why we fight?

 Same story, different perspectives. This seems to shape our political landscape in the modern era. Recently, I had the privilege to watch the documentary, “Why we fight”. It was extremely riveting and staggering in terms of the injustices that have been propounded upon the “common man.” Of course, nothing absolutely new was presented to me, but the cobwebs that surrounded my judgment in certain areas were definitely cleared. I urge everyone to watch the documentary to understand the scale at which the nation has been drained of her conscience. The introduction of the film begins with the exit speech of former President Dwight Eisenhower, who himself a man of the Military talks about the expansion of the forces and introduces the world to the much used phrase, Military Industrial Complex. He talks about Americans to watch over the establishment and proliferation of the military. The United States spent almost $630 Billion on the Armed Forces in the fiscal year of 2007. It is undeniable that our thirst for combat has risen because of this expenditure. I walked out of my apartment after watching the movie and was distraught by the number of American flags fluttering in the air. I found my answer to why we fight, just as Jared Diamond explains in his book about hegemonic aspirations of the Eurasian Tribes - we fight because it is inherently a concept for human beings to do - we fight for imperialistic aspirations - if not absolutely ideological, then definitely economic. In other words, nations do not have friends - they have interests. The next documentary series I hope someone would make would be something along the lines of “Why are we proud?” Or what are we proud of. Life long Republican and decorated hero John Eisenhower has nominated Obama for President. It will be interesting to see how many more intellectuals cross party lines. As of now, I am sick of this administration and can’t wait for a new government in office.