Kether Muse

Human Rights

2010-07-02T04:16:00.000-07:00

Today on the Boise Weekly Forum a thread was started in regard to a video of an exchange at the United Nations between the UN Watch and the UN Human Rights Commission.

Israels own Association for Civil Rights in Israel reports that Israel should be looking in its own back yard. ( Actual report that is referenced to in the previous article ) I do not disagree that the UN is not doing enough about many places in the world, Congo, Sudan, China and on and on. But the Fact remains that the Israeli and Palestinian Conflict has major effects on the world in regard to peace and war. In my opinion one of the most important issues on the planet.

Please visit my website for more on the issues of War, Peace and Human Rights. Work for Peace

Cost of War

2010-03-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

The following is based on September 2007 figures. But the basic issue remains the same.

According to World Bank estimates, $54 billion a year would eliminate starvation and malnutrition , while $30 billion would provide a year of primary education for every child on earth. At the upper range of those estimates, the $456 billion cost of the war could have fed and educated the world’s poor for five and a half years.

The National Priorities Project Tallies Cost of War through September 30, 2010 HERE. So now what could we do with that amount of money?

If you want to work to change this culture of war join a local peace organization. The local one where I am is the Idaho Peace Coalition. Here is a list of Anti-War Organizations.

Being Pro-Peace as apposed to Anti-War has been an issue that has occupied my heart and mind for many years.

"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there." ~ Mother Teresa

Just for drill here are some war quotes.

Please Visit my website for more links on peace,justice and war.

Go out and work for peace today!

Conversation with Mom

2010-02-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

With much trepidation recently had a little talk with my mother on a subject I had not breached with her before. Her future Death and Burial. Surprising that I knew little about my mothers thoughts on this. I had my own speculations but they were extremely vague. I know that she has deep roots of Catholicism and a belief in reincarnation. Being her power of attorney I knew she wanted to be cremated. Some Christians are against cremation and some are not. My aunt being one that is against it. I asked my mom if she wanted my aunt to do the funeral for her and she got a scowl on her face and emphatically said, “No way!” and told me to be sure she was cremated. Upon further inquiry she informed me that she wanted an Irish Wake for a funeral, not a boring religious ceremony. Also she thought it would be nice to come back as her cat that had died a few years ago.

This made me think a bit about my own mortality and realize that I have not spelled this out in a legal way for my friends and family so they do not need to have the task of deciding for me. Better get on that! It would be interesting to do the Tibetan method known as Jhator or otherwise known as a Sky Burial. Hmm...

That all being said, I am wondering about any other folks and their conversations with their aging parents in regard to their death and burial. How did it go? Was it hard to do? How did you feel?

After leaving your comment, please visit my website for a plethora of daily added links to interesting sites on art, music, religion, politics and more.

Letter to the Conservation Voters for Idaho

2009-10-16T03:28:00.000-07:00

I sent a letter to the Conservation Voters for Idaho after receiving a mailer from them. Here is my comment I sent.

“…..I received your "absent electors ballot" in the mail yesterday. I found it rather ironic. "Conservation Voters". Hmm... It seems to me that the high gloss ink laden thick paper mailer isn't quite conservative in regard to natural resources it required to print it. Seems to me a standard black and white mailer on paper of average weight would have served as well. Also the cost of such a mailer doesn't conserve the money it cost to produce it.. I suppose it is all subjective. Just saying…”

Now, I know I am not perfect in regard to my own “conservation” and ecological choices. But it seems to me that this mailer sends a wrong message to those it is suppose to be supporting and lobbying for. They are supported by donations from the public. I have not joined groups such as the Sierra Club for similar reasons and have sent them letters also in regard to their extensive mailers seeking funds and their use of money to purchase “gifts” to send you if you join them. It just seems so extravagant, wasteful and not a good use of donated funds.

I have chosen to use my limited funds to donate to environmental organizations to groups such as Alliance for the Wild Rockies. They send out little in regard to fundraising and news letters, they use standard weight recycled paper, more earth friendly inks and don’t purchase cute little gifts (most likely made in China) to entice your support. I would rather my donations go to the actual work for the environment.

Am I being pissy or does this make sense to anyone one else?

2009-09-25T04:46:00.000-07:00

All the rage in the news today is the announcement that Iran has told the U.N. nuclear watchdog it has a second uranium enrichment plant under construction. It isn't really a secret and hasn't been. The world wants to tell them that they are in violation of the non-proliferation treaty.. Now we have caught them “red handed”. I agree with the fact that they have violated the rules of the NPT.

Obama has just given a speech to the world on nuclear weapons and the United Nations Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution from President Barack Obama strengthening international cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and committing to collaborate toward a global community "without nuclear weapons.” Well that is all well and good. But I have a few questions on a related matter that seems to totally slip through the cracks.

Why has Israel declined to sign the NPT? Why does the world ignore this fact?

From Wikipedia:

….Israel is widely believed to possess weapons of mass destruction, and to be one of four nuclear-armed countries not recognized as a Nuclear Weapons State by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The US Congress Office of Technology Assessment has recorded Israel as a country generally reported as having undeclared chemical warfare capabilities, and an offensive biological warfare program. Officially Israel neither confirms nor denies possessing nuclear weapons….

Now Israel is making noise that they may attack Iran unilaterally and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the U.N to take action against them. If they do take action on their own you know who will be blamed. Not the Israelis, we will.

My opinion (and I am not alone) Israel is a rouge nation and we should stop financing their bad behavior at the tune of $114 billion not to mention $30 billion in military aid to them. If we hand the bully on the playground the stick he hits the others with, are we not as guilty as he is?

Addendum:

So here we are giving Iran alot of grief, understandably;y.. But what of India spurning Obama’s NPT call? So we have Israel, India and Pakistan all refusing to join the rest of the world. At least Iran and North Korea have joined the club even if they don't always play by the rules... But then some say neither do we.

2009-09-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

A little tongue in cheek for you spurred on by the crazy debates on the Boise Weekly Forum.

NuclearShadows Newswire Sept 17-- A group of Democratic operatives have come up with a novel idea to save money in the new healthcare reform battle. Euthanasia. But unlike the current fear that is sweeping across conservative America, killing Granny, the program would focus on conservative America itself.

Current estimates show that 45% of Americans still believe Obama’s health care package contains taxpayer funding for the so called “death panels” despite the presidents assurance that it does not and the lack of any credible evidence… Most of those 45% identify themselves as conservative and/or Republican.

House bill HR666 is in the drafting at this moment but sponsors of the bill say it should be ready soon and enjoys wide support among Democrats. NuclearShadows Newswire has obtained a few advanced pages of the bill. Following are some of our findings.

The candidates for the procedure will first be screened by using a series of questions. Among them:

How old is the earth?

Is America a Christian nation?

Does human activity affect global warming and is global warming real?

How many people did Bill Clinton kill?

After answering the series of question the person will be scored and evaluated. All those with a score over 45% will be taken directly to secret government facilities for immediate processing and euthanasia. Since those chosen have been shown to undermine the security of the United States provisions of the Patriot Act and the Military Commissions Act will be engaged, rendering said person with no legal council with which to argue the reasons for said detention. Rather than needlessly spending additional tax dollars to house/cloth/feed said individuals the individual will have their sentence carried out immediately.

Although some may find these provisions drastic, the sponsor of the bill believe once the American people understand the huge saving to the treasury in health care, education and other costs, they will gradually embrace the wisdom of the new policy.

Idaho Peace Coalition to show Rethink Afghanistan

2009-09-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

Please ignore the elephant in the room. What happened to the change Obama promised? Another opportunity down the drain as the Obama administration argued late Monday that allowing terrorism detainees in Afghanistan to file lawsuits in U.S. courts challenging their detention would endanger the military mission in that country. Although the Pentagon is giving the roughly 600 detainees at Bagram Airfield ( the other GITMO) a new chance to challenge their detentions, the Obama administration stuck with Bush administration policy in a court filing Monday night that said the Bagram detainees' rights shouldn't extend as far as U.S. courtrooms. The Pentagon will actually assign a non-lawyer soldier to them to help them gather evidence in an attempt to prove that they’re not guilty of whatever they’re being accused of. The military will then decide if they want to let them go or not.

It good to see some talk going on about Afghanistan. As several senators are beginning to openly question President Barack Obama’s plan for further escalation of the war in Afghanistan, a trio of hawkish Senators, John McCain, Joseph Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, have penned an op-ed piece for the Wall Street Journal calling for a significant increase in ground troops, likely beyond the escalation already backed by Obama and the additional escalation advocated by Gen. McChrystal. But Murtha is saying no more U.S. Troops for Afghanistan.

And new polls show that support for the ongoing war in Afghanistan has continued to drop, now down to only 39% in favor and 58% against.

The Idaho Peace Coalition soon will be having a public showing of the series Rethink Afghanistan. Come to the Hyde Park Street Fair this weekend and find the Idaho Peace Coalition and the Snake River Alliance combining efforts in the Idaho Chapter 17 of Veterans for Peace booth. There will printed information on this event.

Mini Rant 911

2009-09-11T02:46:00.001-07:00

8 years ago we began our adventure into the "War on Terror". Please go to the website of the 911 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows and read their statement for today.

Now for other matters.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he is concerned the public debate on Afghanistan “has started to go in the wrong direction” after the civilan airstrike deaths last week.

Airstrikes have dropped in half so maybe that is why four Marines died in eastern Afghanistan after their commanders reportedly rejected requests for artillery fire in a battle with insurgents.

Peaople are urging General McChrystal to explain the path forward for success in the new strategy in Afghanistan…

Even as people are found stealing our money in Afghanistan we are increasing the number of these private contractors to fight the war. What are they thinking?

Write to the Whitehouse and tell Obama to end this war.

Oh well….

Work for Peace

The Beat Goes On

2009-04-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

Well we're winning hearts and minds again today with the killing 13 people, some said to be civilians, in Pakistan. This and other recent attacks have been focused on the followers of Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban who recent has said he will attack America. He is seen as posing one of the greatest threats to US President Barack Obama’s push to stem Pakistan’s slide towards instability.
All this while Obama is trying to get more troops into the war from Europe. He's not having much luck. This on the heels of General David Petraeus telling congress he needs 10,000 more troops than Obama has planned to send. Oh well... the beat goes on....

Greatest Hits Redux

2009-04-01T04:12:00.000-07:00

Greatest Hits Redux

Well I was taken by the news that some of the top warmongers have set up shop again with a new name. Great! These jerks have now formed a new alliance and are calling themselves the Foreign Policy Initiative.

And the hits will just keep on coming.. You remember their greatest hit don’t you? I call it the “game plan”. I have always told people to go read it if they wanted to know what was up with America and its wars over the last 7 years. The little item I speak of is called “Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces, and Resources For a New Century” ( also called by some of us the Blueprint for Imperialism” ) and is an enlightening little 88 page primer that rivals a Steven King horror novelette. Here is a good “biopsy” of the document. They are famous for the phrase, "a new Pearl Harbor” and out of that popped up the Patriot Act much to their glee..

These guys formally were called The Project for the New American Century. PNAC for short. Heard of them? Their former members include some names I am sure you know and recognize. Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, William Kristol, Trent Lott, Newt Gingrich... These guys have been hiding in the shadows for a while and I have wondered what new scheme they were hatching and now we know… Anyway… Nuff for now.

Here is a great article titled, “Would you buy a used foreign policy from these guys?” that explores this issue a bit.

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Work for Peace

It's Alive!

2009-03-31T05:09:00.000-07:00

Let's Start here with a little film.

I begin this post with this clip because as I was thinking of the events to which I am writing I was reminded that the Awakening Council and the Sons of Iraq are the creation of government. Now, like Frankenstein's Monster, our creation has come back to haunt us.

"Honestly, we're worried about the future. If the government doesn't pay us and incorporate us into the security services, I swear, bad things will start happening here a month from now," he says. "We won't attack them, but the situation will deteriorate again." That was spoken by Mustafa Kamel, the Sons of Iraq leader in the Baghdad who commands 800 fighters. This after the arrest of a leader of the Awakening Council was arrested by the Iraqi government the other day. At least four people were killed and 21 wounded in the two days of fighting between government troops and the Awakening Council.

When the Awakening Council was formed it had as many as 80,000 members across Iraq. They were viewed as saviors in quelling the violence and turning back the tide of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. Since 2005 they have been paid by the American military and the Iraqi government to lay down their arms against coalition forces, patrol neighborhoods, and to fight against other Sunni insurgents. The US military says the groups help it target Al-Qaeda in Iraq more precisely and avoid collateral damage.

Well it seems to me that the honeymoon is over and we are losing control over our monster. The Iraqi Defense Ministry has said that it plans to disband the Awakening groups so they do not become a separate military force. Well it seems that they are a bit late in that attempt. Back in 2007 we started to realize the implications of our creation and the possibility of what is happening today occurring.

It seems that we may not have learned from our past. We got the Shiites to rise up against Saddam at the end of the First Gulf War.. They did and we didn’t help them. They hated us for it. We helped create the Taliban then went on to attempt to destroy them. Now in Afghanistan we are offering money and such to get Taliban members to change their ways. Well, may work for a bit until we once again abandon them, like we are now doing to the Awakening Councils.

And Obama thinks we will leave Iraq and quell Afghanistan and Pakistan. Not if we keep creating monsters over and over and the abandoning them as our use of them is finished. I suppose we will see if the words quoted above are a prophecy or just more fear mongering. “…bad things will start happening here a month from now”

That’s my opinion and I am sticking to it…

Gaza

2009-01-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

The Israeli assault on Gaza continues now on its seventh day. I and other members of the Idaho Peace Coalition penned a press release that has been sent out and also faxed to our congressmen. We have also signed on to an open letter to President-elect Obama as an organization and as individuals. We also urge everyone to contact the Whitehouse and State Department to protest the attacks and demand an immediate cease-fire. Here are those numbers.

Contact the White House
Call 202-456-1111 or
send an email to comments@whitehouse.gov

Contact the State Department at 202-647-6575
or send an email by going here: http://tinyurl.com/93ctpz

There is so much to say and so many issues to examine. But I have been writing about it a little everyday. If there is ever going to be a lasting peace in the Middle East I believe this particular conflict holds the key. This is just a tidbit of my thoughts for today.

So even though Israel knew where Hamas leader Nizar Rayan was and knew he had refused to leave his home why did they bomb his house rather than arrest or assassinate him? Instead they chose to bomb his house and kill 18 other people, including nine of his children, ages 2 to 19, two other children, all four of his wives and three other woman.

But with fewer targets left to strike – yesterday Israel bombed a mosque, the education ministry, the transportation ministry as well as the parliament building – a ground invasion would now appear imminent. Hamas says they intend to continue firing rockets until Israel ends its offensive and Israel says there will be no end to the violence for as long as rockets fly. It is doubtful either side will back down. Israel has rejected any calls for a cease fire even the French one that calls for a two day halt to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. But many more meeting for peace are ongoing.

So we can stay tuned for more civilian deaths. It seems that, just like the Lebanon war where more than 1,000 civilians killed, international calls for peace will only happen when the civilian deaths reach a tipping point. The Gaza Strip is one of the thickest populated places on the planet it probably won’t be long until the deaths climb up. So far there have been 4 or 5 Israeli deaths but if soldiers take to the streets their casualties will go up too.

So hospitals are now being accused by Israel as hiding places for Hamas militants, a charge that the hospital administrators emphatically reject. But no one can say for sure because of the blockade against journalists or anyone else to enter Gaza at all. But that may change as the Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday ordered the state to allow foreign reporters into the Gaza Strip. So since Israel is running out of targets I suppose they are attempting to set up hospitals as a legitimate target. This is in direct violation of Article 18 of the Geneva Conventions. But we know what Israel thinks of the damn pesky Geneva Conventions…

As expected a United Nations resolution calling on Israel to abide by its obligations under the Geneva Convention with regard to the protection of civilians in time of war was vetoed by the United States, even though the provisions calling for Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza and stop the collective punishment of the Palestinian people was removed.

Work for Peace.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

2008-12-04T17:24:00.000-08:00

Ninety-three countries signed a treaty banning cluster bombs yesterday. I say blessing be upon them. Unfortunately our government chose not to even attend the gathering. You can read the linked article and many more for information on who else chose not to attend. I am enraged but not surprised.

I often say I do not use the word “evil” in my vocabulary much because I think it is impossible to judge what evil is, as it is so subjective. Also I think it is a word that is overused to the point that it loses all meaning. But if I were to identify anything as “evil” from my standpoint, there are two items on the list. One is methamphetamine, an insidious scourge sweeping through our communities like a uncontrolled wildfire, leaving destruction everywhere it goes.

The second item deserving of my highest condemnation are cluster bombs. I call them the “Gift that keeps on giving”. They deserve to be included on the list of weapons of mass destruction. The indiscriminate nature of the way they kill is a crime against humanity. Those who choose to order their use deserve to be tried for war crimes. As you may have judged, I am very opinionated on this matter, to the point that I sometime find it difficult to even write rationally on the subject and lose all sense of objectivity.

Just a little primer here. Cluster bombs are 1,000-pound munitions that break into the 202 bomblets, and each bomblet fractures into 300 fragments of steel. The exact 'footprint,' or landing area, of the bomblets is difficult to control and have an initial failure-to-explode rate of some seven percent. 98 percent of the deaths are civilians and a third of those are children. These unexploded little bombs are scattered all over Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Most recently Israel left the “gift that keeps on giving” for the children of Lebanon before they left the war zone.

Shortly after we started bombing Afghanistan “back to the stone age” Cynthia McKinney used her seat in the Congress to question Pentagon leadership about the similarity between food packets and cluster bombs dropped on Afghanistan. Both being bright yellow in color and similar in size. Children in Afghanistan would rush out seeking much needed food being dropped in humanitarian aid, instead to be blown to pieces as they touched the bomlets. Sweet…

I could go on and on about this but I will close this post for now. In closing I would encourage you to join an organization working on this issue such as the Cluster Munition Coalition or Human Rights Watch. There are many others but that is a good start. Do Google searches for more information. Most importantly I would suggest writing the President elect Obama and ask him to reverse the United States stance on the issue and perhaps even suggest we stop selling them to Israel like Regan once did. I haven’t looked recently to find where best to write a message to Obama but perhaps his web site would be a good place to start.

Work for Peace

Ghost Dancing

2008-11-27T03:44:00.000-08:00

Today I am writing about the fact that people are living in a state of extreme crisis on the Reservations in South Dakota. On 6th November, a blizzard struck the Great Plains, covering the state in 4 feet of snow and parts of the Lakota reservations in up to 20 foot drifts. The governor of South Dakota declared a state of emergency --but the reservations are exempt from any assistance. I haven’t been able to find out exactly why that is. Bottom line is that they need help desperately. Many parts of the rez have no water or electricity. Food is also scarce. An appeal has been sent out for people to help any way they can. Native activist Russell Means has issued an International Disaster Declaration.

In September of 2007 the UN passed the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. At that time American Indian activists withdrew from all treaties with the US Government and started contacting foreign governments to solicit support. Well I say good for them! It is unclear what, if any, support they have received. But it is clear that many Native Americans are against that action. Some agree with Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux who said “The issue isn't whether we should withdraw from our treaties; the issue is what we should do, and what we should have been doing, to enforce our treaties and to make a better life for our future generations.”

I bet they sure could use a bailout like the auto industry wants. But in their case they don’t need a bailout. They simply need for the government to pay them they money they are owed. Some estimate that that the government owes Native Americans as much as $137.5 billion in back royalties. Couldn’t they fast track through some of the fucking bureaucratic red tape and give them a few billion? Or even just a few million?

There is a class action suit called Cobell v. Kempthorne (previously called Cobell v. Norton) where an estimated 500,000 Native Americans are trying to recover this money that essentially has been stolen from them over the years. Just another example on the Trail of Broken Treaties.

All the while we send billions around the world in foreign aid. A good chuck of it military foreign aid I must add. Right here within our midst are these “reservations” that are worse off than some “third world” countries. Pine Ridge being a prime example.

I could go on and on about this subject but I will close for now. Do what you can. Send some money. Pray for them. Write to Bush and Obama. And while we're at it, since today is thanksgiving, let's all be thankful that we are not living in Pine Ridge tonight….

The Israeli Siege in Gaza

2008-11-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

President Bush and Secretary Condoleezza Rice have pretty much given up on the Israeli/Palestinian peace process and are leaving it up to Obama now. The fundamental issues of the conflict have not yet been resolved. Borders of a Palestinian state; security arrangements; the fate of Palestinian refugees who left their homes in 1948, or were forced to leave; and the status of Jerusalem. The blockade of a million and a half Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is now entering its third week.

And if Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi) gets elected in the new elections in Israel the road to peace is most likely to become that much harder to accomplish. He has actually said that he would end Israel’s current negotiations with the Palestinians if elected prime minister. Can you hear my huge sigh at this point?

Two American activists are now in a new prison in Israel, recently being moved from simply jail. Amy Goodwin interview and video here. They are Donna and Darlene Wallach. They believe that they were actually kidnapped because they were in Palestinian waters not Israeli waters when they were arrested. What do you think and why isn't anyone from the department of state working to help get them out or even find out what they are charged with?

This situation is one of the most important issues on my personal plate, but like so many others it brings me much frustration while trying to think of what I can do to break the “Israel is always right” mindset of the United States government. Obama doesn’t seem to be much different than those who have come before, with the exception of Jimmy Carter.

Here is a woman telling why Americans go to Gaza and this man has some more articulated reasons.

Here is the link to the Free Gaza Movement.

Here Archbishop Tutu describes his feelings after visiting Gaza. The Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu has called Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip an "abomination".

So where do we go from here? How can we move this up on President elect Obama's incredible list of things to do?

Is Defense Secretary Gates Best Obama Choice for Peace?

2008-11-22T03:56:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know there has been legislation floating around congress to institute a cabinet level Department of Peace for quite a few years. At the end of this CNN news video clip, Wendy Green representing the Peace Alliance, points out that Robert Gates may be already on line with the agenda of the Department of Peace and many in the alliance think he may be the best choice for Secretary of Defense. To bolster this thought is this speech Gates gave last year at Kansas State University. It is rather long but a good read. While recognizing winning the war in Afghanistan cannot been done my military alone he praises the work of non military people and organizations that have done remarkable work in making Afghanistan a more civilized, livable and less violent place. Here is a little thought toward the end of his address:

“I have been heartened by the works of individuals and groups like these. But I am concerned that we need even more civilians involved in the effort and that our efforts must be better integrated.

The way to institutionalize these capabilities is probably not to recreate or repopulate institutions of the past such as AID or USIA. On the other hand, just adding more people to existing government departments such as Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Justice and so on is not a sufficient answer either – even if they were to be more deployable overseas. New institutions are needed for the 21st century, new organizations with a 21st century mind-set.”

The Idaho Peace Coalition has been campaigning for the Department of Peace since the beginning and maybe now is the time that there will be a climate that it may have a chance to become a reality. We now also have a facebook page. Please join us and work for a more peaceful world and put an end to war.

The Economy, the Military and the War on Terror

2008-10-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

It is mostly agreed that one of the main reasons for the collapse of the Soviet Union was a bloated military budget. Some estimate that 70% of their money went to their military industrial complex. Most agree that it was over 50%. It doesn’t take much to investigate what I just said.

Though some may wish to argue this, near 50% of our federal tax money currently is going to pay for past, present and future wars.

The Economic Disaster That is Military Keynesianism by Chalmers Johnson is a good read.

Excerpt:

….”It is virtually impossible to overstate the profligacy of what our government spends on the military. The Department of Defense's planned expenditures for the fiscal year 2008 are larger than all other nations' military budgets combined. The supplementary budget to pay for the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, not part of the official defense budget, is itself larger than the combined military budgets of Russia and China. Defense-related spending for fiscal 2008 will exceed $1 trillion for the first time in history. The US has become the largest single seller of arms and munitions to other nations on Earth. Leaving out President Bush's two on-going wars, defense spending has doubled since the mid-1990s. The defense budget for fiscal 2008 is the largest since the second world war…..”

Another read from May of 2007:

Washington, DC: The Center for Economic and Policy Research released a report today estimating the economic impact of increased U.S. military spending comparable to the spending on the Iraq war. The report, presenting the results of a simulation from the economic forecasting company Global Insight, shows the increased level of military spending leads to fewer jobs and slower economic growth. Report

Of course by now we are all well aware of the warning that Dwight D. Eisenhower had for us all about the military industrial complex.

So my question is how much of this economic collapse be laid at the feet of our defense budget? Much I think. And this brings on another question. Are we fulfilling the desires of Osama bin Laden? In his Letter to America he stated his intent and later just before the 2004 elections he announced his plans for destroying America through economic strangulation. Is his plan working?

On edit:
Nothing in the campaign platforms of either Republican Senator John McCain or Democratic Senator Barack Obama suggests they plan to significantly reduce military spending.

McCain says the United States must enlarge the size of its armed forces. That alone will guarantee that operational and support costs, traditionally one of the highest categories of US military spending, stay high. Likewise, Obama supports plans to increase the size of the army by 65,000 soldiers and the marines by 27,000 troops.

Obama and Peace

2008-07-03T03:48:00.000-07:00

So, for all of you who believe a vote for Obama is a vote for peace here is a minor wake up call. I have been suggesting for months to people to go to Obama's web site and read his foreign policy before becoming a Obama-maniac. And as I also have been saying, when he becomes president there may be some buyer's remorse and some wailing and gnashing of teeth...

Don't get me wrong. I suppose I will probably vote for Obama. But everyone needs to be aware of what they are going to get and not be surprised when the mythological mesmerizing Obama-god turns out to be just a man.

How Obama, who traditionally supports trimming the defense budget, can square his support for expanding personnel programs, force-level increases, more deployments to Afghanistan and an army reset is a question he has not addressed.

Excerpt from his speech yesterday:

There is no challenge greater than the defense of our nation and our values. The men and women of our military – from Fort Carson to Peterson Air Force base, from the Air Force Academy to the ROTC students here on campus – have signed up at a time when our troops face an ever-increasing load. Fighting a resurgent Taliban. Targeting al Qaeda. Persevering in the deserts and cities of Iraq. Training foreign militaries. Delivering humanitarian relief. In this young century, our military has answered when called, even as that call has come too often. Through their commitment, their capability, and their courage they have done us all proud.

But we need to ease the burden on our troops, while meeting the challenges of the 21st century. That’s why I will call on a new generation of Americans to join our military, and complete the effort to increase our ground forces by 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 Marines.

A call to service must be backed by a sacred trust with anyone who puts on the uniform of the United States. A young person joining our military must know that we’ll only send them into harm’s way when we absolutely must. That we’ll provide them with the equipment needed to complete their mission safely, and deployments that allow adequate time back home. They must see that we’ll care for our military families while they’re deployed, and that we’re providing our veterans with the support, benefits, and opportunity that they have earned when they return home. That’s what I’ve fought for on the Senate Veteran’s Affairs Committee. That’s what I’ll promise as Commander in Chief.

2008-02-10T07:34:00.000-08:00

Who is guilty of murder?

Yesterday 23 year old sniper Sgt. Evan Vela was convicted of murder in the death of an unarmed Iraqi man. http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2008/02/10/tearful_us_soldier_admits_killing_iraqi/

His commanding officer testified with the following:

"I told Sgt. Vela to pull out his 9-mm (pistol) and 'crack it.' I told Vela to shoot," said Hensley, who was acquitted in November of murder charges in this shooting and two earlier killings but was convicted of lesser charges. He received immunity for testifying Friday. When asked why he didn't kill al-Janabi himself, Hensley said: "Sgt. Vela happened to be the guy with the pistol. The Iraqi's head was at his (Vela's) feet. I would have gladly shot him myself."

As you all know I am totally against war and the especially the “collateral damage” civilian carnage. But I have to say that I feel so badly for this young man and feel he is getting a raw deal here. The one who gave him the order has immunity for his actions and that seems so fucked up to me.

The military goes into schools, use their dirty tricks http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/05/12/MNGF4CNN711.DTL

to get kids to join, train them to be killers and to obey orders. Even though they are also taught that it their l right and duty to disobey “unlawful orders”. http://www.omjp.org/ArtLarryDisobey.htm

Even though “I was only following orders” http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/nurem.htm

should not be an excuse for war crimes I believe that war is a crime itself. So who is the real murderer here? Sgt. Vela is just another victim of the ones who taught them to kill and sent them to war.

The number of Iraqi and Afghani civilians who have died can be and are being argued about all the time. But the indisputable fact is that more civilians die in these wars than combatants. Dropping of cluster bombs in my opinion is a war crime.

And those who are really guilty of murder will never stand before a court. George Bush, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz and the list of neo-cons who planned and orchestrated the war in Iraq . Wars of aggression. http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2005/03/00_krieger_war-illegal-illegitimate.htm

are illegal under international law and preemptive war http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Preemptive_war

is very specific in its use. Just War Theory is a guide used for a long time also to judge if a war is acceptable. Pope John Paul recognized that the war in Iraq was not justified under Just War criteria and said so at the time.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0210-03.htm

I could go on as you know, and I might. The question is this. Is Sgt. Vega a murderer? And if so why are the ones who sent them to murder not also on public trial?