weaktwos

scarcrest shared this from the blog of Jesus' General.

It brought up the following issues:

Halliburton's move to Dubai may have the opportunity to facilitate their transferring exports to individuals that support terrorism or the other side in the war on terror.

A review of the history of American Corporations supporting "evil" nations. At least nations we perceive to be evil.
The Bush's wealth can be traced to Nazi Germany.
Ford motor company sold about 120,000 vehicles to Nazi Germany. Some poking around on the web shows that GM profited as well.
IBM provided the technology necessary to keep data on where Jews lived and also tracked their whereabouts and destiny in the concentration camps. (I guess this was old news, but somehow I missed this info when it first came out.)

So, I'm left with a feeling of "what's the point?" I feel like the movements of the world are nothing but a game played by amoral people.

Of course, these examples are likely only the tip of the iceberg. I haven't taken the time to follow the money for every corporation out there, but because someone had to make uniforms, weaponry, food, and vehicles for all the sundry soldiers out there, the story of Corporations being patriotic to themselves more than all others will be a common theme.

Of course, Volkswagon started with Hitler back in the day. And shucks if they don't make an awesome car. Who says fascism isn't good for the consumer? The world is full of examples where advantages we have today could not have been enjoyed without Hitler requesting the design of the "People's Car".

It's information like this that really makes one ponder the economics of war. When it comes to personal sacrifice, all sides lose. But when the dust settles, there are some corporations who were compensated quite well for their labors. And these corporations employ people, and compensate others. So individuals benefit from the misery of others. But as the linked article points out, war causes reconstruction of items that would not have needed to have been rebuilt at the time. So resources that could have been used to fund other endeavors, like education, or an alternative fuel industry are spent rebuilding existing structures.

So, I'm reminded of the story of Cain and Abel, and the conversation that some folks on Bill Moyer's show "Genesis" had regarding this tale. One of the guests, John Barth, says:
"...about Civilization -- Rome was built on a crime, built on blood. This is where the arts, sciences --all the good stuff -- comes from. I'm reminded of Balzac's famous remark that all great fortunes are based on great crimes. We tsk-tsk our tongues. But the city has been founded. WE've got the arts, sciences, even literature in through the back door. The lesson in all this seems to be, "Start the story over again." God does iwth with Seth, another of Eve's son. And when that doesn't work, God starts again with Noah."

Mary Gordon says of the story of Cain and Abel, "...the story is about the absolute necessity for justice -- and the impossibility of justice...It's impossible because of the quest for vengeance, while motivated by a desire for justice, absolutely obliterates the possibility of a good life."

So we have an interesting set of issues. Good can come from bad events. Bad can come from bad events. And speculation on what should and could have been can go for ages. Given events that unfurled in places like Darfur and Cambodia, we can see that genocide can occur and people in power can be aware of it, and still do nothing. And those of us not involved can continue on our merry way. So the other lesson is that with the right backing, you can get away with a hell of a lot on this earth. With the right historians, you can be portrayed as a hero.

Where do we go from here? Survivors of the Holocaust beseech us to never forget. Museums that reflect the evils of the Killing Fields ask us to do the same. World War I was to be the War to End All Wars. Here we are, years later, lathering, rinsing, and repeating. Human tragedies as timeless jokes about how we can't learn a lesson to save our collective lives and souls.