why we fight

I heard a program on NPR last weekend and Christopher Guest was being interviewed. He was asked what movies he had seen recently, and he mentioned Why We Fight, a recent documentary about the economics and politics of war as well as several Americans’ perceptions of why we’re in Iraq. It had been in my Netflix queue for a while, so I moved it up to the top. And I watched it tonight.

Dear god. Not that we need any more reasons to distrust the current administration. But dear god. Here's just a few quotes:

“Today, the United States spends more on defense than on all other discretionary parts of the federal budget combined.”

“The defense budget is three-quarters of a trillion dollars. Profits went up last year over twenty-five percent. I guarantee you that when war becomes that profitable, you’re going to see more of it.”

“Between 2002 and 2003, the Pentagon spent $1.2 billion on advertising intended to increase [military] recruitment.”

“During the first 6 months of the Iraq war, 50 precision airstrikes were conducted against Iraqi leadership. Of these strikes, none hit its intended target.”

“Most of the government’s decisions today are substantially dictated by powerful corporate interest. Clearly capitalism is winning.”

It’s just getting more and more difficult to be proud to be an American.