Pay heed to what Eisenhower said.

On this fourth of July, the American version of Pomp and Circumstances, it would pay to remember Dwight Eisenhower's words:

“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

“We should take nothing for granted, only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. ... We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.”

I was reminded of Eisenhower's words today by a military mom who's totally disgusted with the Bush administration. Robert Scheer of Truthdig can articulate it a whole lot better than I can:

The Cold War had provided the rationale for the first peacetime creation of a militarized economy. While the former general, Eisenhower, was well aware of the military threat posed by the Soviet Union, he chose in his farewell presidential address to the nation to warn that the war profiteers had an agenda of their own, one that was inimical to the survival of American democracy:

Happy Fourth of July.