Subject: Fwd: Re: [drugwar] War is the life blood of the State . Date: Sun, 13 Jul 2003 12:00:58 -0400 To: lp_manhattan From: Bob Armstrong A recent outreach . It has already effected the vocabulary of the discussion on the http://drugwar.com group . --- Original Message --- From: "Bob Armstrong" To: =A0 Sent: Sat, 12 Jul 2003 21:39:11 -0400 Subject: Re: [drugwar] War is the life blood of the State . On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 17:09:11 -0400, preston peet wrote: >=A0Hey Bob, good to hear from you. >=A0At least in my own case, I'm of the opinion that in the best of= worlds, >=A0(which we are not living in at the moment) the government of= the US is >=A0supposed to be of, by, and for the people, What does that mean ? How is that measured and ensured ? > whereas US corporations are=A0driven strictly by the profit= margin. How does a company , which cannot use force , make a profit ? >=A0=A0=A0So while government in its current incarnation is, as you= say, doing >=A0things like shutting down firehouses while hiring tobacco cops,= (egad!) At least three quarters of a million dollars . > we=A0should, repeat, should be able to affect that sort of= thing. > But I am not a=A0shareholder in any corporation, and therefore= cannot > personally affect=A0corporations' policies, such as say Bechtel,= which > profits mightily of war=A0and death and killing. Every dollar you spend every day is a vote for businesses small= and large you choose to do business with . Democracy brought the= comparative peace of a crude market system into the ruling of geographic regions= by providing a vote , like having 1 dollar to spend every couple of= years , to chose which of a duopoly will control the lion's share of the= resources of you and the counterparties you choose to provide the= necessities and amenities of your life . Obviously massive construction companies like Bechtel or Fluor= etc. are not retail but market their services to other businesses or= governments . They are just as happy to build power plants or airports or oil= platforms or whatever for corporations and countries around the world as= to repair damage the US military creates . More on point would be companies like Lockheed or Olin or other= direct military arms manufacturers . There is no question that= Eisenhower's warning about the growing "military-industrial complex" was a= voice of experience . BUT , No company can start or prosecute a war . ONLY the STATE= . It is the State that TAKES ( taxes ) the trillions of dollars to= support its wars . It is the State that makes the market for the tools= of war which it solicits corporations small and large to supply . To blame the businesses which satisfy the State's lust is like= blaming the dealers for their customer`s addictions . Incidentally , the power of owning a share of stock in= corporation is remarkable . It is standard practice that owning even 1 share of= a company gives you the right to attend their annual meeting and= have your say directly to the assembled board and management . Listen to= the webcasts of some recent meetings . Their are some famous= gadflies who virtually make a career of testing the patience of CEOs and= Chairmen . >=A0=A0=A0I don't personally have anything against people making money= whatsoever. >=A0=A0=A0I am of the opinion that my taxes, (which I don't mind paying= really, >=A0if...), should be going to help out me and my fellow citizens= rather than >=A0paying for war and death and misery here and elsewhere. Yeah,= it's a bit of >=A0a socialistic view I have, but I like people and don't mind my= taxes going >=A0to things like, oh, health care for all instead of what our= government is >=A0doing with them now. But you recognize the reality does not match your fantasies .= Instead that portion of your resources , and I'll repeat that you have to= look at the total portion of the pie taken off the table between you and= your counter parties , has been taken out of your control . Your resources= and your fate have been ceded to bureaucrats over whom you have NO direct= leverage . The notion that the State is so much more charitable than we are= as individuals that they must TAKE our resources for their= charities , does not compute for me . >=A0=A0=A0And while yes, the rule of the market is supposed to be= "choice", what >=A0with the interchangeability of certain corporatations and our= current >=A0federal government, I don't think choice is what happened in my= government >=A0granting the contracts to rebuild Iraq, or the corporations= which are >=A0profiting off the prison industry fueled by the WOSDU, or when= Dick Cheney >=A0met with certain representatives of certain energy corporations= behind >=A0closed doors to plot US energy policies but tell we little folk= that it's >=A0none of our business what they discussed and plotted. What you are talking about is a CORRUPT STATE . I will repeat= that it is the State that holds the reins . The only hope is to minimise= its power . That was the magnificent attempt by the founders of US . >=A0>Corporations don't have guns and prisons , those are the= monopoly of >=A0State ( with the 2nd amendment our only safeguard ) . < > >=A0Not quite Bob. >=A0=A0=A0There are many, many corporations that use guns and prisons= to increase >=A0their profits, such as Corrections Corporation of America, >=A0(http://www.correctionscorp.com/) and Kellogg Brown and Root, >=A0(http://www.disinfopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=3DPMC) among many= others. I can name some others that have had spectacular growth over the= last decade . Again , I will repeat that to blame the corporations= for satisfying the State's lust is like blaming the dealer for= supplying his customer . If the customer is out of control , it is the= customer who is morally culpable . >=A0>Economic Socialism has been such a disaster thru the 20th= century >=A0that is it has been greatly subdued . < > >=A0Well, just from personal experience, I know that places like= Norway (among >=A0many) have health care for all their citizens and free= education through >=A0university levels and they're not doing so badly these days.= That's just one >=A0example right off the top of my head. People from around the world still come to private schools and= hospitals in the US for the best in the world , and it is totally inevitable= that this ( not necessarily US , but private ) will always be the case .= In general socialism replaces direct payment of costs with queues --= sometimes terminal . And , of course , you cede your right to choose anything other= than the State approved therapies . My most indelible impressions of the failure of Statism was= visiting Leningrad in 1992 . Mexico in '69 is my only "third world"= comparison , but the poverty and bleakness in Russia was extreme - virtually= of a different character than anything else I have ever seen -- even= the South Bronx in `84 ( which had been destroyed largely by rent control= and urban renewal ) . > Even Saddam Hussein was apparently=A0supplying his people with= free > education and health care and monthly food=A0rations, contrary to= what > our government does here today, or what any=A0corporation I know= of > anywhere does. What the fuck does it mean that some individual supplied any= thing free to a population ? People have to feed and clothe and care for themselves . The question is whether they can control their own= cash flows and decisions or whether those choices are made by some= State monopoly at best applying tens of thousands of pages of= regulations by bureaucrats backed by guns . Corporations are just organisations of people no different than= government employees , supplying some goods or services . The only= distinction is that if you are pissed off with the corporation , you can walk= out the door and see if their competitors will treat you better . The= very worst a corporation can do is be as arrogant a government monopoly . >=A0>It is the State which profits and swells its ranks on the Drug= War .< > >=A0Again, there are many, many corporations that are profiting off= the Drug >=A0War, as evidenced by the link I supplied above. And again , what is your point ? IT IS THE STATE THAT MAKES THE= RULES ! It is the STATE that is the Customer . As an aside , the State is clearly now trying to kill tobacco corporations . Those companies would love to be able to put= their idle capital ( assembly lines ) to work rolling joints . Some= companies might love the drug war ; some would love to profit ( make a cash= flow and livelihood hundreds or thousands ) from an end to the war . >=A0=A0=A0I am fully supportive of the idea that we should be allowed= to do >=A0whatever we want so long as it's peaceful, but when I see the= vast numbers >=A0of corporations making tons of money and not paying any taxes= due to >=A0offshore shelter finaglings I don't want to get into it here , but I think the notion of= corporate taxes itself is misguided . Individual humans should be taxed in= the most direct and transparent manner possible . > while their executives give themselves fancy=A0wage packages and= health care Ditto , congress and the government . > while my government and others tell me it's >=A0socialistic to want universal health care as they spend my= taxes on a >=A0bloated, corrupt military that can't keep track of all its= weapons and >=A0money, and to pay for a $4 billion or so a month invasion= effort in Iraq, or >=A0to the ONDCP Media Campaign in an attempt to brainwash us, I= get a bit >=A0peeved. A bit peeved ? I've come to see the whole f'n thing as a= criminal enterprise run by the globe's most cosmic con-artists . Yet you still want to put your life , literally in their hands= . >=A0=A0=A0Anyway, glad you're here. >=A0Peace, >=A0Preston Catch you around town . If you haven't seen my vision for the World Trade Center site , you ought to give it a click . Peace thru Freedom , --=A0 =A0Bob Armstrong -- http://CoSy.com -- 212-285-1864 Newsletter : http://cosy.com/K/CoSy/NL200305.htm Ultimate Computing Environment : =A0http://cosy.com/K/CoSy.htm=A0 A WTC vision : http://cosy.com/CoSy/ConicAllConnect/ Liberty : http://cosy.com/Liberty.htm =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A07/13/2003 11:52:59 AM