(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Who wins in War, Who profits from War [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-24 Being a little older and having a long perspective on conflicts around the world and at home, I have come to realize that the only people who win in wars are those that don’t participate. In the Viet Nam era I learned that in any conflict, 10% of the people are on one side, 10% of the people are on the other side, 80% of the people just want you to stay the hell out of their rice paddy so they can feed their family. As we look at who is promoting these wars, inevitably we see some egomaniacal dictator wannabe that thinks that if he can instigate hate and discontent, he can use it to embellish his stature in the world. These people are never actually engaged in the conflict, other than building and spreading information or misinformation to exacerbate it. They set in some plush hotel far away from the actual conflict and let young, ill-informed youth go out and be slaughtered in the name of their cause, whatever it may be. Most of these people are very wealthy and have exhausted their interest in the good life and now want to entertain themselves by striving to gain power and influence and recognition as a leader. The vast majority of them have never really accomplished anything on their own that benefits anyone but themselves. Their accomplishments usually consist of amassing huge sums of money and garnering some sort of support because some people are enamored of their “wealth and status”. Until the great unwashed masses wake up and realize they are being manipulated, used and dying for someone elses grandeur, we will continue to suffer these cycles of upheavals. The only people who profit from these manufactured conflicts are the arms manufacturers. They use their vast profits to develop ever more efficient killing machines and promoting them to the youngsters that think your manhood is measured by their ability to inflict pain on others. They have marketed weapons of war that are horrendously efficient and convinced society that they need these people killers out on the streets in our neighborhoods, so we look strong and macho. We have replaced the historical evaluations of manhood, like character, integrity and maturity, with admiration for sheer power and control. If that power and control is only used for the ultimate benefit of the person at the top, that is not manhood. We all need to step back and re-evaluate how we pick our heroes, and how we choose those we want to elevate to positions of authority. Those who would strive for those positions solely for their own aggrandizement, are not worthy of our support. If we don’t use some serious discretion in selecting our leaders, we will end up in war after war after war . . . . …... [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/24/2195063/-Who-wins-in-War-Who-profits-from-War?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/