Military Industrial Complex Debunked

Baker Eisenhower's MIC Warning - Caller Ties 9 11 to Arizona Shooting - Porter Commerce of Sex 2011

Russ Baker is an old-fashioned muckraking journalist and pamphleteer using the newest technologies. In his reporting and writing he brings the best of mainstream methods (balance and rigor) to the alternative media, and the best of the alternative media (passion for the truth and the larger story) to the mainstream. He focuses on getting past the rhetoric to expose the hidden levers and machinations that shape our world. Baker's investigative reporting, analysis pieces, features, and essays on politics, power, and perceptions have appeared in many of the world's finest publications.

Eduardo Porter writes about business, economics, and many other matters as a member of the New York Times editorial board. He has also worked as a journalist in Mexico City, Tokyo, London, Sao Paulo, and Los Angeles. He was the editor of the Brazilian edition of América Economía and covered the Hispanic population of the United States for The Wall Street Journal. He lives in New York.

Russ Baker spoke about the odd string of "coincidental" historical anniversaries coming up this week that tie in with President Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex (MIC). The MIC refers to the relationship between government, a nation's armed forces, and the industrial firms that supply their equipment. Fifty years ago, on January 17, 1961, Eisenhower warned about the MIC: "We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."

Eisenhower sensed the problems inherent in the relationship between military and industry, Baker explained, noting how the enterprise serves those involved and does not make the country any safer. He made connections to several anniversaries, including Martin Luther King Day, and the inaugurations of George W. Bush and John F. Kennedy. According to Baker, JFK saw increasing problems with the MIC apparatus, as it was unaccountable, irresponsible, and incompetent. Baker also referenced the recent mysterious death of former pentagon official John Wheeler, as well as Jared Lee Loughner's alleged shooting spree in Tucson, Arizon