Michael Goldfarb casts a jaundiced eye on the military-industrial complex, wondering what really scuttled the F-22 program.
This is instructive. Especially coming from Rightwing Neocon bastion, The Weekly Standard. Just because we're conservatives doesn't mean we're kneejerk cheerleaders for the defense industry. Of course we shake our heads at the left's demonization of the industry that has kept us safe for the past century, but like any entity that sells things to the US government, they bear watching.
As Sarah Palin said about her tough negotiating with the oil industry on behalf of her state, "They have their job to do and I have mine." No demonization, no capitulation, just brass tacks bargaining on behalf of the taxpayer.
If General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin had their way, we would be spilling over with ships, fighter planes and impractically vast arrays of armaments. This is not a criticism. They are in business to make money, and government is in charge of protecting the country.
Anyway, Goldfarb's article provides an interesting peek inside military procurement, where political ideology takes a back seat to parochial interests and political contributions. In the DC sausage factory, military necessity is often an accidental afterthought, and the military rarely gets exactly what it really needs. Ever resourceful, the men and women in uniform put what they get to good use.
Are you a fan of some traditional conservative cause like defense? Then cheer every opportunity to shine a spotlight on it, for sunshine is the best disinfectant. It prevents the discrediting rot of corruption. Casting a skeptical eye, even upon the objects of our affection, is very conservative thing to do.
Weekly Standard - Michael Goldfarb
5 comments:
How does the left demonize the military?
Sen Dick (Turban) Durban: The military are worse than nazis
Sen John (I was in Vietnam for 15 minutes) Kerry talking about us terrorizing Iraqis.
Jane Fonda, Sean Penn...
Practically anything from Rolling Stone mag since it's existence...
Pull your head out and stop asking stupid questions.
Dick Durban's comment is clearly wrong because even at its worse the US gov't or by extension its militray are still far better than Nazis, and anyways, the military should not be held responsible for the missions the gov't sends it on.
John Kerry may actually be right, but people are terrorized during almost any war, so it's not a very good point.
If he means that soildiers actually rape and kill innocent people, either individually or as a group than he'd be right on that point as well, however he'd have to provide evidence for his contention.
I don't see that any of this is demonizing towards the militray but rather towards the missions the gov't sends the military on.
Anyways, there are valid criticisms of the military, either that there is too much sexual harrassment of women and that gays are not allowed to openly serve.
More pertinent concerns are that clerical workers are indoctrinating soildiers to think they are fighting against Islam as Christians on a crusade.
However none of this demonizes the military. I could think all that and still send my son or daughter to serve and still be proud of all the positive efforts of the military.
So I don't think it was a stupid question because you were still not able to justify the claim.
CP: You are so ignorant...
Good response. Ignorant of idealogical propaganda from your side. It's sort of ironi that your accustions of the left's demonization of the military actually demonizes the entire left (unjustifiably of course).
But what matter is justifying crude allegations against "the left" as you put them.
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