film. The second half is so disturbing I had to watch it with my head down. It's not graphic or bloody, but profoundly disturbing in it's portrayal of the current American military. It isn't even a focused attack on Bush, but on what the military has become since Eisenhower. One woman who had a career in the Air Force and was in the Pentagon on 9/11 said she would not allow her sons to join the military because it is no longer about protecting America, it is about advancing the imperialistic designs of the government. And the film really backs that up.

Anyway - great film!!