Why We Fight (BBC Storyville- the american arms industry)

On January 17 1961, in his farewell speech to the nation, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a caveat to the American people that "unwarranted influence" was being acquired by "a permanent arms industry of vast proportions". Calling it the American military-industrial complex, Eisenhower sounded a solemn alarm. Today this American military-industrial complex has untold power. Defence spending in the US is the highest in American history - $396 billion - and it is more than the total sum allocated to all other spending sectors. Director Eugene Jarecki's film takes a social and political journey through the 50 years following Eisenhower's prophecy, and investigates the joint venture between the US government and the arms industry into the business of making war. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. [description stolen from eazbak @ mvgroup.org]