Ron Paul addresses America's ever-expanding foreign wars (mentioned here last week) and the outsized influence of the military-industrial complex in his latest talk, "Who Wants War? Follow the Money":
"If anyone still doubted that this administration’s foreign policy would bring any kind of change, this week’s debate on Afghanistan should remove all doubt. The President’s stated justifications for sending more troops to Afghanistan and escalating war amount to little more than recycling all the false reasons we began the conflict.
It is so discouraging to see this coming from our new leadership, when the people were hoping for peace. New polls show that 49 percent of the people favor minding our own business on the world stage, up from 30 percent in 2002. Perpetual war is not solving anything. Indeed continually seeking out monsters to destroy abroad only threatens our security here at home as international resentment against us builds.
The people understand this and are becoming increasingly frustrated at not being heard by the decision-makers. The leaders say some things the people want to hear, but change never comes..."
If you want to know what's happening behind the scenes, follow the money. We've got an escalating war in Afghanistan, but as Mr. Paul points out, the originally stated purpose of our military mission there (capturing Bin Laden and other 9/11 plotters) has somehow eluded us for the past eight years.
Meanwhile the debate over whether or not Bin Laden is still in Afghanistan continues, and another foreign war (or two) drags on as our new President weighs his options in light of a hoped for second term in office.
