That's all I can say about it.
Wow.
Helen Thomas wrote an article titled Accepting Various Truths in the Albany Times Union that just really said the unsayable. I mean, we all know it, but it just hit me over the head.
The United States spends more for its arsenal than any other 10 countries combined. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the U.S. accounts for more than 40 percent of the world's total military spending. China is in second place, at a relatively puny 5.8 percent.
If the U.S. defense spending bubble were ever to deflate, domestic job losses would be catastrophic, a stunning fact that raises the question of whether we can ever afford peace.
I guess there's the possibility that we could slowly reduce the military spending while increasing our spending to for renewable energy and humane efforts.
That will take a very big paradigm shift.
Such an intersting thing to ponder. Peace is possible. We were talking to a friend the other day and she made an interesting point, " Everyone must be in the same state of suffering or expereince MASS suffering before people unite peacefully to overcome tradgedy." Examples: Higher Unemployment rate=more people donating to foodbanks and giving what they can, Natural Disasters such as Haiti=everyone searching for someway to help, deaths in families=a reunion of people you would have otherwise not seen in a very long time, etc. Peace is possible.
ReplyDeleteA & N,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Yes, I agree. Peace IS possible. Not sure that many governments do peace well, but people definitely do.
Your examples remind me of a line from the speech that MLK made the day before his death:
"But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars."
We don't have the yin without the yang.
Yep. I agree will Helen Thomas. Actually, that's been the "truth" following every major war that the United States and every other industrialized nation has fought in the past couple of centuries. Before industrialization nations had other similar problems at the end of wars -- like what to do with a couple of hundred soldiers who no longer have a war to fight and could easily rebel against the government. The Romans handled it by giving each soldier a plot of land to farm -- therefore turning "swords into plowshares."
ReplyDeleteI've written too much, Carol! Tanks for sharing the words of Helen Thomas; reading them has gotten my foggy brain into gear!
Mr. Nick,
ReplyDeleteAt least the problem was somewhat easily solvable for the Romans, eh? I wonder how we'll get out of this one.
And thank YOU for reading Ms. Thomas' words on this here blog. She is one smart and feisty woman.
Indigo Incarnates
ReplyDeleteI have a new computer again, so it should be easier to blog more often. Yay!
Anyway... I think the transition from war to peace would probably have to be done gradually in order to avoid another Great Depression (not that the current economic situation is all that far from Depression status). But I think it can be done. Costa Rica moved to a "peace" economy following WWII. Because there is practically no military spending, that nation can afford universal health care and universal schooling with only an 8% tax overhead.
Indigo,
ReplyDeleteYou gave me hope.
I just now read about Costa Rica. According to Wikipedia, it abolished its army in 1949. It's number 1 on the Happy Index and it's the greenest country in the world.
I might have to do some traveling to see what life is like in such places...!
Just saw this:
ReplyDeleteFewer jobs are created through military spending than through civilian spending because military spending is capital intensive.
For example,
for every billion dollars either 25,000 military jobs could be
created or 47,000 health care jobs. Consequently, tax money spent to
create military jobs means more unemployment. ---War Resisters League
B.E.,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this! It makes sense. Military funding is spent so wastefully.
Thanks for shaking up MY paradigm!
Too bad corporations and people in D.C. don't care that our money could be spent in a lot of better ways.