[Marxism] The Israel Lobby and war profiteers

[Aaron]

>From: Shane Mage <shmage at pipeline.com>
>Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:32:46 -0400
>Subject: Re: [Marxism] To The Moderator
>
>On Aug 12, 2008, at 6:49 PM, John Wheat Gibson wrote:
>>
>
>> ....our insistence that the US ruling class must benefit from the 
>> wars against
>> Afghanistan and Iraq, when the material reality is so obviously,
>> demonstrably, different.  Despite countless historical examples, we 
>> refuse
>> to believe that ruling elites might contain factions that for 
>> reasons of
>> superstition act against their own material self interests....
>
>But a "faction" of the ruling class, as such, has material interests 
>of its own that often conflict with those of the rest of their class 
>and may be gravely prejudicial to the historical interest of their 
>class. Today, the US Congress revealed that, so far, more than $100 
>billion of Iraq War expenses have gone to "contractors" without any 
>meaningful auditing or supervision.  Right there you have a huge 
>transfer of wealth in its crudest form into the hands of the "ruling 
>elite" faction in control of the government.  And that only begins to 
>count the huge haul of graft and loot being drained from Iraq as well 
>as from us taxpayers.  And then there are the Iraqi oilfields.  Ubu 
>knows how to work the "pompe aux finances!"

One thing that's clear is that, regardless of exactly who is really
benefitting by it, the Israel Lobby has been the main public advocate
of war against Iraq and now Iran. It would be useful to know to what
extent the Lobby is financially tied to the various war profiteers.
Are Israeli arms and "security" companies, or Jewish-dominated U.S.
companies, on the gravy train in a big way? Does the lobby receive
much money from (non-Jewish) weapons makers and other war profiteers?

Regardless of motive, the biggest advantage that the Israel Lobby has
over its capitalist allies in pushing for war is that it can wave the
bloody shirt of "antisemitism" against its critics. I don't think
charges like "antiarmsism", "antipetroleumism" or "antiprofiteerism"
would carry nearly as much weight in public discourse.

 - Aaron