The latest Bond movie, Spectre, touches on an insidious connection between certain vested interests who wish to control intelligence and spy on citizens on a global level. The movie shows how special interest groups create terror throughout countries in an effort to push through and scare the public and governments into enacting stricter surveillance and reducing civil liberties. While the Bond movie makes the baddies out to be nothing more than a bunch of voyeurs who wish to know what everyone is up to, in reality the stakes are much higher. During his farewell address on January 17, 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower warned about what he described as a threat to democratic government. He called it the military-industrial complex. This was the union of defense contractors and the armed forces. He explains:
“In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist.”
