Blacks who believe Barack Obama can do no wrong would grimace at Texas Congressman Ron Paul calling him "a warmonger." Dr. Paul would infuriate the Obama Faithful further in saying, "The military industrial complex is firmly entrenched in Washington and Barack Obama is one of their guys."

Like those who occupied the Oval Office before him, the military industrial complex overly influences President Obama.  Their business is war, and military industry people are in line with Obama’s going to Libya.   Every time a Tomahawk cruise missile blows up a building in Libya (and everyone inside it), Raytheon makes $1.5 million.   

Not paying attention

History has a habit of repeating itself.  Unfortunately, not enough people pay attention to obvious parallels right before their eyes. What is unfolding now in Libya is a tragic replay of what has gone before.  Wars are costly and extremely expensive, but don’t count on Obama or America’s military apparatus leaving Iraq or Afghanistan anytime soon.  

The term "military-industrial complex" refers to policy and monetary relationships between governments, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them.  Blacks are rarely top players in these relationships which include political contributions, political approval for defense spending, lobbying to support bureaucracies, and beneficial legislation and oversight of the industry.

No. 1 worldwide

The world spends over $1.5 trillion yearly on military expenditures and the U.S. accounts for 47 percent of those expenditures, whether under Bush or Obama. The former colonialists we’ve gone to war with represent 13 percent of world military spending.

The "no-fly zone" over Libya could end up costing the Western coalition more than $1 billion if the operation drags on more than a couple of months.  The initial cost of eliminating Muammar Gaddafi’s air defenses will likely to be between $400 million and $800 million.  The expense of patrolling the no-fly zone once it is likely to be $30 million to $100 million a week. 

President Obama’s decision to participate in striking Libya has already cost U.S. taxpayers well over $200 million, but although Obama is in bed with a coalition of former colonialists in the invasion of this African country, Obama still has a 95 percent approval rating among African-Americans. 

Not a peep

There is no anger or agitation among African-Americans against President Obama and a Congress that should be ending the wars we were already in, or against our military leaders starting new ones such as Libya.  With Obama leading the pack, Black Americans are part and parcel of imperialists’ acts against Arabs and other people of color the U.S. is "warring against."

 One would think that two horrendously expensive military disasters would be enough for this president and his advisers. After all, we’re already spending $1 million per soldier per year in Afghanistan, and will spend close to a half-trillion dollars.   

For all his campaign criticism of the Bush Administration’s foreign policy, Obama is seamlessly continuing the goals of neo-conservatives to permanently reshape the American definition of "national security", and bullying of Third World countries.  Through it all, African-Americans are right behind Obama’s war machine.   They take comfort in the fact these current actions are based on lofty goals shared by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other "coalition" members. However, this strategy constitutes a disservice to American taxpayers. 

What are the Obama fanatics going to say when the people who make up the peace and justice conscious movement in this country stand up and say: "We don’t endorse military intervention by Britain, France, Italy, NATO or any other colonial forces in the name of ‘humanitarian assistance’ in Libya"?

Contact William Reed via www.BlackPressInternational.com. He is available for speaking/seminar projects via BaileyGroup.org.