by DAVID BROWN | CLEARNFO.com | May 29, 2015

Years ago, when I was at the University studying mathematics and philosophy, I would wander down to the most excellent library and ply my way through some of the more exotic periodicals. Two were particularly interesting. One was called ‘Defense Attaché’; a magazine which advertised military weapons like tanks, jets, automatic guns, ammo, bombs, missiles, etc. Unlike most magazines I had read about the military prior to this, Defense Attaché was unabashed and completely unafraid to reveal their real purpose; which was to sell implements of death and destruction to anyone with money.   The ads were nonchalant and matter of fact about what they were selling; and amazingly they used the same advertising techniques found on Madison Avenue. One ad for a tank showed a man sitting on the tank with his pals smoking a cigarette with a very satisfied look on his face. His arm resting on the gun turret and he was bragging about how many people he had just killed before lunch, etc. What was also amazing was all the ‘mom and pop’ ‘All-American’ companies who advertised in Defense Attaché like Garcia fishing rods, Ralston Purina, etc. They were all in on this very lucrative business of blowing their fellow humans to smithereens without a second thought.

Since that time, I’ve tried to get a copy of Defense Attaché, but it has completely disappeared or perhaps it still exists but is not readily available via a Google search. The IDE and Conference video below reminds me of Defense Attaché’s shopping mall atmosphere.

“Terrorists” Take Over the Stage (Extra Scene from ‘Rearming Iraq’)  VICE News uploaded a new video. Here’s what the opening ceremony of an arms show in Abu Dhabi looks like: