I assume that you are reimbursed for your business expenses and that the ones
for which you're not reimbursed are tax deductible. I also assume that you have
a pension and social security benefits. Just clarifying so people don't think
that you're poverty stricken.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2020 2:02 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: TV Pundits Praising Suleimani Assassination
Neglect to Disclose Ties to Arms Industry
This failure to declare sources of funding reminds me that I've never declared
my source. I now will do so, just to enable any critics to check out whether
or not my contractual agreements have led to biases in how I respond to the
American Empire's behavior.
Since 1995, my wife and I have contracted with the Washington State Department
of Services for the Blind...and later, with both the Department and with the
University of Washington. Our first 24 years were full time contracts. Our
last full time contract was in the annual amount of $60 thousand, out of which
we paid all expenses. Our last contract is a part time agreement for $25
thousand each year.
And, just to make the point, you might want to compare those figures to the
contracts let out to some of the people contracting in the Industrial/Military
Field.
I'd say that your tax dollars bought you more benefits from our services than
for the very expensive contracts let out by the Arms Industry.
Carl Jarvis
On 1/7/20, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
TV Pundits Praising Suleimani Assassination Neglect to Disclose Ties
to Arms Industry By Lee Fang, The Intercept
07 January 20
Since Friday, a loud chorus of voices has appeared in the media to
celebrate President Donald Trump's decision to assassinate Iranian
Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, a move that has sparked renewed tension in
the Middle East, a new deployment of U.S. forces, and predictions of
increased military spending.
Many of the pundits who appeared on national television or were quoted
in major publications to praise the president's actions have
undisclosed ties to the defense industry - the only domestic industry
that stands to gain from increased violence.
Jack Keane, a retired Army general, appeared on Fox News and NPR over
the last three days to praise Trump for the strike on Suleimani. "The
president acted responsibly," Keane said during an appearance with Fox
News host Lou Dobbs. "It should have happened a long time ago." Keane
has worked for military companies, including General Dynamics and
Blackwater, and currently serves as a partner at SCP Partners, a
venture capital firm that invests in defense contractors.
Van Hipp, chair of the lobbying firm American Defense International,
which represents more than two dozen defense contractors - including
Raytheon, Palantir, and General Atomics, the manufacturer of the MQ-9
Reaper drone used in the Suleimani slaying - published an opinion
column on Fox News's website praising Trump and suggesting increased
pressure on the Iranian government.
David Petraeus, the retired general who once commanded U.S. forces in
Iraq and Afghanistan, was quoted by multiple outlets in support of the
slaying.
"This is a very significant effort to reestablish deterrence," he told
Foreign Policy. On Public Radio International, Petraeus declared that
"this particular episode has been fairly impressively handled," and
praised the Trump administration for moving "to shore up our defenses
and our offensive capabilities." He also appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Petraeus, notably, works for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co., the
investment firm with holdings in several major defense contractors
that is reportedly moving to "build up its defense portfolio at a time
when military budgets are skyrocketing."
John Negroponte, a former State Department official who now serves as
vice chair of the defense and aerospace lobbying firm McLarty
Associates, appeared on Fox News to dispute the claim by Sen. Bernie
Sanders, I-Vt., that the strike represented a threat of war. "I think
it's an act of self-defense," countered Negroponte.
Jeh Johnson, former Homeland Security secretary in the Obama
administration, appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" to offer measured
support, countering progressive critics who have claimed that the
strikes lacked legal and congressional authorization.
"General Suleimani," Johnson said, "was a lawful military objective
and the president, under his constitutional authority as commander in
chief, had ample domestic legal authority to take him out without an
additional congressional authorization."
Johnson joined the board of director of Lockheed Martin, one of the
largest defense contractors in the world, in 2017. The part-time
position pays him
$310,000 a year in cash and stock awards, according to disclosures.
None of the defense contracting ties were disclosed on air for Keane,
Hipp, Negroponte, Petraeus, or Johnson.
"It is imperative that viewers are aware when their news commentary is
coming from someone with a financial incentive tied to the topic
they're commenting on, especially when so many lives hang in the
balance," says Gin Armstrong, a senior researcher with the Public
Accountability Initiative, which tracks conflicts of interest. "The
key question is why media outlets allow anyone with a financial
interest in war - regardless of their previous military or government
experience - to have access to their platforms at a critical time like
this."
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination, stock prices for
major defense contractors soared on the expectation of further
conflict. The Trump administration has won more than $130 billion in
additional Pentagon spending, but analysts expect a renewed push for
even greater levels of weapons spending.
One key area for military growth in government defense spending could
be the Overseas Contingency Operations fund, a special account used to
fund wartime operations. The OCO had been largely frozen in place and
expected to flatline in the 2021 budget. The escalation in response to
the Suleimani killing could change that, according to the Cowen Group,
an investment bank that specializes in servicing defense contractors.
The OCO account "was likely on a lower trajectory over the next
several years. We doubt that's the case now," the Cowen Group's Roman
Schweizer wrote in a memo to investors on Friday. "The U.S. will
likely increase deployments of forces to the region in coming weeks
and could make additional strikes depending on Iran's response."
It's not the first time defense contractor pundits have failed to
disclose their vested stake in the military policies they advocate.
The Boston Globe reported on how defense contractors routinely retain
former high-level officers to serve as lobbyists, even though few
bother registering or complying with ethics disclosures. Keane, for
instance, was tapped by the contractor AM General to pressure
lawmakers to support a plan to purchase new Humvee vehicles from the company
rather than refurbish older models.
Former military leaders play a decisive role in shaping public opinion
around military escalation. In the buildup to the Iraq War, the
Pentagon maintained a secret effort to deploy former generals and
other high-ranking officials on television news programs to drum up support
for the invasion.
The New York Times, which reported on the communications campaign,
noted that the military pundits maintained financial ties to defense
contractors, a financial stake in the war policies they sought to promote.
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