More Than Pocket Change

Trey Smith

A-n-y-t-i-m-e you want to figure out WHY the US continues this insane state of perpetual war, all you need to do is to follow the money trail! I know a lot of people view this as a simplistic way of looking at things, but hey, money makes the world go around. When it comes to all the negatives inherent in war and the national security state, somebody -- several somebodies -- are making out like bandits!

Jonathan Turley helps to identify some of the bandits in regards to our attack on Iraq.

Many of us who opposed the continuing Iraqi and Afghanistan wars, it has been difficult to imagine how politicians and others in Washington could continue to sacrifice lives and hundreds of billions in these conflicts. Now there is a report giving an insight into just how profitable these wars are for key companies. For just Iraq alone, some $138 billion went to private companies with an army of lobbyists eager to keep the pipeline of cash flowing. What is rarely striking however is that some ten contractors received 52 percent of the funds and one company received $39.5 billion. That company is Houston-based KBR, Inc., which is an extension of its parent, Halliburton Co. in 2007. That of course is Dick Cheney’s firm.

Many of those contracts going to KBR lacked any competitive bidding process.

As should be obvious, we didn't attack Iraq because of weapons of mass destruction. We didn't do it to liberate the Iraqi people or to usher in democracy. While possession of Iraq's oil reserves played a role, this gambit was more a smokescreen to hide the real stars.

This is something you need to keep in mind as many of our leaders talk of the US becoming militarily involved in Syria or Iran. You might hear talk of nuclear weapons development or the use of chemical weapons on civilian populations. Most likely, it's all rhetoric. There may be small grains of truth there, but it is more likely a pretext -- like those nonexistent WMDs -- to funnel taxpayer dollars to many of those same behemoth corporations.

Remember, follow the money.