Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!

Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! is the name of a 1985 album by the thrash band Megadeth, and it's also what popped into my head when I heard about the rise in profits of Fliton based BAE systems on the news today. BAE's announcement has the double-speak phrase 'high tempo' to describe what has caused the rise in income;

"The UK's largest defence firm, BAE made a pre-tax profit of £657m ($1.4bn), compared with £378m a year earlier. BAE said the 'high tempo' of UK and US military operations was increasing demand for land systems to support armed forces overseas. BAE, which is facing an anti-corruption probe by US authorities, saw its half-year revenues rise by 10%."

'High tempo' is another ways of saying that there is more violence, more killing, more bombs and bullets being shot - and more of all this mean more money. Money we pay for though our and US taxes and in subsidies to the war industries in general. In non-business terms this means;

"Deaths directly and indirectly attributable to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq have neared one million people, a body count higher than the genocides in Rwanda and Sudan combined, according to a new report released by Just Foreign Policy."

Thankfully some people have the moral courage to stand up to the global killing industry.