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[Milo:] "Look, I didn't start this war, Yossarian […] I'm just trying to put it on a businesslike basis. Is anything wrong with that? You know, a thousand dollars ain't such a bad price for a medium bomber and a crew. If I can persuade the Germans to pay me a thousand dollars for every plane they shoot down, why shouldn't I take it? "Because you're dealing wit the enemy, that's why. Can't you understand that we're fighting a war? People are dying. Look around you, for Christ's sake!" Milo shook his head with weary forbearance. "And the Germans are not our enemies," he declared. "Oh, I know what you're going to say. Sure we're at war with them. But the Germans are also embers in good standing of the syndicate, and it's my job to protect their rights as shareholders […] .Don't you understand that I have to respect the sanctity of my contract with Germany?" "No," Yossarian rebuffed him harshly. (24.52-55)
Milo is sincere in his righteousness. He honestly thinks he has done nothing wrong, even though Mudd died, and he (Milo) holds contracts with America's enemy, Germany. In his own flawed way, Milo – in earning as much money as possible for his syndicate – is adhering to his own personal integrity. He would think it a sin not to make a big a profit. According to Milo, everything that benefits the syndicate benefits America.
. I won't forget this. The Air Force won't forget this. Don't be ridiculous! What's good for M&M is good for the Air Force. - There goes the bomb dump! - We had to get rid of that cotton.The Germans promised to take it off our hands if we ran this mission for them. - It's all part of the deal. - There goes the Officers' Club! You made a deal to bomb our own base? A contract is a contract. That's what we're fighting for. Lieutenant Minderbinder speaking. Will you clear the field, please?
This time Milo had gone too far. Bombing his own men and planes was more than even the most phlegmatic observer could stomach, and it looked like the end for him […]. Decent people everywhere were affronted, and Milo was all washed up until he opened his books to the public and disclosed the tremendous profit he had made. He could reimburse the government for all the people and property he had destroyed and still have enough money left over to continue buying Egyptian cotton. Everybody, of course, owned a share. And the sweetest part of the whole deal was that there really was no need to reimburse the government at all. (24.69)
America condemns Milo for turning on his own country until he shows that he has turned an enormous profit that will benefit the government. This time, it is not Milo who is the greedy one. The American people must also bear the blame for their greed in stopping their persecution of Milo once they realize that they all profited from the deaths at Pianosa.
(CBS) On Sept. 10, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declared war. Not on foreign terrorists, "the adversary's closer to home. It's the Pentagon bureaucracy," he said. He said money wasted by the military poses a serious threat. "In fact, it could be said it's a matter of life and death," he said. Rumsfeld promised change but the next day – Sept. 11-- the world changed and in the rush to fund the war on terrorism, the war on waste seems to have been forgotten. Just last week President Bush announced, "my 2003 budget calls for more than $48 billion in new defense spending."
More money for the Pentagon, CBS News Correspondent Vince Gonzales reports, while its own auditors admit the military cannot account for 25 percent of what it spends.
Another critic of Pentagon waste, Retired Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, commanded the Navy's 2nd Fleet the first time Donald Rumsfeld served as Defense Secretary, in 1976. In his opinion, "With good financial oversight we could find $48 billion in loose change in that building, without having to hit the taxpayers."
Originally posted by vipertech0596
reply to post by curious_soul
You really want to quibble over a hundred or so foot difference in flight paths? That make absolutely NO difference in the end result? And listening to the leading questions coming from the interviewer...hes encouraging their stories in the direction he wants. Not to mention there is a bit of memory recall issues with witnesses. Going back to them years later, you are going to find differences in their stories. Do you have any interviews of those same people from that day?
Originally posted by vipertech0596
reply to post by TheWatcher11
The funny part, is, you actually believe what you post. Anyone who has had their eyes open since about, oh, the 70s, would know how easy it was for a determined enemy attack us. Most of your so-called coincidences are nothing more than links in the chain. The rest of them are nothing more than "fluff" really.
You my friend, suffer from the illusion that the US Government is all-powerful, all-knowing and completely evil. Anyone who has spent time working for the government knows just how inept and inefficient it can be.
Originally posted by vipertech0596
reply to post by curious_soul
So, then we should discuss your qualifications that allow you to speak to the accuracy of navigation/detection systems then? Because your knowledge/lack of knowledge of the systems involved would have an affect on the discussion.
Originally posted by vipertech0596
reply to post by curious_soul
So you have no experience with avionics then? So discussing how a navigation system/data recorders could show a 100 (or more) foot difference between the witnesses and the flight data with you is useless.
But what does make sense is: you have what was purported to be the Worlds most reinforced strongest building was pounded by a relatively soft Plane made of mainly of Aluminium and Titanium. Is it any wonder it was ripped into tiny pieces.
Where's the outrage?