The Profit in Arms Sales and War

Things to ponder...

US Is Top Purveyor On Weapons Sales List

"According to the annual assessment, the United States supplied $8.1 billion worth of weapons to developing countries in 2005 -- 45.8 percent of the total and far more than second-ranked Russia with 15 percent and Britain with a little more than 13 percent."​

US #1 in world weapons sales: War means major moolah for arms companies

1. Lockheed Martin Corporation
2. Boeing Company
3. Northrop Grumman Corporation
4. General Dynamics Corporation
5. Raytheon Company
6. United Technologies Corporation
7. Halliburton Company
8. General Electric Company
9. Science Applications International Corporation
10. Computer Sciences Corporation​

War is a Racket by General Smedley Butler

"WAR is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes." ​

Military-Industrial Complex Speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961

"Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America's leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment." ​

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together." ​

Holy Bible

"But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." - 1 Timothy 6:9-11​

 

Cheney seems to be involved with Haliburton but how involved depends on what the definition of "retained ties" is.

Cheney's Halliburton Ties Remain

Cheney said Sunday on NBC that since becoming vice president, "I've severed all my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interest. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had, now, for over three years." ​

Lautenberg, D-N.J., asked the Congressional Research Service to weigh in.
Without naming Cheney or Halliburton, the service reported that unexercised stock options and deferred salary "are among those benefits described by the Office of Government Ethics as 'retained ties' or 'linkages' to one's former employer." ​

His [Cheney] deferred compensation account was valued at between $500,000 and $1 million, and generated income of $50,000 to $100,000. ​

Check out the charts on the front page of http://www.giveitupcheney.org/:

and here's Lautenberg alleging that Cheney's stock options have gone up 3,281% in one year.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Cheneys_stock_options_rose_3281_last_1011.html

Rumsfeld's popular connection is to a pharmaceutical company (Gilead) that is producing the Avian Flu (aka bird flu) vaccination.

The Bin Laden family has had business relations with General Electric but I have not heard or seen substantation that they own stock in GE.