By Harriet Heywood, May 18, 2018, Citrus County Chronicle, republished August 6, 2018.
Numerous international polls name the United States as the biggest threat to global peace. The United States maintains 800 military bases in 80 countries around the world, 95 percent of the international total.
The fiscal year 2018 military budget is $700 billion, or 53 percent of discretionary spending.
We have no say about how these tax dollars are spent on endless wars and deaths of innocent children, to protect corporate profits — especially big oil and gas and the weapons industry.
The costs in tax dollars exacts a huge toll on our economy, our educational system, and our social fabric. Under No Child Left Behind, our schools have become military recruiting grounds in order to fill the ranks of the endless war machine; media, television, movies and video games glorify war, and we are paying the price in domestic gun violence. Contrary to Hollywood’s pitch, there is no just war.
Collateral damage includes returning soldiers who are
20 percent more likely to commit suicide than their
civilian counterparts.
In Congress, the accepted vision is Full Spectrum Dominance: Countries whose leaders resist become war zones like Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Libya, and if Trump and his crew have anything to say about it, Iran and maybe Korea will be next.
Trump’s recent appointments indicate his philosophy — torture, illegitimate wars and sanctions. Really a continuation from Obama, Bush and Clinton.
Meanwhile, the only country that has ever dropped nuclear bombs continues to use depleted uranium-tipped ammunition, poisoning the cradle of civilization in an illegitimate, farcical effort to rid the world of “weapons of mass destruction.” No wonder countries like Iran and North Korea are skeptical at losing their nukes. Things didn’t go well for their neighbors who succumbed to “diplomacy.”
Iran has a history of being betrayed by U.S. promises of peace, beginning with the CIA/MI6-engineered coup against the wildly popular, democratically-elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossaddegh in 1953.
A failure to bow to the golden calf invites condemnation and eradication.
A recent letter writer urged us all to vote out those who have disgraced our great country — Trump, Webster, et al.
We should remember that our foreign policymakers and their puppets have no allegiance to country.
Their fealty is to the corporation. Until we come to terms with that, the blood of innocent millions will continue to be shed.
The only cure is a global citizenry in the streets to demand peace.
Harriet Heywood
Homosassa
