The Eco-Industrial Complex
In 1961, President Eisenhower delivered a farewell address in which he referenced the “Military-Industrial Complex.” He was referring to a system whereby a relationship develops between business leaders (ever seeking the loot easily obtained from government contracts) and the military (ever seeking more expensive and sophisticated weapon systems under the mantle of National Defense).
This speech was delivered just before the Cuban Missile Crisis and at the height of the threat of The Red Menace. Sputnik had recently orbited the earth, children had been taught to “duck and cover” and Civil Defense signs marked the location of fallout shelters. During this era, the hysteria-mongers honed their craft.
Fast forward 28 years (1989) and we see the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Block. We were promised a “peace dividend” by President George HW Bush resulting from decrease in military spending. This turned out to be nothing more than a political slogan. While spending on defense did decrease, spending by the federal government did not. If properly framed, there is always another “war” to fight.
Just one summer earlier, James Hansen of NASA delivered his infamous Global Warming testimony before Congress. In collusion with Senator Timothy Wirth (D-CO), they conspired to hold the hearings on the hottest day of the year. Wirth said, “We called the weather bureau and found out what was historically the hottest day of the summer. Well it was June 6 or June 9th, whatever it was. So, we scheduled the hearing that day and bingo, it was the hottest day on record”. He further stated, “We went in the night before and opened all the windows, I will admit, so that the air conditioning wasn’t working inside the room”. Don’t take my word for it, view the video from PBS’s series Frontline, episode “Hot Politics” which aired April 24, 2007.
What was the motive of Wirth, et. al.? The answer can be found in a quotation in Michael Crichton’s State of Fear: “But the military-industrial complex is no longer the primary driver of society. In reality, for the last 15 years we have been under the control of an entirely new complex, far more powerful and far more persuasive, I call it the politico-legal-media complex. The PLM. And it is dedicated to promoting fear in the population – under the guise of promoting safety.”
Crichton’s theory, as expressed in a fictional work, is that various pressure groups use government coercion to promote their agenda. This is particularly true for the Green movement; it is the central tenant of State of Fear.
Originally, I intended to write a single post regarding this topic. However, there are so many details and examples to express, that I must open an entire category of posts dedicated to The Eco-Industrial Complex.