This isn't related to Co$raids, but it's important nonetheless. Sorry for tl;dr. But it's worth the read, and it's worth thinking about. 

It's not something to be ignored and overlooked, and it's definitely not something to just accept. I think it's something to be challenged.

 Honestly, how much longer should we put up with politicians and the media parading in our faces how great the profits from making tanks and fighter jets and submarines and warships are? Anyway, read below.

_______________________________________________________________ 

A Call against Global War Profiteers & the
International Arms Trade

Mike
Rann, the Premier of South Australia has
recently announced that Adelaide will be host to
the Asia Pacific Defence & Security
Exhibition on 11-13th November 2008. The Asia
Pacific Defence and Security Exhibition is an arms fair. Its purpose is to
provide military companies from all over the world with an opportunity to
display their latest war fighting machinery.

The
Governments of France, Germany, Israel, Italy, South Africa, UK and USA have
already booked major exhibition space for their military corporations to come
to Australia and take up Mike Rann's offer to "survey the terrific business and
investment opportunities" that APDSE will provide. No doubt many other nations
will join the throng in the coming year.

These
seven countries are together the source of at least 80% of all military
equipment, from bombers and warships, through to cluster bombs and depleted
uranium munitions, down to the more mundane run-of-the-mill guns, boots,
bullets and surveillance equipment used to in the dozens of wars around the
world today.

They
are responsible for 80% of all the pain & suffering caused by militarism.
For the deaths, for the amputees, for the rapes at gunpoint, for the detainees
and refugees, for the orphans and the parents denied the right of dying before
their children. These people are the real terrorists. 

In a
cruel twist the organiser of this death fair, Alex Nicholl, who also organises
similar atrocities in the UK, has set the date for APDSE as 11th November, the
day we normally stop and reflect on the horrors of war. To these people the
remembrance of war holds no horror, only profit.

The
best we can hope for is that Remembrance Day reminds them of the last time the
masters of war came to Australia
to peddle their wares.

This is
the first major weapons trade fair since the Australian people put an end to
the AIDEX 89 & 91 exhibitions in Canberra. In coming months the campaign to
stop Australia
being turned into a shopping mall for the world's killers will begin in
earnest. We urge you to join us in stopping this happening for another 17
years.

For more information;
About the conference/venue:
http://www.apdsexhibition.com/
http://www.adelaidecc.com.au

Email: no.apdse@gmail.com
Send an email with "SUBSCRIBE ME" in the subject field to above address to be added to the email discussion list.

We
ask that this information be circulated via
bulletins/e-mails/publications if possible. And also for those
interested to keep/get in touch. And also for people to be conscious of what they talk about electronically.

A valid point. But a fairly poor attitude. We're not going to stop all war on rememberance day. We're not going to stop all war profiteering on rememberance day. We're just going to stop this even happening. The wars in other countries will still be going while we're taking to the streets and dropping banners, and the people making money off those won't be losing any. All we're doing is for a couple of days, putting a stop to this one major event in any war profiteers calendar. Everyday people like us did it in '89 & '91, and everyday people like us are going to do it again this year. 

Just like a dockworkers union went on strike in Zimbabwe to stop chinese arms shipments coming in.

And if anything, we'll raise awareness of it, and push a different point of view to politicians who want to make some cash for their friends', hippies and old people who want to acheive some kind of capitalist world peace, and other political groups who're all out to recruit, jumping on any issue they can raise.

As for what war is. War is fighting over markets. And when there's no market, no money, and no rulers there'll be no war. And i mean in a liveable/self sustaining society, not after man-made armageddon. 

If oppression and war are the structure of "our" society, why wouldn't you make every effort to destroy it?

x