War Profiteering is not a new concept... Future warfare and Steem...

When there is a war going on... I always like to look at who is making money... and who stands to gain from war. That is usually the cause of the war. Take a look at the recent war (2003) in Iraq as an example. The Iraqi state was in control of the Oil found within its borders and was 100% responsible for the production of the crude oil. Western companies did not have any stake in the oil production of Iraq.

In the case of the George W. Bush attempt at "liberating the Iraqi People" we can read between the lines to see what was really going on. After the fall of the Hussein regime at the hands of the United States ran military operation, (which ironically also put the Hussein regime into power) there was a shift in how the oil industry was run in Iraq. Halliburton gained nearly 40 million dollars in contracts in Iraq. Then Vice President Dick Cheney served as CEO of Halliburton from 1995 - 2000.

Anyone familiar with Noam Chomsky's famous book "Propaganda and the Control of the Public Mind" can see very easily the role that the media plays in justifying conflict for financial gain. I don't want to delve too much into conspiracy theory to introduce this post... but it is quite obvious that the role of the military intervention was not to "liberate" the people of Iraq. Liberating the Iraqi people was merely the instrument used to justify a military operation, and to control the mind of the public. American control over oil resources and american corporate control over the oil industry in Iraq were definitely two prizes fought for in that military operation.

Of course... the war profiteering did not end with oil, and Halliburton lining up some more work. Military operation justifies a military budget. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, BAE systems and so forth have huge contracts with the United States military. Military spending in the USA is yearly just shy of 600 billion dollars. Without conflict, these businesses would likely not maintain such lucrative contracts. The defence industry, in turn, spends hundreds of millions of dollars on lobbyists and political donations to ensure their spot in the military industrial complex, which President Eisenhower foresaw and warned us of in his farewell address in 1961.

Banks make money off of economic activity. Any activity which causes debt and increased lending would be more profitable for banks. War, therefore, is a very profitable institution from the perspective of banks. "A bank may lend a sum and charge a heavy fee, fund both sides of the war and loan more to clean debris." (From the song "My saving account", Fermented Reptile, Let's just call you quits).

These are all points that most people with half a brain are aware of at this stage in the current global state... so what's my point?

The modern war is fought in different arena's over different currency. Take steem for example. Everyone reading this likely has some stake in Steem and therefore also has a vested interest in the state of its union. In a decentralized environment, it is a very different perspective but there are, again, many similar happenings.

Steemit itself, I liken to an old feudalistic state. Steemit consists of mostly peasants who struggle to get noticed and make a dollar. The wealthy 'lords' can click their mouse and ruin communities with downvotes or make someone's week with a full upvote. In feudalism, the peasants would pledge their life to the feudal lord for a share of the land and for the protection of the lord. The whales with millions of steempower serve as the lords over communities on steemit. Most people have one or two whales that run their area of the platform, and they hope for an upvote from them. Whales can even protect steemians from the dreaded downvote and can push the button for "mutually assured destruction" keeping downvoters in check.

Those with the money, much like the three dimensional world, also wield the power. Now, modern warlords can erect an army of robots, clones or zombies to do their bidding (literally). Those with the money also have the ability to reach the largest audiences by promoting the posts and reaching the 'hot' and 'trending' pages, gaining a large following and therefore influence.

I have been observing the wars here on steemit. I see merit to both sides. I watch the trail of the money and I get it. Everyone has a vested interest in steem and the reward pool represents the return on investment. When one person is taking too much of the reward pool, action is taken. All is fair. People who bring value to the platform with posts deserve to be rewarded for it. $2000 / day??? Maybe not. The downvoting of the post exists not as an instrument of war, but as a check and balance to keep the steem ecosystem fair.

Turning the downvote into an instrument of war has other consequences and only one type of person stands to benefit from war on Steemit. The war profiteer. Follow the money and see how much has been rewarded through acts of "war" on Steemit.

I do congratulate the Steem programming as it does provide a pretty good check on this... The whales that do chose to take part in wars, (and sometimes war is necessary) have their voting power released without contributing it to the reward pool... which does not really have any effect on the author rewards doled out... Everyone fighting ends up making nothing.

There can be much of the reward pool that is rewarded to robotic soldiers, who no longer can lose their life, but can only gain funds for their master. This is the current weapon of the war profiteer. This is something that we must be aware of. Some wars are necessary and people who fight for a noble cause deserve to be rewarded for their bravery and their energy expelled. I am not the judge, jury nor the executioner... merely a concerned citizen.

I have no stats, I have no fingers to point... I am only writing a piece to make people think a bit deeper about the place that we choose to put time and energy into. Steemit is a wonderful digital ecosystem and it is up to each and every one of us to help steer it in a direction we see good for it. I for one, would love to see a thriving website responsible for some of the best articles, videos, songs, shows and art, with the best rewards online. We have much work to do to get this website there but I do think it is possible. War has been a great instrument of change, but it can also be a great instrument of stagnation and profit. We must be aware of its two faces and ensure that a sword is drawn at only the required moments. If a sword is drawn with profit as the purpose... the arm drawing the sword must be cut off. The programming is good... using what we have as the rules of the game... and knowing our place within it... combined with awareness... we can make Steemit flourish.

I like to use history as a window to view Steemit and see the similarities of what is happening and what has happened. I hope to help solidify some perspective on issues that are too complicated for there to be a black or a white. I merely hope to help us understand things a little bit better and hopefully stimulate some conversation... and maybe one day usher in an era of peace!