This topic is a spin-off of
Phat message 47 at the "Afghan Christian released" topic. There he quoted a larger excerpt from the speech, which I will repeat"
President Eisenhowers farewell address,1961 writes:
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment...This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
I gave him a
POTM for that message, and encouraged him to start a new topic on it. In my POTM message I also added the comment:
Somewhere on public radio I heard that an earlier draft of the speech had instead the phrase "Military Industrial Congress Complex".
Moose