A Truthful Valentine Card from War Inc.

[Octafish]

"Money trumps peace." -- George Walker Bush, 43rd pretzeldent of the United States, Feb. 14, 2007.
He said it, then Bush laughed.

Q: A lot of our allies in Europe do a lot of business with Iran. So I wonder what your thoughts are about how you further tighten the financial pressure on Iran, in particular, if it also means economic pain for a lot of our allies.

BUSH: It's an interesting question. One of the problems, not specifically on this issue, just in general, that - let's put it this way: Money trumps peace, sometimes.

In other words, commercial interests are very powerful interests throughout the world. And part of the issue in convincing people to put sanctions on a specific country is to convince them that it's in the world's interest that they forego their own financial interest.

And that's why sometimes it's tough to get tough economic sanctions on countries, and I'm not making any comment about any particular country, but you touched on a very interesting point.

You know - so, therefore, we're constantly working with nations to convince them that what really matters in the long run is to have the environment so peace can flourish.

In the Iranian case, I firmly believe that, if they were to have a weapon, it would make it difficult for peace to flourish, and therefore I am working with people to make sure that that concern trumps whatever commercial interests may be preventing governments from acting.

I make no specific accusation with that statement. It's a broad statement. But it's an accurate assessment of what sometimes can halt multilateral diplomacy from working.

SOURCE for transcript: The Guardian (UK)

From the 99-Percent's perspective, wouldn't policies based on peace be more Democratic?

I know from the 1-Percent's perspective, it'd be a heckuva lot easier to have a dictator, with the emphasis in the above case being on the "Dick."

[think]

1. Kick & Rec for Bush actually telling the truth once! /nt

[Octafish]

2. Make February ‘A.J. Muste Month’

The warmonkey, Bush, made true the hypothetical million monkeys at a million typewriters for a million years...a true sentence emerged.



[font size="1"]President Kill III by Carl Oxley[/font size]

Here's word from a real human being about another human being:

Make February ‘Muste Month’

by Frida Berrigan
February 10, 2012, 9:35 am
Little Insurrections

Joy and growth come from following our deepest impulses, however foolish they may seem to some, or dangerous, and even though the apparent outcome may be defeat.” – A.J. Muste, dubbed “Number One U.S. Pacifist” by Time Magazine in 1939

It seems apocryphal. An old man well-dressed and undoubtedly erect and respectable, a raging war in a distant land, a relentless rainstorm that made the peace vigil a solitary witness, and an inquiring journalist ready with question, pen and pad: “Mr. Muste, do you really think you can change the world standing here alone in the rain?” (or something to that effect). And the quick and unforgettable reply: “I am not here to change the world; I am here so the world won’t change me.”

Ahhh. Wow. It is an exchange upon which I often meditate.

The world: our consumer culture, the 24-hour “news” cycle, racism, sexism, xenophobia, the cult of war… all these forces and more conspire to change us, to strip us of our humanity and our innate compunction to reach out to neighbor and make the world better. All these forces would like to see us cynical, fearful and compliant. Abraham Johannes Muste does not have to say all that. He just simply uttered a few words and we know all the rest.

CONTINUED...

http://wagingnonviolence.org/2012/02/make-february-muste-month/#more-15130

Thank you, think. Really appreciate that you do.

[think]

5. This deserves a thread of it's own. TY. "Muste Month" gets a thumbs up from me

“I am not here to change the world; I am here so the world won’t change me.” A.J. Muste

[gratuitous]

3. And once money has trumped peace, it always trumps peace

It can be no other way, without an exertion of enormous political will. Unfortunately, given the Lilliputian status of our current elected officials, money will be the primary consideration of policy for a long time to come.

[Octafish]

4. 'America's Outrageous War Economy!'

Words of wisdom:

'America's Outrageous War Economy!'

Pentagon can't find $2.3 trillion, wasting trillions on 'national defense'

By Paul B. Farrell, MarketWatch
Aug. 18, 2008, 7:27 p.m. EDT

ARROYO GRANDE, Calif. (MarketWatch) -- Yes, America's economy is a war economy. Not a "manufacturing" economy. Not an "agricultural" economy. Nor a "service" economy. Not even a "consumer" economy.

Seriously, I looked into your eyes, America, saw deep into your soul. So let's get honest and officially call it "America's Outrageous War Economy." Admit it: we secretly love our war economy. And that's the answer to Jim Grant's thought-provoking question last month in the Wall Street Journal -- "Why No Outrage?"

There really is only one answer: Deep inside we love war. We want war. Need it. Relish it. Thrive on war. War is in our genes, deep in our DNA. War excites our economic brain. War drives our entrepreneurial spirit. War thrills the American soul. Oh just admit it, we have a love affair with war. We love "America's Outrageous War Economy."

Americans passively zone out playing video war games. We nod at 90-second news clips of Afghan war casualties and collateral damage in Georgia. We laugh at Jon Stewart's dark comedic news and Ben Stiller's new war spoof "Tropic Thunder" ... all the while silently, by default, we're cheering on our leaders as they aggressively expand "America's Outrageous War Economy," a relentless machine that needs a steady diet of war after war, feeding on itself, consuming our values, always on the edge of self-destruction.

CONTINUED...

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-we-love-americas-outrageous

The reality truly is disgusting. The will of the people for peace is trumped by those making money off war. Thank you, gratuitous, for standing against it.

[gratuitous]

6. Huh, diss Christians, get 100 responses

Diss the High Church of Redemptive Violence, and welcome to Sinklikeastoneville. Interesting.