I really enjoy The Real News and hope they make it, they need donations, just like the Sift.

offtopic:
I'm not quite sure but I always thought siftiquette was that multipart videos are posted in one post. That is either make a playlist embed or directlink to the part2.

FYI - Blackwater is now known as Xe. Why would they change their name? Just like any other company walking the edge of criminality does. Tobacco, financial, communications, energy, mercenary companies, arms dealers, etc.

The common public has a very short memory and is incapable of keeping track of all this. Too busy dealing with day to day life and surviving through a tanked economy, rather than watching where the 'arms' of the military industrial complex are reaching.

Same old story. Nothing new. The plutocracy continues.

*promote the full story

Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 3:53pm PDT - promote requested by schmawy.

Well - it has to be said... The reason that European defense budgets are so low is because the US's is so high. Europe ceded its defense to the United States after WW2. It is what allows places like France spend a pittance on defense and everything else on social spending like 'not-so-free' health care. Of course the good ol' boys in the system play games for profit. Golly gee whiz Sgt. Carter!

But if the US scaled back its defense to only 4% of the budget what would the reaction be? There would be whining like you've NEVER heard before from our buddies across the pond. Budgets dedicated to social spending would be forced to change. I doubt they want that gravy train to pull in to the station. It is what allows Europe to spend billions more on socialist programs and placate the people. Plus they get to stare down thier noses at the US and act all sanctimonius. For them, US defense spending is win/win.